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!
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.
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