The large pockets characteristic of cargo pants were originally designed for British forces to hold field dressings, maps, and other items. The concept was copied in the U.S. Paratrooper uniform to allow more room to hold K rations and extra ammunition.
They’ve been called masculine, they’ve been called lame. They’ve been worn by soldiers on the frontline and by teenage video game addicts. They’ve come in all colors of the camo rainbow but made equally available in high-end gorpcore materials. The cargo pant is like the double-agent of the menswear world, simultaneously working for both sides of the field - the cool and the uncool.
