12 Stylish & Utilitarian Adventure Shorts for Summer

Field magazine

Once warm weather arrives, you’d be hard pressed to find us in a full pair of pants unless a formal event requires us to cover up our sun-kissed stems. The extreme heat and immense humidity we experience on the East Coast in these months means we wear shorts whenever possible, and our go-to style is the classic hiking shorts.

Finding a pair of utilitarian shorts for men with equal measures of style and technical features has never been easy (unless you’re a diehard Baggies boy, in which case, good on ya), and running shorts don’t always cut it as trail shorts. Recently though, more brands are getting on the Swiss Army Knife shorts train—heck, even cargo shorts are trending.

The best hiking shorts are as practical as any other piece of hiking gear and can tangle with hiking pants any day, sun protection be darned (though even some shorts come with UPF 50 ratings). We’re talking breathable, fast drying, abrasion-resistant, stretchy fabrics, zippered pockets, water-repellent finishes, built-in belts, and of course, just all-around GORPy good looks. The point is that you can wear these shorts on your next backpacking trip or around town.

The following twelve are the top picks from the Field Mag edit team, gathered from outdoor brands both known and niche, guaranteed to cover a range of activities across subway platforms, backyard BBQs, and backcountry trails.