Full Blue makes clothes for big men, and the brand means big. Its five-pocket twill pants run to a size it calls "10X-Large Big", which the listing defines as an 80-inch waist. If you have spent years finding that the largest size in a store stops a few inches short of you, that one line is reason enough to look at the brand. The question is whether the rest of the garment matches the size chart.
We looked at five Full Blue pieces sold on Amazon: three cargo shorts and two long work pants. The shorts are an expandable-waist cargo short, a side-elastic short in denim and a full elastic-waist cargo short. The pants are a carpenter stretch canvas pant and a five-pocket stretch twill pant. We did not wear any of them. What follows comes from the listings, the photos and what buyers report.
The thing that decides the group is how much the listing tells you. The two pants listings give an inseam, a fit and, for the twill, a fiber split, and they have buyer reviews you can read. The three shorts listings give three short bullets each, most of them "100% Cotton", a closure type and "Hand Wash Only". That gap shapes everything below.
Full Blue big men's expandable-waist cargo shorts
Full Blue Big Men's Expandable-Waist Cargo Shorts
$40.99at our last price check
This is the best-known short in the group, with 4.4 stars from 249 ratings. It is a 100% cotton cargo short with a button closure, a flat front, a low rise and five pockets, which the detail table describes only as "Utility Pocket". The size we see in the table is a 46-inch waist.
What "expandable waist" means here
The name promises an expandable waist, and the listing never says how it works or how much it gives. There is no figure in the bullets or the detail table, and the description is empty. The only clue is the closure, which is a button, so this is a fixed waistband with some give built in, not an elastic pull-on. Full Blue's big and tall cargo pants, which we review in the companion piece, describe a side-elastic waist that "stretches up to 3 additional inches". It is reasonable to guess the shorts use a similar idea, but the shorts listing doesn't say so, and a guess is not a spec. Order your true waist size, and don't count on any particular amount of stretch.
Fabric, length and colors
One hundred percent cotton in a cargo short usually means a twill, but the listing doesn't say so, and it gives no fabric weight. The item length is "Short Length", with no inseam stated anywhere, which is a real gap for big men: the inseam decides whether a short ends above the knee or on it. The full-length photos show it worn with work boots, so you can at least judge the length on the model against your own legs.
The photos also show the range of colors: black, navy, khaki, charcoal and a blue denim version laid flat. If you are buying for a job site, the darker shades will hide grease and dirt better than the khaki.
Care
The label line is "Hand Wash Only". For a cotton work short, that is an odd instruction and an inconvenient one. Most people wash work shorts in a machine every few days, and a 100% cotton short can shrink in a hot wash and a hot dryer. Read "Hand Wash Only" as the brand's way of saying it doesn't guarantee the garment through a machine. If you do machine wash it, cold water and air drying are the cautious route, and you take the risk on yourself.
The rating is healthy. Sixty-eight percent of ratings are five stars and 17% are four, with 6% at one or two stars. But there are no buyer excerpts and no topic counts on the listing, so we can't tell you what the 249 buyers liked or what the unhappy ones disliked. The listing's own detail table gives no fit sentiment either. You are buying on the stars and the photos.
Full Blue's page for this short is on the brand's site.
Who it suits
This short makes sense for a big man who wants a plain, dark cotton cargo short for weekend chores, a cookout or a light job, and who already knows his waist size well. The five pockets and the button front make it look like a work short rather than a gym short, and the color range lets you buy two or three without repeating yourself. The 249 ratings and the 4.4 average are a reasonable record for a garment with so little description.
It makes less sense if you are between sizes, because the listing never says how much the waist expands, or if you need a particular length, because there is no inseam. And if you know you will throw it in a hot machine every week regardless of the label, a 100% cotton short with a hand-wash rule is a gamble on shrinkage.
Full Blue big men's side-elastic twill cargo shorts
Full Blue Big Men's Side-Elastic Twill Cargo Shorts
$40.99at our last price check
This short has the thinnest record in the group. It has five ratings, and the star split is 63% five stars and 37% three stars. On five ratings, that is three people at five stars and two at three.
Twill or denim?
The name says "Twill Cargo Shorts", and the title says "(Denim 46)". The bullets read "Elastic,Denim", and the detail table gives the material type as denim. Denim is a twill weave, so the name isn't strictly wrong, but when a shopper reads "twill cargo short" they picture a chino-like cotton, and this one, on the evidence, is a denim short. The photo shows a blue denim short with a side cargo pocket.
The closure is listed as "elastic closure". With the name's "side elastic", that points to a waistband with elastic panels at the sides rather than a full elastic band. The listing gives no inseam, only "Above the knee". The care line, again, is "Hand Wash Only". For denim, that is even less practical than for twill.
The detail table adds a package size of 15.2 by 11.7 by 2.3 inches and a weight of 1.45 pounds. That tells you it ships folded flat in a mailer, and little else.
There are no buyer excerpts on the listing. With two of five ratings at three stars, the sample tilts lukewarm, but five ratings are too few to tell you anything firm. Full Blue's page for it is here.
What would make this short worth a look? A side-elastic waist is a sensible design for big men, because it gives a little room when you sit down while keeping the front of the waistband flat and neat. Denim is tougher than a light cotton twill, which suits a short that will be knelt in. If those two things are what you want, the short is built around them. The trouble is everything else: no inseam, no fabric weight, a name that calls it twill, five ratings and a hand-wash label on a pair of jeans shorts. If you buy it, buy it from a seller with an easy return, and check the length the day it arrives.
Full Blue men's cargo shorts
Full Blue Men's Cargo Shorts
$49.99at our last price check
This short has one Amazon rating, at five stars. It is a 100% cotton cargo short with an elastic closure and a zipper, five pockets described as slash, utility and "back slit" pockets, and a mid-thigh length. The care line is "Hand Wash Only". The color in the detail table is khaki, while the one photo shows an olive short from the back, with flap pockets. Check the color on the page before you order.
What Walmart buyers say about a close match
Because the Amazon listing has one rating, we looked at a Walmart listing titled "Men's Big & Tall Knockarounds 8" Full-Elastic Cargo Shorts". It matches this short in the features we can see, the elastic waist and cargo pockets, but its title doesn't name Full Blue and we can't confirm it is the identical garment. Read its reviews as evidence about a close cousin, not as proof about this exact short. Those reviews are mixed, and the mix is worth knowing.
The good: buyers call it "Comfortable, true to size, and very functional as work shorts", and one has been "buying these shirts for years". Another lives in northern Maine and wears them "even in winter when go to gym".
The bad is specific and repeated. Several buyers describe the crotch tearing early.
Very poorly made and NOT worth the price. Shallow inseam resulted in a complete blowout of the crotch seam the second time I wore them when I knelt down to pick something up.Walmart reviewer Sporby
The same reviewer adds that "Hidden drawstrings are actually what helps keep them on, not the elastic." Another buyer's son wore each pair once, washed them, "and the second time he wore them the inner seam just shredded". A third had the material rip "in the crotch (not at a seam) when I was getting in my truck." Sizing pulls both ways: one buyer's father "needed 4 sizes smaller than his normal size", while another found the cut "TO NARROW", more like a 2X than a 3X.
The length divides people too. The Walmart title gives an 8-inch inseam, and one buyer whose husband is 6'2" says that is "WAAAAY to long" for him, while another wishes the inseam were shorter. In practice, an 8-inch inseam sits higher on a tall man's leg than on a short man's, so the same short reads as a short on one and nearly knee-length on the other.
One Amazon rating is no evidence at all, and the Walmart reviews, from a listing we can't fully tie to this one, raise doubts about the seams. Full Blue's page for the short is here.
Full Blue carpenter stretch canvas pants
Full Blue Carpenter Stretch Canvas Pants
$24.99at our last price check
This is the strongest product in the group. It has 4.5 stars from 286 ratings, with 77% five stars and 7% at one or two. It is a straight-leg, regular-fit work pant in canvas with "Performance Stretch fabric", a utility pocket and a hammer loop. The sample size in the table is 34 by 32, and the photos show it in gray, khaki and brown.
Construction
The listing describes the fabric as "durable canvas material" with "Performance Stretch", and here is the gap: it never gives the fiber content. There is no cotton percentage, no spandex percentage and no fabric weight anywhere on the page. That matters for a work pant, because a canvas that is mostly cotton behaves differently from one with a lot of polyester. Buyers fill in some of the picture. Several say the pants are lighter than they expected. One compares them directly: "These pants are relatively lighter weight than the Carhartt and Dickies duck cloth and have a little stretch to them." Another calls them "Little on the thinner side far as material, but very durable."
So think of these as a lighter canvas pant with a little give, not a heavy duck cloth. That has a cost and a benefit. A buyer warns that they are "canvas like material, so these won't help you stay cool", and another likes them "for summer hunting". Both can be true: the fabric is light enough for warm weather and closed enough that it doesn't vent.
The carpenter details are the classic ones. A hammer loop sits on the side, and a utility pocket runs down the thigh. A buyer reports that "the tech pocket fits my s23 ultra just fine". Another says "back pockets are deep so cell phone doesn't fall out, and the front pockets are angled so you can reach in to get keys easily."
Fit
Fit is where the buyers are happiest. "Great fit, true to size, washed well too" is typical, and the fit theme has 38 positive mentions out of 45. One buyer gives the numbers that help most: "I'm 6ft 200lb athletic. I ordered 36x34L which fits well." Another says a husband who usually wears "between a 32w or 34w" found them a favorite. The stretch draws only praise in the counts, 12 mentions with none negative, and one buyer puts it well: "These do have stretch but don't get stretched out."
There are two complaints to note. One buyer found the pants "a bit tight at the middle". Another reports a length problem: "Inseam is wrong. Should be 30 in but was about 6 inches too long." That is one report, but it is a big error, so measure the inseam when the pants arrive and before you cut tags.
| Body and use, as buyers describe it | Size ordered | What they report |
|---|---|---|
| 6 ft, 200 lb, athletic build | 36 x 34 | "fits well" |
| Usually wears 32 to 34 waist | not stated | "new favorite work pant" |
| Construction worker, hard on pants | not stated | "fit well and hold the shape for the most part" through the day |
| Ordered a 30 inseam | 30 inseam | "about 6 inches too long" |
| Not stated | not stated | "a bit tight at the middle" |
Working in them
The buyers describe a broad range of jobs. A construction worker's wife reports that her husband is "very hard on his work pants" and that these "hold the shape for the most part" through the day. Another buyer wears them hunting in summer. A third says they look "Professional looking but good colors to cover getting dirty in the field", which is a fair reading of the gray, khaki and brown in the photos. One buyer calls them "Almost my new go to jeans", which tells you they read as a casual pant as well as a work one.
The hammer loop and utility pocket are what separate these from a plain chino. If you carry a tape measure, a utility knife or a phone on the job, the side pocket keeps it reachable without digging into a front pocket while kneeling. The listing doesn't say whether the knees are reinforced or doubled, and nothing on the listing suggests they are, so don't buy these expecting double-front construction.
Care
The listing gives no care instructions at all. The buyers say "washed well too" and "Easy to clean", so the pants have been through machines without trouble in their reports. Without a label figure, cold water and a low dryer setting are the cautious choice for any canvas with stretch.
These fit perfect with the right amount of stretch. I will definitely purchase this brand again and 1/2 the price of Wrangler.Amazon buyer
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
One buyer's complaint is about the title: "Overall great pants, just misleading product title." The excerpt is cut, so we can't say which part of the title they meant. The detail table offers candidates. It calls these "Cargo" pants, lists a sport type of "Fishing" and a rise style of "Ankle", none of which match a carpenter pant with a 32-inch inseam. Read the photos and the bullets, and ignore the odder fields in the table. Full Blue's page is here.
Full Blue 5-pocket stretch twill pants
Full Blue 5-Pocket Stretch Twill Pants
$79.95at our last price check
This is the pant for the man who can't find his size anywhere else. The first bullet sets out the top of the range: "10X-Large Big = 80" Waist; 10X Big = 78" Waist; 9X-Large Big = 76" Waist; 9X Big = 74" Waist." It adds, in capitals, that the X sizes all correspond to numeric waist sizes, that the pants are "EXTRA FULL CUT FOR THE REAL BIG GUY", and that every pair comes with a 32-inch length that is "EASY TO ALTER". The rating is 4.3 stars from 80 ratings.
Fabric
The detail table gives the fabric as 98% cotton and 2% spandex, and the bullets call the 2% elastane. Spandex and elastane are the same fiber under two names, so there is no contradiction. Two percent is a small amount, enough to let the waist and seat move when you bend or climb into a truck, not enough to make the pant feel like a jogger. One buyer, who usually avoids stretch, says "the little bit of stretch is okay". The rise is mid, the leg straight, the fit "Regular", and the care label says "Machine Wash", which makes this the only piece in the group with a machine-wash label.
Sizing and fit
Here the buyers don't agree with the bullet's promise of a full cut. Two excerpts, possibly from the same buyer, say the pants are "Well made, but run small. You'll need to size up for a better fit." Another buyer bought one color and loved it, then found a second color "so tight on my thighs you can see my quads and the pocket liner through". That last report is worth reading carefully: it says the second color fit differently from the first, which points to variation between colors or batches, and it reports show-through on a tight fit.
The other side is just as clear. "Fit my husband well and he is a big man," one buyer writes, and another's slender son "loves the fit". The fit theme has four negative mentions out of 14, the highest share of any theme on the page.
| Size | Waist, per the listing | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9X Big | 74 in | 32 in, all sizes |
| 9X-Large Big | 76 in | 32 in, all sizes |
| 10X Big | 78 in | 32 in, all sizes |
| 10X-Large Big | 80 in | 32 in, all sizes |
Office or job site
The bullets pitch this pant for "tackling tasks at the office" and "a casual night out" as well as work, and the photos lean that way. The colors are quiet, taupe, light khaki, navy, charcoal and tan brown, and the models wear them with boots in both black and tan. With a five-pocket shape, a button and zip fly and a straight leg, this is a chino rather than a carpenter pant: no hammer loop, no utility pocket. That makes it the better of the two pants for a day that mixes a desk, a store and a drive.
The single 32-inch length is the other thing to plan for. If you are shorter, budget for a tailor, which the listing assumes you will do. If you are taller than average, 32 inches may be short, and there is no longer option.
Wear and wash
On durability, the buyer reports are good: "We're quite a few washings in, and they still seem sturdy, and have retained their color and texture." One buyer mentions a smell, "minus the smell", without saying what it was. Since the label allows a machine wash, washing a new pair once before you wear it is an easy first step.
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
The star split has 12% at three stars and 8% at one or two, so about a fifth of buyers are less than happy. From the excerpts, the reason is fit, not failure. Full Blue's page for the pants is here.
One more reading of the numbers helps. Eighty ratings is a modest record, but for a pant made in sizes this large, it is a meaningful one: these are buyers who could not easily have bought the same pant elsewhere, and 63% of them gave it five stars. The fit complaints come from buyers who found it small, and the listing's own advice is the counterweight. If the bullet says the cut is extra full and two buyers say it runs small, the safe move is to measure a pant that fits you well, compare its waist with the listed number, and order the size above if you are close to the line. Returns on a pant this size are a nuisance, so the ten minutes with a tape measure are worth it.
Before you order: measuring for these listings
Big and tall sizing goes wrong in two places, the waist and the inseam, and these listings give you uneven help with both.
For the waist, the twill pants make it simple: every X size equals a stated number of inches, and the listing says so in capitals. Measure where you actually wear your pants, not your belly at its widest unless that is where the waistband sits, and match the number. Then decide whether to go up a size, because two excerpts say this pant runs small. The carpenter pants are sold by waist and inseam in inches, and buyers mostly say they are true to size. The three shorts give you a waist number and nothing else, and one of them adds an "expandable" waist with no figure.
For the inseam, the carpenter pants give a 32-inch length on the sample size, and buyers mention ordering other lengths, such as 34 and 30. The twill pants come in one 32-inch length for every size. The shorts give no inseam at all, only words such as "Mid Thigh Length" and "Above the knee". If you have a short you like, measure its inseam from the crotch seam to the hem, and compare that number with the photos of the model rather than with the words in the listing.
The hand-wash problem
Three of the five pieces carry a "Hand Wash Only" label, and all three are cotton or denim shorts meant for work and weekends. That is not a practical instruction for clothes that get dirty, and it is worth taking seriously as a signal. A brand that labels a cotton work short hand wash only is telling you it won't stand behind the garment in a machine. The Walmart reviews of the matching cargo short, where a buyer's son saw an inner seam shred after one wash, give that signal some weight.
The two pants are the better picks on this front too. The twill pants carry a machine-wash label, and the carpenter pants, with no label, have buyers reporting that they "washed well".
How they compare
The comparison search was for "big and tall cargo shorts men", and the results are dominated by brands with enormous review counts.
Prices, ratings and monthly purchase counts as shown on Amazon search results on November 14, 2026. Highlighted rows are the products reviewed here.
Notice first that several rows repeat a brand and a rating count at different prices. Wrangler Authentics appears twice with 61,330 ratings at 4.6, Amazon Essentials three times with 52,206 at 4.4, and X RAY with 11,562 at 4.2. Lee appears twice, at 4.5 from 3,467 and 4.6 from 3,527. Against those, Full Blue's best short has 249 ratings. That doesn't make Full Blue worse, but it means the big brands have had their sizing and seams tested by far more people.
What the table doesn't show is the size range. None of these rows states its largest waist in the title, and Full Blue states its own very plainly: 74 to 80 inches at the top of the twill pants. If your waist is in that range, check each rival's size chart before you assume it reaches you. For some buyers, the real comparison isn't Full Blue against Wrangler, it is Full Blue against a tailor.
A buyer of the carpenter pants makes the price case: "1/2 the price of Wrangler". On 286 ratings, the carpenter pants hold a better average than the X RAY and Amazon Essentials rows, and match Lee.
| Piece | Rating, count | Waist | Inseam on the listing | Care |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expandable-waist cargo shorts | 4.4 from 249 | button, "expandable" | not stated | Hand wash only |
| Side-elastic cargo shorts | 4.3 from 5 | side elastic | not stated | Hand wash only |
| Men's cargo shorts | 5.0 from 1 | elastic, with zipper | not stated (Walmart match: 8 in) | Hand wash only |
| Carpenter stretch canvas pants | 4.5 from 286 | button | 32 in on the sample | not stated |
| 5-pocket stretch twill pants | 4.3 from 80 | button and zipper | 32 in, all sizes | Machine wash |
Who should buy which
| If you are... | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A big man who wants an inexpensive, comfortable work pant | Carpenter stretch canvas pants | 4.5 stars from 286, a hammer loop, a deep back pocket |
| A very big man who can't find his waist size | 5-pocket stretch twill pants | Waists to 80 inches, machine washable |
| Looking for a cotton cargo short in dark work colors | Expandable-waist cargo shorts | 4.4 from 249, five colors |
| Hoping for an elastic pull-on short | Neither elastic short, yet | One has five ratings, the other one, and Walmart buyers report torn crotches |
| Someone who wants to machine wash everything | Twill pants | The only machine-wash label in the group |
Buy the carpenter pants if you want a light, flexible work pant for a summer job site or a day of yard work, and measure the inseam when it arrives. Buy the twill pants if your waist is one of the sizes the bullet lists and you are prepared to have the length altered, and consider sizing up after reading the fit reports.
Buy the expandable-waist cargo short if the stars are enough for you and you accept the hand-wash label. Skip the side-elastic short and the full elastic-waist short until their Amazon records grow, unless you are willing to return them if the seams fail.
For other workwear, see our review of Full Blue's cargo pants, carpenter shorts and jeans, the BOJIN work pants and the SAODIMALLSU jeans, or browse all of workwear.
Verdict
We recommend the Full Blue carpenter stretch canvas pants for big men who want an inexpensive, comfortable work pant with real tool pockets, and the stretch twill pants for very big men who need a waist size other brands don't make. We recommend the expandable-waist cargo short with reservations, because its listing explains almost nothing and asks you to hand wash it. We don't recommend the side-elastic short or the full elastic-waist cargo short yet: their Amazon records are tiny, and the Walmart reviews of a matching short describe seams that tore in the first few wears.
Buy the pants, think twice about the shorts
The carpenter stretch canvas pants are a well-reviewed, inexpensive work pant with a hammer loop and a deep back pocket, and the stretch twill pants cover waist sizes few brands make. The three cargo shorts give you very little to go on: thin listings, hand-wash-only care and, for one style, buyer reports of seams that tear.
- Carpenter pants: 4.5 stars from 286 buyers, hammer loop, utility pocket and a little stretch
- Twill pants run to an 80-inch waist and are cut extra full
- Twill pants are 98% cotton and machine washable
- Expandable-waist shorts come in five colors and hold 4.4 stars from 249 buyers
- Every cargo short is labelled hand wash only
- Listings leave out inseams on the shorts and the fiber content on the carpenter pants
- Walmart buyers of a matching short report crotch seams that tore
- Twill pants run small for some buyers and one reports show-through
Best for: Big men who want a cheap, comfortable work pant, and very big men who need a waist size that other brands don't make.
Skip it if: You want cargo shorts you can machine wash, or a short with a stated inseam and a long buyer record.
Where the numbers come from. Prices, star ratings, rating counts and monthly purchase badges were read from the product pages on November 14, 2026; they move daily. Fabric, sizing and dimensions come from the product specifications. Buyer quotes are Amazon reviews as the product page shows them and Walmart.com reviews of the same products, each linked to its source. See how we review.
