Next up in this review series is 5.11’s Covert Cargo Pants.  Again, with each pair I consider the following:

1.  Durability

2.  Comfort

3.  Pocket functionality (how many and how useful)

Pros – Durability is normal.  LL Bean’s canvas pants are definitely more durable, however, I have had a pair of these 5.11 pants for over 3 years now and have subjected them to all sorts of environments.   The material has held up to most wear and tear.  The color has hardly faded, I have had no rips in the fabric from thorny vegetation or over excited dogs.

These pants have an elastic waist band.  It is much tighter than the LL Bean pair and has not lost any elasticity over the years.  These are very comfortable to wear and fit well.

If you like pockets then these are your pants.  There are pockets and pockets within pockets.  There are four upper front pockets, with inner pockets,  The side-leg pockets also have inner pockets and are built into to pants as oppose to hanging off them like typical cargo style pockets often do.  All pockets are deep and durable.

Cons – The color had faded around the waist line due to my belt.  Not a big deal since my belt covers it but I was surprised to see how easily the belt wore away the material in that area.

The placement of the side leg pockets will cause heavier items stored there to bounce making it annoying during a hike.  In addition, all the zippers on the pockets have broken on my pair.  Simply bending or squatting will split the zipper.