Been on a quest the past few years trying to find running shorts that last more than a season. The only ones I own that still don’t have holes in them are almost 10 years or older. Everything before then have holes from wear or stitching coming apart.
Recently tried Brooks and after their liner in their 2in1s broke apart they said their shorts only are guaranteed for 50 runs. So hypothetically if a person only runs 3 miles at a time their shorts may last less than their shoes. To me that’s almost insulting. North Face shorts have had the same issue of the inside liner just deteriorating but at least they will repair/replace their products no matter how long they have been owned. But would like to have a pair of shorts that at least last a few years and are comfortable.
Am I the only one that’s seen this? Any recommendations on brands that’ll actually last and stand by their products?
Roark Run Amok. Swear by them the last 2 years! Perfect water resistant rear pocket for phone and 2 side pockets for gels/etc. perfect length too. Take a look
Yeah to be honest I’ve noticed similar in many brands.
I’ve had great luck with the Lululemon Fast and Free lined 5 in shorts. I’ve tried some of their other shorts and they weren’t very good, but the Fast and Free are game changers. I’m starting my 4th season on a pair that I’m wearing as I write this, still perfect.
Surprisingly then I’ll +1 with the lulemon. In my case Surge shorts with the liner. I’ve 4 pairs, and one has a small hole in liner but still very useable, the others are fine. That I assume to be the first pair I got in 2015.
I was unsure about the lack of a zip pocket, just a ‘flap’, but in reality then it’s been fine. I rarely use the leg pocket for my phone, even though it fits, but is where I carry my gels.
Although I’ve not tried them, it may be worth checking out the De Soto shorts. I say this as for 10years I ran in the Forza tri short under any selection of nike/adidas 7" unlined short. Only reason I’ve not tried them out is not being in US it’s a bit of a faff and having found the lulemon worked for me there wasn’t the incentive. But I was literally wearing a pair of De soto Forza shorts I bought in 2007 for my training session and they are still hole free.
I wear Fusion Men’s Short Tights, the have a deep elasticated pocket on each side which is ideal for carrying a phone. Quality is superb, I bought mine 3 years ago and they are my go to running shorts, only wear different ones if its too cold or they are in the wash. I cover around 1500km (1000miles) per year wearing them. I now have a second pair so that I always have a pair clean - however, the old ones don’t show significantly more wear than the new pair
Are we gonna have a Built-In Liner vs. Non discussion?
I used to be Non + Compression, then transitioned to a built-in liner guy, but I’m considering going back, just because Non are cheaper & easier to find - plus, they’re cheaper LOL
What style are you interested in? What length? Liner? Half-tights or traditional loose running shorts? Do you care about pockets?
I’ve been rotating a few pairs of the Nike Fast 4" running short for years, no signs of wear. Fairly minimalist split-short style with only a small key pocket (I don’t carry phone with me when I run). Still available online from a few places but seems like these might be discontinued now.
I also have a pair of Wolaco half-tights which are nice and seem to be pretty durable. Those have a waterproof phone pocket that works well.
The REI Swiftland shorts have been really solid for me. I have plenty of other shorts from other more expensive running companies but don’t wear any as much as these. Warranty for a year, which is decent in my opinion.
Are we gonna have a Built-In Liner vs. Non discussion?
I used to be Non + Compression, then transitioned to a built-in liner guy, but I’m considering going back, just because Non are cheaper & easier to find - plus, they’re cheaper LOL
100% liner. Makes it simple. Same with swim shorts. I’m not wearing swim shorts without a liner.
I have found that I much prefer run shorts with boxer/jammer shaped liner in them versus brief shaped liner. Lululemon used to have brief shaped liner and they updated their run shorts a few years ago. I used to to chafe like crazy in the prior version but not anymore.
I cringe when my good lulu shorts are dirty and I have wear any shorts with a brief liner.
Been on a quest the past few years trying to find running shorts that last more than a season. The only ones I own that still don’t have holes in them are almost 10 years or older. Everything before then have holes from wear or stitching coming apart.
Recently tried Brooks and after their liner in their 2in1s broke apart they said their shorts only are guaranteed for 50 runs. So hypothetically if a person only runs 3 miles at a time their shorts may last less than their shoes. To me that’s almost insulting. North Face shorts have had the same issue of the inside liner just deteriorating but at least they will repair/replace their products no matter how long they have been owned. But would like to have a pair of shorts that at least last a few years and are comfortable.
Am I the only one that’s seen this? Any recommendations on brands that’ll actually last and stand by their products?
I am a huge fan of Korsa brand shorts
Have a couple of pairs that I bought in 2017-18 and the liner is still fine, but for longer runs I use some lube on my nether parts. Both Speed and Drive models are excellent and have a large number of pockets which is another bonus.
Their Cruise model is quite nice too but is a lot heavier.
Asics has been good for me, but also haven’t had issues with Brooks, have a five-year-old pair…
also heard good things about Patagonia, warranty is good though the initial price will hurt.
A pair of South African shorts, brand Polly Shorts, lasted me over twenty years. Inseam was about 2", eventually my wife threw them away one day when I wasn’t watching…