I'm increasingly disappointed with Dockers these days. The old 6-pocket cargo pants are no longer available. These new 5-pocket models are definitely inferior in materials and design.

The fabric is a coarse-weave canvas, not as hardy or dense as previous pants. It is not going to wear very well for the hobby/recreational use I intend for it. The waist-elastic is pretty standard lightweight material, and my experience with this stuff (in underwear, hatbands, etc.) is that it loses elasticity over a 1-2 year period. Frankly, I expect my pants to last longer than that, but these probably won't. The waist elastic isn't even as sturdy as my Jockey briefs.

Most problematic (for me) is the design of the pants pieces that are connected via the elastic. The base piece (seat/waist of the pants) has a knot of material right on the waistline, one on the right and one on the left near the tops of the pockets. These material fabric nubs hit me exactly on my hip bones, and I develop small irritated red spots on my skin where the nubs press against me. It's like having a rock in your shoe - - both shoes in fact. I have to shift the waistline much higher or lower than I like to get any relief.

Lastly, the zipper cargo pocket (only one) is about 1-2" lower than the previous flap-style cargo pockets. This makes stuff in the pocket a little awkward to reach, and also causes the contents to bang against my knee when I'm walking.

All in all, I'm sad to see where Dockers market strategy has gone. Cheap, poorly-thought-out products, seemingly intended for the young trendy crowd to wear briefly and discard.

If those little fabric bumps don't hit you like they do me, you might be content with these pants; they're basically okay, which is why I gave the 3-star rating. But I can't recommend them like I used to recommend the earlier Docker styles.