One of my lifelong quests, as explored here before, is to find the best of everything that I like and make sure that I stock up on that item and don't have to deal with inferior products of that sort
ever again. No more need to think about what to wear or what to buy - just have a supply of the best and try not to run out. In the case of shorts, I've achieved that goal and have identified the best shorts ever.
I thought I had succeeded in this some years ago when I discovered the Eddie Bauer Pleated Side-Elastic Ultimate Khaki Shorts. Although the name isn't very catchy, these are indeed excellent shorts. They are made from a very nice, soft cotton, come in good colors, have nice deep front pockets, feature the essential 9 inch inseam and buttoning back pockets, plus they have elastic sides which make a belt optional. The 9 inch inseam is very important, because it's the perfect length - not so short that it exposes too much and not so long that it's at all binding on the magnificent thigh muscles. I was pretty satisfied with these shorts for about two years, but slowly I began to realize that there were major shortcomings. First off, they wore out quickly. A year of wear was about all the soft, relatively loosely woven cotton could take. Second, the waist button was never sewn on well enough. The buttons tended to come loose, break and need to be replaced. This was sort of fun as it was an opportunity to add decorative metal buttons in their place - I like the ones with stags in particular - but it was basically an unwelcome pain in the ass. It also dawned on me eventually that it sure would be nice to have more pockets to store odds and ends and especially my cell phone which was just too bulky for an interior front pocket.
This dissatisfaction sent me looking for better shorts about two years ago. I went through all the shorts at Old Navy, Gap, REI and our local department stores and nothing I found was really satisfactory. I was able to narrow my interest down to cargo shorts, but almost all the ones I found were unsatisfactory. The biggest problems they had were generally extra-long legs to accomodate the pockets, extreme bagginess, needlessly bulky pockets, and excessive use of Velcro. These shorts were mostly aimed at younger, less serious and more 'fashion conscious' shoppers. I needed something more practical.
Article comments
1 - Tristan
I have heard soooo many women say men look absolutely ridiculous in shorts~~~
and that almost all men look much better in long pants than shorts .....
Is this "true" ....?
I know, personally, I love seeing a really hot girl in a pair of tight shorts ........... or short tights ....???
2 - Jon Sobel
Shorts recommendations! I love it. I actually needed to read this. Thanks, Dave!
3 - Dave Nalle
Tristan, all I can tell you is that gay men apparently like my legs in shorts - I've always assumed that carries over to women as well, but they're not willing to comment on it.
Dave
4 - Dave Nalle
Oh, the HORROR! Kohls has just brought in their summer merchandise for this year, and the design of Columbia's Cameron Creek short has been changed. Gone are the snaps and rivets to be replaced with velcro and double stitching. The cellphone pocket has been moved to a bizarre position behind the right cargo pocket, and the super-durable waistband rivet is now a crappy button.
Why can manufacturers never leave well enough alone? I imagine the new version is slightly cheaper to manufacture, but then it's not any better than anything else on the market, so who's going to buy it when you can get the same thing for $5 less?
Argh! Thump!
Dave
5 - mike
my favorite shorts of all time were black, pleated, velcro waistbanded jimmy'z. i cried when i finally had to throw them away. i found some similar a few years later. they were called "beatnik" and were constructed similarly - but the waistband was not thick. close enough though - i bought one in every color that they had. i still own some. although they are getting ready for the trash heap. i liked the jimmy'z better because the waistband was made of a thick rope like flat cotton material. black and it matched the shorts. i have looked for some like them on the internet and the only ones i have found are for incontinent seniors - i'm not ready for them yet!!!
6 - Keith
I love wearing shorts all the time too. I wish I could wear shorts to my job, but I cannot, long pants are required. Sometimes in chilly weather I will even wear my shorts w/a jacket since my arms get cold first. I live in Indiana so our weather changes quite a bit---but whenever stores have clearance sales on shorts, I buy them & stock up---my favorite are cargo shorts in khaki colors
7 - Keith
It is me again, I cannot believe no one commented since September 2006; but I still love we ring shorts and having bare legs. Wearing shorts is the greatest thing ever. I Love short pants and always will.