User Review: Patagonia Ultra Shorts

Patagonia Ultra Shorts
Above: The current Ultra Shorts, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed July 19, 2008 by STW

Rating:
Fabric: very light weight rip-stop nylon
Price Paid: 40 USD

Typically high quality product from Patagonia. Well conceived and executed for the most part.

What I like:
super light weight, very comfortable liner fabric, comfortable waistband even under a pack strap, lots of pockets, fabric dries very quickly after getting wet, high-quality construction. You can wear these day after day after day in comfort.

What I didn't like quite so much:
I wish the inseam length was just a tiny bit longer (maybe 1 more inch?). I wish at least one of the pockets could be reliably sealed (with a zip or something).

A comment on the pockets...
The pockets are numerous; and, the back pockets have clever little separators that can keep gel packs organized and secure from bouncing around too much. However, all the pockets are only sealed with a small dot of velcro fabric. When running, I like to be able to put my car keys in a pocket from which I'm sure they won't accidentally escape. With these shorts, I don't have that option.

Overall though, I would highly recommend these shorts for running, backpacking, hiking, etc.