Remember When Cargo Shorts Ruled Summer Style? They’re Back

Just when I thought I was out, cargo shorts are (apparently) pulling me back in.

As a kid in middle school, cargo shorts were a revelation. They were gloriously baggy and the huge pockets on each leg allowed us to carry all of the things that wouldn't fit in our chain wallet or coin

However, cargo shorts went out of style in the late 2000's, replaced first by plaid or patterned shorts, then by more of a golf-style khaki type short. Problem is, by the time cargos went out of style, they were more useful than ever since we now had to carry around a cell phone, mp3 player, digital camera and all the other accoutrements essential to everyday living in 2010.

It took me a long time to ditch the cargos. I started getting some crap for wearing them when I worked with younger people in the Northwoods League from 2011-2013 and I finally kicked the habit around 2016. I said goodbye to my beloved cargo shorts... it was a hard day.

With that being said, imagine my surprise when I went to Target the other day and saw nothing but rack upon rack of cargo shorts. Heck, they even have cargo PANTS again, and those haven't been in style since the Oprah era.

Now I am faced with a decision: do I stick to my guns and keep wearing my slightly-too-short khaki dad shorts, or do I return to the dark side of cargo shorts. Something tells me if I, a 44-year-old dad, am buying the cargo shorts, they are probably already out of style.