I鈥檝e called bullshit on the notion of a 鈥渜uiver of one鈥听before. There鈥檚 no such thing as a perfect piece of gear that does everything well. But these shorts come damn close.
On the outside, the 听($64) look like a well-tailored pair you could wear to a picnic or out to brunch (once both those activities are safe to resume). Just two visible pockets and svelte tailoring keep them simple and allow me to wear听them with my favorite short-sleeved button-down or polo shirt.
But underneath their muted exterior, these shorts are packed with performance chops. That鈥檚 principally thanks to their material鈥攁 midweight Japanese polyester twill that stretches, breathes, and puts up with a lot of abuse. The stretch is key, because it offers an insane range of movement that lets me do everything from ride my gravel bike to backpack. They don鈥檛 feel flimsy like a pair of gym shorts (and they don鈥檛 bunch up, either)听but are just as comfy, no matter what I鈥檓 doing.
The shorts have surprised me with their durability.听I鈥檝e raked them against trees while hiking, spent dozens of hours in them on my听bike, and worn them听for well over 100 days without even a raised thread.听They鈥檒l wear out eventually, but their strength is why they replaced my other favorite shorts, from Free Fly, which I found to be just as comfy听but not quite as tough. But since the Nomad is little thicker, it won鈥檛听dry as quickly as听my Free Fly pair. I would wear the Nomad shorts听fishing听but wouldn鈥檛 be stoked to jump in the water to grab a fish.
Back when we could travel, I wore these shorts听for days on end and was glad to have a DWR coating that kept spilled coffee from staining the material or a light rain from soaking through. I loved the zippered pocket inside the larger right pocket, which听was perfect for credit cards and keys听or even a passport.
Finally, breathability isn鈥檛 something you usually talk about with shorts, but it鈥檚 worth mentioning here. On the hottest days, I like that the twill fabric dumps听sweat and keeps the shorts from feeling clammy or sticking to my legs. I鈥檝e worn them in temperatures above 100 degrees (including a black pair) and have never once been disappointed.