Good shorts are hard to find. Getting the inseam right is the first challenge: too short, and you reveal more than you intended; too long, and you venture into capri territory. Running and hiking place even more demands on this small, seemingly simple garment. The waistband shouldn鈥檛 chafe. The fabric shouldn鈥檛 hinder your stride. And is it too much to ask that shorts should also fit and look good?
I don鈥檛 think so. But I鈥檝e been testing 20-plus pairs聽of women鈥檚 shorts, designed for a wide range of uses, and found just a few that I鈥檇 wholeheartedly recommend. Here they are.
Toad&Co Touchstone 11-Inch Shorts ($69)
Best For: Road Trips
Hitting just above the knee, feel comfy on long car and plane rides because they keep the seat鈥檚 upholstery from irritating my skin. The waistband fits without gapping, the front pockets are big enough for my iPhone, and the fabric (organic cotton with 26 percent Tencel and 2 percent spandex) holds its shape through days of car camping and hiking.
The North Face 奥辞尘别苍鈥檚 Flight Better Than Naked Shorts ($60)
Best For: Running
I can鈥檛 stand scrunchy, elastic waistbands on running shorts, because even if they feel fine when I start my run, I inevitably end up with itchy accordion marks on my belly. But use a completely smooth, yoga-style waistband that鈥檚 wonderfully ignorable. Plus, it never shifts around, and the tissue-thin fabric feels weightless.
The North Face Progressor Shorts ($80)
Best For: Hiking and Backpacking
I wouldn鈥檛 normally include two products from the same brand in one review鈥攂ut like the Better Than Naked shorts, the outperformed virtually everything else in its class. The smooth, chafe-free waistband sat tidily beneath the hipbelt of my pack. I love the just-right five-inch inseam. The fabric (four-way stretch nylon with some spandex) is burly without feeling hot and oppressive, so it鈥檚 great for abrasive canyon hikes as well as sweltering Appalachian summers. Even the pockets are practical, thanks to low-bulk zippers that keep stuff safe.
Simms 奥辞尘别苍鈥檚 Guide Skort ($65)
Best For: Fishing and Paddling
I wore while wade-fishing in the Bahamas and loved how quickly the fabric dried (the skirt is made of silky polyester). The inner shorts are comfy鈥攖he polyester knit includes a bit of spandex for a compressive fit that stays in place while you鈥檙e walking. And even if this skort is wet when you pack it (shoving it, for example, into a duffel that gets baked in a hot parked car), the fabric鈥檚 COR3 finish keeps mildew and other nasties from growing.