Sizing
Cargo pants: waist, inseam and the eight pockets
A cargo pant is bought by one number and lived in by three: waist, rise and inseam. Here is how ours are cut, what the eight pockets actually hold, and what the care label promises by law.
Start with the piece
BOJIN cargo & work pants to look at first
Buy the waist you measure
Lay a pair of pants you like flat, measure the waistband from edge to edge and double it. That is the number to buy. Our cargo runs true to that number in the relaxed cut, and the cotton gives half an inch after a week of wear, then holds.
If you sit between two sizes, take the larger one. A cargo that is snug at the waist is snug at the thigh, and the thigh is where the pockets live. Cotton also shrinks a touch on the first hot wash, which is one more reason to wash cold the first time.
Waist sizes on the cargo bench today
| Waist 34 | 6 pieces in stock |
|---|---|
| Waist 36 | 2 pieces in stock |
| Waist 38 | 1 piece in stock |
| Waist 40 | 1 piece in stock |
Cargo pants by waist
What eight pockets means
Two slant hand pockets at the front, two buttoned pockets at the back, and four on the thigh: two large flap pockets and two smaller ones set beside them. A phone lies flat in the large thigh pocket and does not print through the cloth. Keys go in the small one so they stop scratching the phone.
The pocket count is the maker's, printed on the page as they state it. What we add is how the pockets are closed, because a buttoned flap and an open patch pocket are not the same thing on a ladder.
Pocket counts across the bench
| 8 pockets | 10 pieces |
|---|
Rise and inseam
The relaxed cargo sits at the natural waist with a medium rise, so it does not pull at the back when you crouch. Inseams come to a standard length by size. If you are under five foot eight the leg stacks on a boot, which is how most people wear it anyway. A tailor takes an inch off a cotton cargo in ten minutes.
What the care label promises
Every pair carries a sewn-in care label, and that label is not a courtesy. The federal rule defines what it has to be.
Care label means a permanent label or tag, containing regular care information and instructions, that is attached or affixed in such a manner that it will not become separated from the product and will remain legible during the useful life of the product.16 CFR § 423.1(a), Federal Trade Commission, read 4 September 2026
Washing cotton cargo
Cold water, inside out, no bleach, and a line or a low tumble. The dye on a camo print fades at the creases first, so turning the pants inside out matters more than the detergent does. Skip fabric softener: it coats the cotton and the pockets lose the crispness that keeps a flap closed.
What cotton cargo will not do is dry fast. A hiking pant in nylon dries on a fence in an hour. Ours takes an afternoon. That is the trade for cloth that softens instead of going shiny.
Before you go
More cargo & work pants in the range
)- Camo Grey Cargo Work Pants
100% cotton · 8 pockets
4.2 out of 5 from 1,054 ratings
$39.99 this size
Sources
- 16 CFR Part 423, Care Labeling of Textile Wearing Apparel, Federal Trade Commission, read 4 September 2026