I Can’t Find a Single Flaw with These Go-Anywhere Gym Shorts

I’m obsessed with Wellen’s Sevens Sport Short for fitness and everyday life.

close up of a pair of black Wellen running shorts

Published March 21, 2025

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Updated March 21, 2025

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For me, the perfect pair of shorts is a contradiction. It needs to do many little things well while looking like it doesn’t do anything special.

As I have learned through years of tirelessly searching for my perfect pair of shorts, clothing designers either can’t or don’t want to find that specific balance. This is why I find it miraculous what the team behind Wellen pulled off with the Seven Sport Short.

a pair of black Wellen running shorts with a yellow drawstring — Wellen’s Sevens Sport Short comes with a 5-inch or 7-inch inseam.

At first glance, it appears to be a simple athletic short, like countless others. The five-inch version caught my eye because, thanks to a vented outseam, it has a classic running short appearance.

After nearly three years of fatherhood and seven months of raising two children, I’ve learned that simple black running shorts are indispensable parenting attire, and I can never have enough pairs.

the outseam vent of black running shorts — A vented seam is one of my favorite details on a short.

I’ll expand on that later, but in the interest of being thorough, I gave Wellen’s Seven Sport Short a try and was immediately impressed. Every detail felt exhaustively tested out and refined for both performance and longevity.

Fit and feel

The Sevens Sport Short is built from a ripstop fabric of 85% nylon and 15% spandex. It has a structured feel that is hard to find in modern athletic apparel. but still provides ample flexibility.

a pair of black Wellen running shorts — Wellen’s Sevens Sport Short comes lined or unlined.

I opted for the unlined, five-inch version because I prefer a shorter inseam, and no liner allows me to wear the shorts multiple times between washes, which is another parenting hack that I think non-parents can take advantage of.

The wide elastic waistband is surprisingly sturdy. I haven’t experienced any slippage or folding, even when doing lunges and burpees. This also keeps the shorts in place when the pockets are loaded with EDC essentials and toys.

Be forewarned: Like a classic windbreaker jacket, this kind of rigid nylon makes a “swishing” noise as it moves but isn’t very loud.

the yellow drawstring on a pair of black running shorts — Wellen’s Sevens Sport Short is made from a structured but flexible nylon blend ripstop.

The trade-off, which I find advantageous, is that the shorts have a crisper texture and silhouette. This makes them more appropriate for casual everyday wear, unlike flowy athletic shorts that look too much like, well, athletic shorts.

I’ve thrown them on in the morning with a t-shirt, hoodie, oxford shirt or denim western shirt for easy, no-thought outfits that have gotten me through the day. That kind of self-styling convenience is helpful for most people and priceless for parents.

Cargo capacity

The Sevens Sport Short has five pockets, including two zipper pockets and a small inner sleeve. The sleeve, sized for a headphone case or keys, is not unique to these shorts but is one of those things that, once you start using it, you can’t live without it.

the open pockets of black running shorts — Wellen’s Sevens Sport Short has five pockets, including two zip pockets.

Each pocket has a mesh lining, which theoretically allows the shorts to function as swim trunks in a pinch, although I haven’t tried that myself. I found it convenient how the back zipper pocket has a string pull tab with a rubber-dipped tip for easy access.

The two front pockets and single back pocket are wrist-deep. This is beneficial for stashing larger items, like a beer bottle or an action figure that your son is making you carry around, but the trade-off is that smaller items create “pocket swing.”

the inner key pocket of Wellen running shorts — The pockets are mesh-lined, on the flip side in the above picture, and the inner sleeve pocket is perfect for keys.

Thankfully, Wellen’s designers added the side zip pocket and phone sleeve. Both keep smaller items secured to the body, avoiding too much jostling and friction.

Little things matter

The drawstrings have the same rubber-dipped tips. Not only will these outlast any metal or plastic drawstring cap, but I have found that it provides superior grip when you’re on the move and your hands are sweaty.

the back of a pair of Wellen running shorts

Vented outseams are common, especially in running shorts, but I’m a fan of the overlapping detail found on the Sevens Sport Short. It is supposed to aide in flexibility but I think it just looks cool.

Most people probably won’t even notice it, but I like that there is a faux fly, which even has a placket, because it makes the appearance a bit more acceptable as casual everyday shorts.

zoom on black wellen shorts — Wellen places minimal branding on its shorts.

My final verdict is that Wellen’s Sevens Sport Short might be my new favorite general-purpose shorts. Over the course of a few months, I’ve worn them all weekend long while chasing my kids around, ran seven miles in them, styled them with loafers and an oxford shirt for a family dinner and I haven’t noticed a single flaw the entire time.