When I pulled my Clothing Art Adventure Traveler Shorts out of the box, my first thought was, “These shorts are amazing!” The plethora of pockets, buttons, zippers and clasps is a bit overwhelming at first, but for an organization freak such as myself it was love at first sight. The material feels very durable and these pants are so pickpocket proof I often found it hard to get past all the security features to retrieve my wallet or phone. Your valuables will be safe, even from you!
©Isaac Tait
The Perfect Hiking Shorts
The expanding pockets are a nice touch, with plenty of room for whatever you may need to carry. On the first day I took them out for a hike. It was hot outside and the heavy weight canvas was pretty stuffy but I could plow through chaparral with abandon because even razor wire would have a hard time shredding the 25% Nylon, 75% Cotton Canvas, 10 lb. tearing strength fabric. After the hike I went out for Mexican food and I (unwittingly) decided to test the Dupont Teflon fabric protective coating by splattering guacamole on my shorts. It left a nice green stain. Upon arriving back at home a little elbow grease and some water quickly removed nearly all traces of my faux pas.
In almost any clothing brand I tend to wear a 30”-32” waist and when these shorts came (I ordered a size 32” Waist, 43” Hip w/ 12” inseam) they fit comfortably around my waist. However, there is no room for shrinkage so I let the pants air dry rather than tossing them in the dryer. They did feel slightly snug across the top of my thigh, especially when seated, but after a week or two the pants stretched out a bit and became very comfortable. I was a little concerned about the dry time for the heavy weight canvas/nylon fabric. After pulling them out of the washer and hanging them to dry in my bathroom they were mostly dry by morning (the pockets were still a tad damp).
Shorts for Travel
These pants are great for traveling abroad and anywhere where pickpockets are a real concern. The cotton canvas/nylon fabric is very durable but if they get wet they are going to stay wet for a while. They are also a bit bulky and heavy compared to hiking shorts, but that is tantamount to comparing apples to oranges. I would like to see a pair of super-light hiking shorts stand up to the abuse these pants could eat for breakfast.
Overall, these are one of my favorite pairs of shorts, but not for most hiking conditions. I love all the pockets and after a short break-in period they are very comfortable. I would highly recommend checking out Clothing Art if your adventures include desert hikes with a low chance of H20 and a high chance of cacti, chaparral and other nasty sharp bits (provided that the temps are cool) as well as areas where theft is a concern.
Isaac Tait
Hi Isaac – Thanks for wearing and recommending Clothing Art Adventure Traveler Shorts with Teflon® Fabric Protector while hiking and traveling! I represent DuPont and it’s always a pleasure to see people recommending our products.
You may not be aware but the P^cubed fabric with Teflon® fabric protector will dry faster than untreated fabric 20-30% faster! For more information regarding Teflon® Fabric Protector and how it works to keep your clothes clean and last longer, feel free to visit http://www2.dupont.com/Teflon_Fabric_Protector/en_US/using%20the%20prod/faqs_consumers.html. Cheers, Sara