Outlier New Way Shorts Review: Overhyped, Imperfect, and Awesome

WTF?

There's a lot of "WTF?" about the Outlier New Way shorts.

The curious "WTF?" I kept asking myself while researching them online and seeing their price ($125?!), their over-the-top specs (they're shorts, not airplanes), their photos (we'll get to that), and the obsessive fanboyishness of Redditors (what do these people do for work?).

The disappointed "WTF?" I thought when my New Way shorts arrived in the mail and I put them on for the first time. After all that hype and hullabaloo… they looked and felt like regular shorts.

And the excited "WTF?" I kept thinking the more I wore them. The shorts performed, unlike any shorts I'd worn before.

Let's see WTF's going on.

How the Outlier New Way Shorts Are Overhyped

Their Swimmability

When researching the New Ways before I got them, I kept reading everyone saying that you could swim in them.

Now that I have a pair, that seems kind of stupid.

I get that they dry quickly and that the mesh pockets don't fill up with water or air bubbles. But in no way are the New Ways swim trunks.

If I were to wear them to a beach or pool, everyone would be like, "Chris, why are you wearing dress shorts instead of a bathing suit?"

Also, the shorts don't have a lining, so am I supposed to swim in my underwear too? Or am I supposed to take off my undies and let my junk dangle dangerously?

How the Outlier New Way Shorts Are Imperfect

I'm really stretching with this kvetching, but we gotta keep Outlier's designers motivated to keep improving.

No Pocket Protection

One other reason I wouldn't purposefully wear the New Ways for swimming that I didn't mention previously is they don't have any zipper pockets for holding keys, a credit card, cash, or whatever.

They Could Be Comfier

According to Outlier, the New Way shorts' F.Cloth fabric is a:

"200gsm plain weave with a substantive 35% two-way stretch," made from, "high tenacity, air texturized nylon 6,6 that is stronger, softer and more matte in appearance than your average polyamide" that they sources "from a vertically integrated mill in Sweden."

Ok. Whatever the F.Cloth that all means.

All I know is that F.Cloth makes for a decent-looking, semi-dressy pair of shorts, but it ain't as soft as silk. Or cotton. Or even my merino wool shorts, which are what I change into as soon as I get home because they're comfier.

The Dangling Drawstring

The New Way shorts fit so well and hang on my hips so nicely that I rarely tie the drawstring. That's a great thing. And so is having a drawstring instead of ever needing a belt.

But the string's so long that when I sit down one end sometimes awkwardly pops out from the leg of my shorts like a tiny testicle.

How the Outlier New Way Shorts Are Awesome

They Get Out Of My Way

The less I have to think about my shorts the better, so these are fantastic:

• They don't get wrinkly and take forever to get stinky.
• They don't restrict my movement like similar-looking khaki shorts and they didn't even chafe while I was walking 30,000 steps a day in the steaming streets of Valencia, Spain looking for an apartment.
• They don't get wedgied up in my butt crack like other shorts tend to do.
• The zipper never catches and the button looks like it'll never pop off.
• They sit on my hips exactly where they should instead of riding up above my bellybutton or sagging below my butt.
• The pockets are perfectly positioned so that stuff I put in them doesn't bother me as much.

They're Not Fashion Statements

Nobody's going to see me wearing my New Way shorts and say, "Whoa, nice shorts." Not in a good way, nor in a bad way.

They're complimentary. If you were to wear fashion statement shoes, shirts or whatever, they'd make them look good by not drawing undue attention to themselves. From a design perspective, they're fashion line spaces.

They're Girlfriend-Approved

Before getting my New Ways, I had the Myles Everyday shorts. But I couldn't wear them "Everyday." Barely ever, actually because Kim hated them. They looked way too casual and schlubby for her tastes.

Not so with the New Ways, which get her seal of approval. They're the true everyday short.

They're the Kawhi Leonard of Shorts

For those of you who don't follow the NBA, Kawhi Leonard is one of the best basketball players in the world.

Unlike his superstar peers, Kawhi's notoriously quiet (which is why you wouldn't have heard of him if you're not into basketball). He's a champion who does his job, including the dirty work, and lets the results do the talking. And he deserves every last cent of the big bucks he got in his new contract.

All the same can be said about the Outlier New Way shorts.

The Photos on Outlier's Website

One more "WTF?" to add to the list from the intro of this review: the photos on Outlier's New Way Shorts product page.

Look at this:

I can't understand it. It looks ridiculous. But I can't stop wondering about it.

It's modern art.

Final Word

While the Outlier New Way shorts are one of my three favorite pairs of shorts, I can't honestly say they'll be the same for you.

Maybe your criteria differ from mine. Or maybe you can find another company making even better shorts. (If so, please tell me in the comments.)

But if you have similar tastes to me and want a pair of shorts that make you think, "WTF?" in a good way, check out the Outlier New Way shorts

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Last but Not Least

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