Mountain Hardwear AP Active Short Review

A durable and versatile pair of shorts is not only great to have in the summer, but year-round — depending on where you live. The Mountain Hardwear AP Active Shorts are made from durable, stretchy nylon/elastane and are ready for any outdoor or urban adventure.

Mountain Hardwear AP Active Shorts Features:

• Zipper fly, button closure with belt loops at waist
• Two top entry hand pockets, two zipped back pockets and a phone sleeve at right thigh
• Durable stretch-woven twill made of 97% nylon and 3% elastane
• Slim, athletic fit with a zipper fly, button closure, and belt loops at the waist
• Available in 5 colors and 3 inseam lengths (28-42″ waist)
• MSRP: $79

Stretchy for starters

Being restricted by fabrics that don’t stretch is, gratefully, a thing of the past. Just about everything is being built with fabrics that offer freedom-of-movement during the most demanding activities. But, having stretch alone for stretchy-sake isn’t good enough. Let me dissect the Mountain Hardwear AP Active Shorts to highlight what they do well and what things didn’t really float my boat.

For those wanting flexibility, the AP Active Shorts are available in the widest varieties of colors, sizes and lengths I’ve ever seen. I prefer my inseams long, so I chose the 11″ inseam for the most coverage. Looking at availability from Mountain Hardwear, popularity looks pretty much evenly-split across the 7, 9 and 11 inch lengths. For running shorts, I’m down with 7-inch, but for hiking and around town, 11-inch wins the day.

These came just in time for a trip to Seattle and subsequent trips hiking, camping and lounging around town. In support of their lounging abilities, my wife things they look great — even though I tend to wear them a lot while I’m assessing their utility.

I didn’t bother trying to see if these shorts were suitable for trail running, but I did wear them on several hikes and while camping at Starvation Reservoir earlier this month. Let’s talk about hiking first.

I do appreciate the stretch provided by the woven fabric. To the naked eye, they look very utilitarian and almost like a pair of canvas work shorts. But, they stretch much more than the work pants I’ve got in the closet. There’s just enough stretch to stay out of the way on technical, rocky ascents and they remain comfortable on more mellow terrain and when worn with a waist pack.

The mesh pockets remain comfortable next-to-skin and are durable enough to handle whatever you can toss in there. I didn’t get too much use out of the zippered rear pockets. I would honestly prefer them to be non-zippered so it would be easier to slide things in there on-the-fly. But, for added security, having zippers is a nice touch. I feel like back pockets are more for temporary use while moving — I don’t want to sit on stuff in those pockets.

With the woven, stretchy fabric and mesh pockets, these shorts get toasty in the heat. I do wish for more breathability in the mid-day sun and I really didn’t love how warm they got when pushing hard on a long trail ascent. Lighter colors may not attract as much heat, but my nether regions got pretty warm.

The angled front panel along the leg cuff offers a little extra style and also houses the phone sleeve pocket. That sleeve works great with my iPhone 13 Mini (which I love, but isn’t very common these days). It can also slip in my wife’s larger phone, but the Mini is just right. I appreciated this little sleeve for easy phone access and it stays put nicely. While an 11″ inseam is sufficient for leg coverage, I feel like these pull up my thigh a little more in the back when stepping up inclines or when seated. They pull my boxers up a bit, but it’s not the end of the world.

Fit: I’m 5’11” and 175 lbs with a 33″ inseam and the 33″ fits perfectly.

Buy Now: Visit MountainHardwear.com