# Are shorts appropriate for grownups of a certain age? How about cargo shorts? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 25, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334 "2022-08-25T15:44:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/21 "2022-08-25T18:08:15Z")
Certain clothing items are inappropriate for certain settings. Cargo shorts, outside of like a black tie event, is not one of them. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/22 "2022-08-25T18:14:49Z")
I wear shorts during our warm months when I’m not at work. Most of them are cargo. I like the functionality of them. Plus, I typically have to carry my wife’s phone when we are out so having the extra pockets is nice. I’m 52 and have never been fashionable or really care. ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/23 "2022-08-25T18:19:10Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > If you’re going to wear shorts, make them short. I’m talking 1970’s NBA, Magnum PI short. I used to wear shorts like that, many years ago. I think today they would be useful for causing my college-age daughter to throw up and have a heart attack at the same time. 😁 I am a 58-year-old cargo shorts wearer, and often pair them with t-shirts or Hawaiian shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/24 "2022-08-25T18:27:09Z")
I’m 75 and have vertigo. When I walk around I look like I’m drunk anyway, so people are probably laughing at me anyway. I like shorts and sandals when it’s warm enough. Shoes aren’t all that comfortable. As far as ‘cargo’ shorts, or pants for that matter, I need the pockets for ll my ‘old fart’ stuff. I don’t care what anybody else thinks. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/25 "2022-08-25T18:29:55Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > > [@WildaBeast](#): > > > > I had a former coworker who grew up in India, who always wore long pants no matter how hot it was (And it can get really hot here). He told us that in India (at least at the school he went to; I don’t want to generalize about the whole country), boys had to wear shorts with their school uniforms. > > That’s inherited from the British tradition of graduating to long pants being a “thing.” It was a thing in the US, too, but died out long ago. If you read old books you can sometimes find mention of it. There are also expressions like “When I was in short pants …” meaning when they were a kid. I remember reading in old novels or stories of boys wearing short pants but transitioning to long pants at some point. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/26 "2022-08-25T19:01:24Z")
I wear shorts almost all year. My wife gets on my case when it’s cold out, but otherwise is OK with it. It helps that I have good legs. I will put on pants if we are going out to somewhere nice. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/27 "2022-08-25T19:15:02Z")
I’m not even entirely sure I own a pair of shorts for walking around (as opposed to working in the garden, or whatever). I stopped wearing shorts somewhere around the late 90s/early 00s. I was living in Hungary at the time, and I stood out a bit if I wore shorts, so I stopped, and haven’t gone back to wearing them since. It’s funny – we used to make fun of a high school friend who never wore shorts, but now, given the choice, I will pick jeans or slacks (or whatever) every time for going out in public. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/28 "2022-08-25T19:16:14Z")
I can’t conceiver of what is going thru the mind of someone who notices, let alone cares, that some other guy is wearing shorts/cargo \*/whatever. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/29 "2022-08-25T19:55:18Z")
This thread is timely. I’m going to a dinner at a high end restaurant. Today the organizer pointed out the dress code: > The dress code is business casual, and they kindly request no t-shirts, casual shorts, hats, or athletic attire Which had me wondering if I can wear my business shorts? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/30 "2022-08-25T19:56:36Z")
> [@solost](#): > > And my preferred mode of shorts is cargo shorts. In addition to, I think, not being stylish for anyone anymore, are they not supposed to be meant for older folks? I am older and I wear cargo shorts about 9 months out of the year. My wife wears cargo shorts. I do only wear Orvis shorts, however, some class there. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/31 "2022-08-25T20:38:55Z")
Shorts are standard attire during the hot months on the production line at my work… when I got the job, the first thing anyone told me was, “_Get shorts._”. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/32 "2022-08-25T20:39:39Z")
San Francisco here. I’m in shorts most of the year round. Even in the office and there are only a few guys in shorts. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/33 "2022-08-25T21:55:50Z")
I was going to stop wearing cargo shorts a year or two ago, but then I realized - I have cargo. mmm ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/34 "2022-08-25T22:18:43Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I was going to stop wearing cargo shorts a year or two ago, but then I realized - I have cargo. BASF\* \*Best Answer So Far ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/35 "2022-08-25T22:30:02Z")
I own a Clutch Cargo DVD. It never occurred to me to store it in shorts. Facepalm. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/36 "2022-08-25T22:31:20Z")
Here on the left coast, it’s all La Rage baby. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/37 "2022-08-25T23:44:11Z")
I too like cargo shorts, but I find many of them to be too long. So I hem them up to the bottom of the thigh pockets. I’m a hack with a sewing machine but I can at least do that much. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/38 "2022-08-25T23:58:01Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Now me in the warm months, especially now that I work at home, I live in shorts and t-shirts. I feel sad when the days get cool and I have to break out long pants. This Canadian football fan swore at the beginning of the 2001 season that he wouldn’t wear long pants until his team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, won the Grey Cup. They didn’t win it until 2019. 18 years of wearing shorts year-round. In Winnipeg! > **[Blue Bombers fan fulfills promise, wears pants for 1st time in 18 years after...](https://globalnews.ca/news/6217527/blue-bombers-fan-pants-grey-cup-win/)** > > A Winnipeg Blue Bombers fan can finally wear pants for the first time in 18 years after his team won the Grey Cup in Calgary on Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/39 "2022-08-26T00:08:05Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Assuming one is okay with shorts but NOT cargo shorts, what shorts is a hip gentleman supposed to wear? Those slack-shorts they wear at golf clubs? > > Bc those are ugly. If the traditions of the British Empire mean anything, the only possible answer is the Bermuda variety. See the first picture on this page. > **[Bermuda shorts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_shorts)** > > Bermuda shorts, also known as walk shorts or dress shorts, are a particular type of short trousers, worn as semi-casual attire by both men and women. The hem, which can be cuffed or un-cuffed, is around 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the knee. > They are so-named because of their popularity in Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory, where they are considered appropriate business attire for men when made of suit-like material and worn with knee-length socks, a dress shirt, tie, and blazer. > True Bermuda shor... ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334/40 "2022-08-26T00:37:25Z")
As long time Dopers are familiar with, my usual “home” location has been Puerto Rico. Where as a general society, for a tropical island we are extremely dressed up. Shorts are for chores around the homestead, the beach or a quick run down to the drugstore. But I see later generations are getting more relaxed about that. But … my parallel “deployed” location is within the Capital Beltway. Wherein in Juy and August, tropical schmopical this is Og’s boiler room! Shorts and technical-fabric t-shirts are a boon for weekend wear. As to styles, yes, cargo shorts are currently on the outs, mostly because of excesses. There’s having a cotton khaki cargo short with six pockets and then there’s having a khaki cargo short in ripstop nylon with ten outside and two inside pockets and zippers, velcros, snaps, drawstrings, carabiners, hanging loops, slung low with the waistband around crotch level… But the reality is in non-jacket weather, you just _may need and want_ additional pockets and what business is it of anyone. > [@Bootb](#): > > If the traditions of the British Empire mean anything, the only possible answer is the Bermuda variety. See the first picture on this page If they’re good enough for chasing and getting chased by Rommel up and down Cyrenaica, they’re good enough for me… …OTOH… Just don’t look like [Magnum](https://doyouremember.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/tom-selleck-shorts.jpg). Just say no. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shorts-appropriate-for-grownups-of-a-certain-age-how-about-cargo-shorts/970334.md?page=3)