I've seen a lot of negative comments about the pocket design on these pants, but I respectfully disagree with them all. I run a pet sitting business and these pants have been a HUGE GAME CHANGER for me. For the record, I'm female and cannot find women's cargo pants that A) are made to last and B) have pockets that are actually FUNCTIONAL. I needed something with enough pockets to store my essentials and allow my hands to be totally free when I'm out walking dogs, as I don't want to deal with a cumbersome purse, backpack or fanny pack when working. Particularly in 90+ degree temps, these pants area SERIOUS WIN to avoid uncomfortable and unsightly back sweat. Following are 3 elements that I like most; 1) They have enough small pockets so that I can keep all my essentials SEPARATED NEATLY, which makes it a "quick draw" whenever I need to access anything. I've found I don't like the standard design of cargo pants with two single, large pockets on each leg because all my items "get lost in the shuffle." When I've got multiple dogs in my hands, I need to be able to quickly and accurately retrieve whatever specific item I'm trying to access. The multi/smaller pocket design is IMHO the BEST pocket design I've ever found, saving me time and the distraction of digging for stuff, keeping me focused on my dogs. 2) All pockets have velcro closures opposed to button closures. This is all about functionality. Sometimes I have to run and I need a pocket that securely closes QUICKLY. I don't have time to be fiddling with an annoying button every time I need to open and close a pocket. 3) These are durable but still lightweight enough for me to wear in high temps without completely sweating through them. Because really, no self respecting girl wants sweat rings on her butt or back. That's just gross. I use the pockets in a very specific way. Here's how; LEFT LEG There are 2 small upper pockets (side by side) and 1 rectangular pocket underneath. UPPER RIGHT POCKET - I use this for all my I.D./credit cards. The size/shape of this small pocket is the PERFECT size for all my cards to stay in a NEAT, SINGLE STACK. In other words, it's just snug enough that prevents them from getting all shuffled up. UPPER LEFT POCKET - I use this one for my chapstick, plus mini tubes of sunscreen and hand sanitizer. Three small items fit neatly in a single, upright row. Again, another PERFECT fit. LOWER LEFT RECTANGULAR POCKET - This is a low pocket, so I don't want anything hard that'll rub against my thigh. This is the perfect space for my sunglass chamois (just a soft cloth) that I'm constantly using after getting wet, sloppy doggy kisses all over my glasses - perks of the job ;) RIGHT LEG There's 1 large gusset pocket with a BUILT-IN smaller pocket WITHIN this large pocket. This smaller pocket is perfect to carry a small stack of business cards, an absolute must have (for me) at all times. The built-in pocket is clutch because; A) They keep my cards FLAT and prevent them from getting damaged by other loose items in a traditional larger pocket. B) Because the pocket is built-in, it creates a "second skin" around my cards preventing any body sweat from soaking into the cards. Gross, I know - and probably TMI. But this has saved me costs in throwing out soggy cards (wasting money) and the personal guilt I feel from throwing out paper products that were previously perfectly fine. My only complaint about these pants?? They don't come in enough colors!! ***ATTN WRANGLER*** Please, please, please MAKE THIS EXACT STYLE OF CARGO IN MORE COLORS!!! I'll literally buy TWO of EACH color. USER TIPS: 1) Unless I've gotten a particularly nasty stain on them, I usually wash them inside out if washing with other clothing because of the velcro on the pockets. Sometimes the pockets become detached during the washing cycle and the adhesive side of the velcro can damage fabrics of your other items in the wash. Although now I have so many of these specific cargos that I just wash them all together in a single load. Yup, darks and lights together. Once I've washed the darker colors separately a few times I don't worry about washing them with my lighter pairs. To date, I've never had a problem with the darker colored pairs bleeding onto the lighter ones. 2) I recommend HANGING TO DRY after the first (or second) washing. This will help prevent shrinkage. I've hanged to dry for after the first two washings for each pair and have never had any issues with shrinkage. I hope all this info helps when making your choice. As with anything, pocket design is clearly a matter of different strokes for different folks. But since there were so many negative reviews I felt obligated to chime in to say that this design wasn't a total bomb for everyone, as it was the exact opposite for me. So if there are others (like me) who have very specific needs, then these pants may just be the perfect fit for you.
