Patagonia Strider Pro Shorts Review
Patagonia's 108 g Strider Pro 5" shorts pair a brief liner and five pockets with fast drying, at a high price and with some wear at the hip belt.
Overview
The Strider Pro is a trail-running short that thru-hikers keep stealing. At 108 g with a built-in brief liner and five pockets, it is built for people who want to forget they are wearing anything at all. The trade-off is durability and price: the fabric is thin enough to pill under a hip belt, and the list price is $89.
Key Specs
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Weight | 108 g (3.8 oz) |
| Inseam | 5 in (a 7 in version is also offered) |
| Body fabric | 90% recycled polyester (OceanCycle certified) / 10% spandex, plain weave, 4-way stretch |
| Liner | 100% recycled polyester double knit with miDori bioSoft, brief cut |
| Pockets | 5 (four envelope pockets, one rear zippered pocket with key loop) |
| DWR finish | PFC/PFAS-free |
| Seams | Bonded |
| Certifications | Fair Trade Certified, bluesign approved |
| List price | $89 |
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Weight and packability. CleverHiker’s testers called the Strider Pro the lightest short in their hiking-shorts lineup and noted it compresses to roughly the size of a fist. Outdoor Gear Lab ranked it first of ten running shorts, crediting the ultralight build and the fact that it dried faster than anything else in the test. At 108 g, it sits in the range where the shorts weigh less than a pair of trail-runner insoles and a pair of socks combined, and a spare pair is barely a rounding error in a pack.
Drying. This is the shorts’ strongest trait. CleverHiker reports they go from soaked to dry in minutes with sun and a breeze, even after alpine-lake dunks. One long-term owner on the Halfway Anywhere review says they wade streams and hike through rainstorms in the Strider Pro and sleep in them, and that damp shorts are generally dry by morning. The DWR finish sheds light rain, per Outdoor Gear Lab, though it is a finish rather than a membrane and won’t last through a soaking.
Comfort and chafe. Patagonia uses a standard brief liner rather than a compression-style one. Reviewers who expected to dislike it changed their minds: a FeedTheHabit tester logged hundreds of miles without chafing, and a Trailspace reviewer managed multiple 20-plus-mile days with good support and breathability. CleverHiker praised the soft waistband and smooth liner over long days under a pack. The most common complaint is on the liner itself. Some buyers want an unlined version, and a few long-time owners say a recent liner revision feels different from earlier pairs. The side splits are thought to help on steep climbs, and the 5-inch length keeps fabric off the quads without being so short that it’s awkward off the trail.
Pockets. There are five, and opinions on their capacity split. Halfway Anywhere’s reviewer finds them large for a 5-inch short, enough for a big phone, a wind jacket or several granola bars, with the zippered back pocket the roomiest and fitted with a key loop. CleverHiker’s testers found all five too small for anything beyond keys or gels. Runners with smaller phones report a slim-cased iPhone fits in the back pocket or side pockets, and Outdoor Gear Lab notes the envelope pockets bulge when full. Treat them as gel, key and snack storage, with a phone in the zipper pocket, and they work.
Durability. Weight savings come at a cost. CleverHiker saw pilling and wear in high-friction zones around the waist after extended use with a pack hip belt, and concluded the shorts suit fast-and-light missions better than bushwhacking. Anyone planning a full thru-hike should expect to wear through a pair. The 4-way stretch fabric also feels, as one REI reviewer put it, lighter and less clingy than earlier generations of the short, which is good for comfort and unhelpful for abrasion resistance.
Fit. Sizing is a mixed bag. A FeedTheHabit tester who normally wears a medium in Patagonia found the medium right at the upper edge of its range, and an REI owner of the latest version sized down. Owners with larger waists or athletic builds should size up and try them on first. The drawstring is outside the waistband, which owners appreciate, though some find it short and hard to tie.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 108 g, and packs to roughly the size of a fist
- Dries faster than nearly everything else reviewers have tested
- Brief liner and bonded seams keep chafe at bay over long days
- Five pockets, including a zippered one with a key loop
- PFAS-free DWR, recycled fabrics, Fair Trade Certified sewing and bluesign approval
Cons
- Pilling and wear where a hip belt rubs
- $89 list price; owners tend to buy on sale
- Pockets are small for some testers and bulge when loaded
- No unlined option
- Shorter inseam gives less thigh coverage than hiking-oriented shorts
Who Should Buy This
The Strider Pro suits thru-hikers, fastpackers and trail runners who count ounces, hike in heat and want a liner built in. Anyone who dunks in lakes and streams and wants dry shorts by the next climb will like it too. It is a poor fit for bushwhackers, scramblers who will drag their seat across granite, anyone who wants cargo-style storage for a large phone and map, and hikers who dislike liners. Those buyers are better served by a heavier, tougher woven hiking short.
Verdict
The Strider Pro is among the best ultralight short options for hot-weather hiking and running, with a liner that doesn’t chafe, quick drying and a weight that makes other shorts feel clumsy. Buy it for fast, light trips, ideally on sale, and accept that the fabric is a consumable on pack-heavy routes.