Clothing

Scottevest Hidden Cargo Pants

Concealed cargos

I often carry far too much stuff in my pockets, and these pants allow me to do so without showing it. They’re durable, and I have not been able to find any other pants that do what these do. I wear these and Scottevest’s Ultimate cargo pants almost exclusively, because after wearing each type a few times, standard pants with standard pockets feel awkward.

The Hidden Cargo Pants are more formal than the Ultimate Cargos, or 5.11 Tactical Pants. The Hidden Cargos feel more like dress pants. The main difference between the Ultimate and Hidden is that the Ultimate have a rougher fabric, cargo pockets, and zip-off lower legs. The main pocket suspension is the same.

Access to pockets is excellent in the Hidden Cargos. The main pockets on each side of the front consist of three pockets in one. There’s a magnetic clasp to access the outer pockets, which are very large (they come down almost to the knee) and are divided into front and back sections.

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As long as you’re wearing a good belt it doesn’t really get too heavy. The design of the pockets means it is far less cumbersome than standard pants, but it can, of course, get cumbersome if you really stuff them full– which would be a feat. Without a good belt, however, the pants can get a bit heavy and slide down if they are loaded with stuff.

What do I fill my pockets with? I always carry around a large wallet, pen, comb, Chapstick, rosary, large thumb drive, Leatherman, phone, palm tungsten T5 (in large metal case) and a handkerchief. I carry it all in the front pockets, as I feel uncomfortable sitting with stuff in my back pockets. These are enough large items to produce a noticeable bulge in standard pants; in the Hidden Cargo Pants, there’s no noticeable bulge most of the time.

-- TJ Wasik 09/29/09

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