It can be tricky to find a reliable pair of hiking shorts — especially for women like me.
In fact, I’ve been trying for years to find a pair of outdoor shorts with the right fit. I have bought, tried on, and returned so many pairs of women’s shorts on REI’s website that I wonder if I’m flagged in their system. My body isn’t proportional between my hips, waist, and butt, and women’s clothing sizes are wildly inconsistent across brands, making it close to impossible to find a pair of shorts that both fit and perform.
After years of trying almost every brand under the sun, I finally took matters into my own hands and decided to do a bit of DIY. I took a pair of scissors to my favorite pair of running shorts — and the resulting pair is now my go-to for all my outdoor adventures.
The Problem
A lot of “hiking” shorts are made from a slightly thicker, more rigid fabric. This makes sense, given they’re made for people going on rough-and-tumble adventures, but it’s translated into a fit problem for me. These various nylon blends are too stiff and don’t have enough give. No matter what size I wear, the fabric digs or pinches into my skin when I bend down or do a big step up while I’m climbing a switchback.
These shorts tend to be more structured and tailored, and that can spell trouble if your waist is not proportional to your hips and butt. Typically, for me, shorts will fit in the waist, but will be too small in the butt, or vice versa. I have pretty large thighs, and I find that a lot of hiking shorts cut off my range of motion thanks to the slim cut. These shorts move against me, not with me.
Since hiking shorts didn’t fit the bill, I thought I’d give running shorts a try. This category tends to have lighter, more breathable fabric that allows for a fuller range of motion. They also have a fully elastic waist with a drawstring, making it easier to get the right fit.
The problem here is that almost all shorts have a liner. While this can be nice if you’re a runner, it doesn’t make sense for backpacking. It’s too much fabric to wear both the liner and underwear; it can easily cause chafing or a wedgie. At the same time, I’m not going to not wear underwear for a week. A few brands sell liner-less running shorts, but I didn’t like the way those fit my body.
The Solution
A few months ago, I was planning for a big week-long hiking and backpacking trip in Oregon. I knew it was going to be warm, so I was going to want to wear shorts. Since I didn’t have a good pair, I decided to just use a pair of fabric scissors and cut out the liner of my favorite running shorts, REI’s Active Pursuits 4-inch shorts. I made sure to use sharp scissors, and cut carefully so I only got the liner, and didn’t accidentally nick a hole in the shorts.
I wore the liner-less shorts for a week in both Oregon with quick-dry underwear from Patagonia, and they were perfect. The trails in here had some huge steps up rock staircases on rugged terrain, and I could move however I needed with these shorts. If I were flexible enough to do the splits, the shorts wouldn’t have stopped me. They were lightweight, breathable, and even dried quickly after I decided to take an impromptu swim in a lake.
Some people love lots of pockets on their hiking shorts, but my Six Moon Designs pack has a bunch of pockets on the harness — almost like a running vest — so I was happy to make do with the Active Pursuit’s single zippered pocket.
Since this first experiment, I have bought two more pairs of Active Pursuits shorts and taken scissors to them once again. I now have three pairs of athletic shorts in my arsenal that I use for hiking, backpacking, climbing, and running.
I wore one pair for an entire week of adventuring in Yosemite National Park, and they passed with flying colors. The lesson? If the gear available doesn’t work for your body, make it your own.
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