BDU Pants
Shop military BDU pants built on the six-pocket design that served U.S. troops for nearly three decades. Our BDU pants come in classic woodland, tri-color and six-color desert, tiger stripe, digital, midnight and other camo patterns, in sizes from kids through 7XL, with long and short inseams in many styles.
Every pair carries the features that made the battle dress uniform trouser a field standard: reinforced knees and seat for kneeling and sitting on rough ground, two large cargo pockets, button-down rear pockets, adjustable waist tabs for dialing in the fit, and drawstring ankle ties for blousing over boots. Durable cotton/poly blends and double-stitched seams hold up to hard use and repeated washing.
Whether you're building an airsoft loadout, putting together a reenactment impression of a 1980s–2000s soldier, working outdoors, or just want a tough pair of camo cargo pants, you'll find a pattern and fit here — including women's paratrooper fatigues and kids' sizes.
A note for service members: the Army retired the BDU in 2008. Under AR 670-1, today's duty uniform is the Army Combat Uniform in OCP, so these BDU pants are for field, training, off-duty and civilian wear rather than a substitute for issue trousers. Our guide below the products explains how BDU pants fit with current uniform regulations and how to choose the right size.
How to Choose BDU Pants
BDU pants share the same military cut, so choosing comes down to pattern, fit and use: woodland camo blends into green, wooded terrain; tri-color and six-color desert patterns suit dry, open ground; tiger stripe and digital patterns are popular for airsoft teams that want a distinct look; and midnight or urban patterns work for low-light and city settings.
BDU Pants Fabric and Construction
Most of our BDU pants use a cotton/polyester blend. Cotton keeps them breathable; polyester adds strength and resists fading and shrinking. Look for double-layer knees and seat if you kneel, crawl or sit on the ground a lot, and button-down cargo pockets if you want to keep gear from falling out while you move. The Active Flex style adds stretch for more freedom of movement, and denim BDU cargo pants give you the same pocket layout in a workwear fabric.
Sizing BDU Pants: Waist, Inseam and Blousing
Military BDU pants are sized by waist with regular, short and long inseam options in many styles. Waist tabs snug the fit, so size for comfort with a belt. If you plan to wear your BDU pants with boots, inseam matters most: the legs need enough length to tuck or blouse over the boot top without pulling up when you squat. When in doubt between two inseams, choose the longer one — it's easy to blouse extra length, but you can't add it back.
BDU Pants and Military Uniform Regulations (AR 670-1)
The woodland Battle Dress Uniform became the Army's field and garrison uniform on October 1, 1981. The Army introduced the Army Combat Uniform in 2004 and set April 30, 2008 as the final wear-out date for the BDU. The other services have since replaced it too.
Are BDU Pants Authorized for Wear in Uniform?
No. AR 670-1 (Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia) makes the Army Combat Uniform and the Improved Hot Weather Combat Uniform in the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) the daily duty and field uniform, and the Air Force and Space Force wear the same OCP uniform under DAFI 36-2903. DA PAM 670-1 also requires commercially purchased uniform items to meet military specifications. Our BDU pants are commercial, non-issue trousers, so they shouldn't be worn as part of a current duty uniform. They are a solid choice for off-duty wear, field and range days, hunting, airsoft and reenactments. If you're unsure whether something is allowed for a unit event, check with your chain of command, since local policies can be stricter than the regulation.
Wearing BDU Pants with Boots the Regulation Way
Even off duty, many service members like their BDU pants squared away. DA PAM 670-1, paragraph 4-9, sets the standard for combat trousers, and it works just as well for BDU pants: wear them buttoned and with a belt, tuck the legs into the boot tops or blouse them with the drawstrings or blousing bands, and keep the bloused edge no lower than the third eyelet from the top of the boot. Don't wrap the legs so tightly that they look pegged, and make sure the seat is loose enough to squat and bend comfortably.
Who Wears BDU Pants Today
Airsoft and paintball players rely on them for durable, pattern-matched field wear; reenactors and collectors use woodland and desert BDU pants for accurate Cold War and Desert Storm-era impressions; and hunters, farmers and tradespeople value their reinforced construction. Pair your BDU pants with a matching BDU shirt, a riggers belt and a set of tactical or military boots for a complete, field-ready outfit.