I am a contractor and I use these shorts for work, and boy, these are tough shorts.  I also wear Riggs Ranger shorts, which I find more stylish, but for the toughest jobs when I need the most durable material, I go to these.  These shorts, along with other Carhartt workwear, remind me of how I always used to think of Levi's jeans:  Durable.  Rugged.  Tough as nails.

The fabric that make up these shorts is 12 oz. ringspun cotton duck.  This, my friends, is heavy material.  It wears like chain mail and looks good over time.  After years of wearing them, they have finally started to get ever so slightly frayed at the hem, just enough to make them look comfortable.  And comfortable they are!

Despite the heavy and rugged material, the cut of these shorts is generous, allowing room to move and stretch, and cool enough to wear on the hottest days.  Though the crotch isn't gusseted, there's plenty enough room down there to keep the boys happy, even when the job calls for constant kneeling and climbing.  You can wear these on the job all day and be happy... and that counts for a whole lot.  Mine haven't shrunk and the fit has been spot-on and true to size.

Pockets are useful and seem designed by someone who's actually used them to put tools into.  They are right-sized, just the right depth, and durable.  There are two utility pockets on the right, and one on the left along with a hammer loop that actually works.  I really don't like skinny, faux hammer loops that won't take a framing hammer

Styling isn't these shorts' forte, but I rather like that.  These shorts are meant for serious work, and they look it.  The proof is in the wearing, though, and not the looking - and these shorts stand up to the toughest use.  I've had mine for years - thousands of hours on the job - and though the oldest ones are stained, frayed, faded, and scuffed, they haven't failed in any way.  Not even so much as a sprung belt loop.  It's reassuring to me that Carhartt has kept up their tradition of tough, genuine workwear and hasn't appeared to lower their quality.

A quick word about value...  It seems that the fact that these haven't tried to keep up with style trends accrues to the buyer's benefit:  For as long-lasting and durable as these are, they are a steal at the price current as of this writing.  Don't get me wrong, they aren't ugly shorts - indeed, I think they are ruggedly handsome - but they are clearly work shorts and they'll look the part if you use them accordingly.  I don't know why they are so inexpensive relative to other offerings, but these would be a solid purchase at far more than they are going for.  Big value here for top notch work shorts.

If you need comfortable, tough work shorts that will work as long and as hard as you do, these will not disappoint.  Great shorts!