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Cargo pants are much like regular khaki pants, but were designed originally for tough, outdoor activities. They are baggier, permitting free movement, made of hardwearing, quick-drying fabrics, with tough stitching, and have large belt loops and several additional patch pockets.

Cargo pockets originally seen on battledress

Cargo pockets generally have accordion folds in the sides for increased capacity, and often have large flaps secured with snaps or velcro. They are used on battledress or sport hunting clothing for carrying maps, compasses and other equipment in an easily acessible way.

The garments are normally made of rectangular panels of fabric, designed to allow bending at the knee and hip without stretching. Occasionally the knee joint has a hidden gap for ventilation. Stitching is often expressed as an external felled seam, and may be sewn in a contrasting colour to give the garment strong lines. Felled seams are commonly used in outdoor garments to improve water resistance.

Cargo shorts are similar to cargo pants. Some styles have zip-off legs, and can be converted from long to short trousers to suit the weather. These are particularly useful for hikers and global travelers.

Cargo skirts are made in the same style, with the same features. Long and mid-length cargo skirts are typically straight or slightly flared, with a long back split to permit long strides. Cargo miniskirts may be tight with a back split, or deeply pleated like a sports skirt or kilt.

The cargo style was copied by fashion designers in the late 1980s in the UK, and the late 1990s in the USA, and applied to everyday urban wear. This proved popular with young people, partly due to the tough construction and useful side pockets (for storing personal items such as cell phone, wallet, iPod, candies, lighter, etc.); and partly to suit the whims of fashion, presenting a rugged, no-nonsense look suggesting military and outdoor activities. When cargo pants are worn for purely aesthetic reasons, the pockets are often not used.

Early designs of trousers, shorts and skirts alike were typically robust and hardwearing. Later designs applied the same style to softer and thinner fabrics with lightweight details, creating a hybrid style which is more comfortable, but less hardwearing and less suitable for outdoor use.

Cargo pants were originally worn only by men and boys, and by both sexes in the forces. But after celebrities such as Avril Lavigne or Kim Possible wore them to express girl power, they became socially acceptable for young women. Cargo pants for girls have been designed keeping the baggy style and pockets, but are wider around the hips and tighter around the waist and posterior.

Some manufacturers have since combined the style of the cargo skirt with the contemporary kilt to create the "hiking kilt". This has all of the advantages of kilts or pleated skirts, made as tough outdoor clothing for men. It is shorter than a traditional kilt, and has deep pleats to permit free movement for outdoor activities such as hiking and climbing.

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