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The Best Swim Trunks to Wear This Summer

Today’s best swim trunks can go from the beach to the bar — and everywhere in between.

three pairs of swim trunks Gear Patrol

By Evan Malachosky and Sean Tirman

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Easy-wearing, nondescript and durable, today’s best swim trunks can go from the beach to the bar — and everywhere in between. Many brands now offer water-appropriate styles with design cues lifted from traditional shorts.

Products in the Guide

As it turns out, the best trunks aren’t just for swimming. On your warm winter retreat, you can wear them by the pool, at the bar or back in the room. They’re good just about anywhere.

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Best Overall Swim Trunks: Outerknown Nomadic Volley

  • Materials: 100% recycled polyester

These quick-drying trunks are made from recycled polyester. The easy-going style has an elastic drawstring waist, a zip back pocket and side-seam front pockets. You can pick from a bunch of colors, too. Best of all? None of them come with a pesky mesh liner.

Best Upgrade Swim Trunks: Bather Swim Trunk

  • Materials: 100% recycled polyester

Close your eyes. Imagine the ideal pair of swim trunks. They probably looked a lot like Bather’s basic trunks, right? They sit right at the halfway point between hip and knee, give a little bit when you move but can withstand constant wear. Made in Canada from 100 percent recycled polyester, they dry fast and come with one of the best mesh liners you’ll ever find. (Most suck.)

Best Affordable Swim Trunks: L.L. Bean Classic Supplex Sport Shorts

  • Materials: 100% nylon

L.L. Bean’s Classic Supplex Sport Shorts are reminiscent of the popular Patagonia Baggies but they’re $30 dollars cheaper. They come with the same minimalist branding, are made from 100 percent water-repellent nylon and have a stronger, better-fitting waistband than previous iterations.

Brady Swim Short

  • Materials: 100% polyester

Tom Brady’s clothing brand, Brady, is slowly growing to cover almost every category: training, golf and, now, leisure gear. The label’s swim trunks, aptly dubbed the Swim Short, is a simple, logo-less option with a long drawstring waist, with deep hip pockets and a 7-inch inseam.

Everlane ReNew Swim Short

  • Materials: 95% recycled nylon, 5% elastane

If you want swim trunks that don’t look like swim trunks at all, go for Everlane’s ReNew Swim Short, a recycled nylon-elastane short with a seven-inch inseam, gusseted pockets and seven colors to pick from.

Patagonia Baggies Shorts

  • Materials: 100% recycled nylon

Ah, the venerable Baggies. Patagonia’s popular summer short has spawned several imitations but the iconic style remains a go-to for many. They do it all: dry fast, stay up and look as good in the water as they do on land.

If you like the style of these shorts, but the hype is just too much (or you just want other options), check out our guide to Patagonia Baggies alternatives.

Filson Dry Falls Shorts

  • Materials: 98% cotton, 2% spandex

These quick-drying, lightweight shorts have an elastic waistband with a drawstring. Made from a mix of cotton and elastane, the short has front patch pockets with mesh linings — for fast draining — and rear Velcro patch pockets.

Banks Journal Primary Swim Short

  • Materials: 97% cotton, 3% elastane

Once on, these Banks Journal Swim Shorts look like bottoms you could wear every day. They’re made from cotton so they don’t have a sheen to them, but there’s added elastane so they stretch and dry super fast.

Todd Snyder Montauk Swim Short

  • Materials: 87% nylon, 13% elastane

The Montauk Swim Shorts are made from a mix of nylon and elastane; have an inseam of 5 inches; are finished with fine mesh liners; and stay put because of the combination elastic and drawstring waist. Pick a plain, solid color like black — or a print Snyder calls psychedelic.

Kenny Flowers Nauti By Nature Swim Trunk

  • Materials: Polyester blend

Kenny Flowers’s nautical stripe swim trunks — a.k.a the Nauti by Nature trunks — are mid-length, comfortable and ethically made in Colombia. They have two deep side pockets that won’t fill with water and the drawstring is long and luxe. These are swim trunks I felt okay wearing beyond the pool’s perimeter.

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Saturdays Talley Swim Short

  • Materials: 35% nylon, 65% cotton

NYC surf shop Saturdays sells a number of swim trunks. The Talley is the brand’s most versatile, though. It looks like your average everyday short but it performs better. That means you won’t be walking around in wet shorts after a quick swim.

Le Club Classic Swim Trunks

  • Materials: 100% polyester

Everyone strives to leave the beach or pool less red than these swim trunks, but they’re essential nonetheless, especially to figure out whether you’re really getting red or not. Le Club makes its swim trunks in two inseams, 5.5 and 7 inches, with an elastic waist, gusseted pockets and a powerful drawstring tie on both.

Bonobos Riviera Recycled Swim Trunks

  • Materials: 85% recycled polyester, 15% spandex

Big fan of patterns? Try Bonobos’ Riviera Recycled Swim Trunks, which come in over three dozen colorways. Each one is made with 85 percent recycled polyester and is available in seven sizes and three inseams.

Sunspel Drawstring Swimshort

  • Materials: 100% recycled polyester

Sunspel makes a number of its own swim trunks, a mix of simple, non-patterned options and subtly artful alike. This one was made with artist David Shrigley. He divides the name into two, Sun and Spel, filling suns with the former and clouds with the latter. Each trunk is made from upcycled marine plastic from Seaqual, which should be air-dried inside out to avoid fading.

CDPL Swim Trunks

  • Materials: 100% Econyl

CDLP’s swim shorts are cut from 100 percent Econyl, a textile derived from plastic pulled from our oceans. But, that doesn’t mean they’re stiff or, well, resemblant of waste whatsoever — they’re quite the opposite. Short yet flattering, soft yet quick-drying, they feature three pockets, a mesh lining and an elasticated waistband.

Rhythm Talavera Trunk

  • Materials: 35% recycled polyester, 38% polyester, 21% cotton, 6% spandex

Rhythm is an Australian surf-lifestyle brand that sells everything from swim trunks (seen here) to terry polos and pool towels. All of their designs have an elevated, beachy air about them and these Paisley Swim Shorts are no exception. The pattern is more mature than palm trees or anchors but they don’t sacrifice performance for aesthetics.

If this option speaks to you, read more about Rhythm Clothing here.

Fair Harbor The Anchor

  • Materials: 88% recycled plastic bottles, 12% spandex

With an inseam of 8 inches, Fair Harbor’s The Anchor is a safe option for folks that don’t want to show off too much leg. I’d argue let them breathe but 8 inches isn’t bad. Plus, these fast-drying recycled polyester shorts come in over a dozen patterns.

Dandy Del Mar Trunks

  • Materials: 100% nylon

Dandy Del Mar’s retro-tinged Trunks have side piping, a snap button front fly, side and rear pockets as well as a double layer construction for a more comfortable fit. The second layer makes them more substantial, and durable, making them okay for life in or on the water or in the sand alongside it.

Mollusk Vacation Trunks

  • Materials: 65% cotton, 35% nylon

If you’re really lost on which swim trunks to buy, ask an expert — and there are plenty at Mollusk Surf Shop. They’ll probably point you in the direction of the Vacation Trunks, which are the brand’s beginner bottoms. They sell a ton of performance-centric board shorts but these will work for even the laziest land-dwellers.

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Before You Buy

You might think that picking up a pair of trunks is as simple as making sure they fit and that you like the way they look, right? Well, there’s a bit more to it than that. Well before you head into the store, there are a couple of things you’ll want to keep in mind — and we’ve outlined them below so you can shop as confidently as you’ll feel when you find that perfect pair of pool- and beach-going trunks for all your summer adventures.

What to Look for

You want your swim trunks to be fun — going to the beach or pool is fun, right? — but be mindful of how over-the-top they are. On the best summer days you’re bouncing around from the sandy beach to a seaside bar and back to your rental — or, if you’re lucky enough to live by the beach, your living room. As such, your swim trunks should be able to fit in wherever you wear them.

Pick a pair that has pockets, a drawstring waist and a sensible inseam. Loud patterns are cool, but unless you’re pairing them with a plain T-shirt you’ll come across a little chaotic. But because they’re something you probably won’t wear every single day, it’s OK if they’re a little loud.

Swim Trunks vs Board Shorts

Board shorts and swim trunks… they’re both bottoms you wear in the water. How could they be that different? Think of it this way: Board shorts are for water sports — surfing, jet skiing, wakeboarding and so on and so forth. Board shorts are typically longer to protect your legs (surf wax is sticky), and their waistbands can withstand tougher tugs. Plus, most board shorts come without mesh liners and other extraneous add-ons.

Swim trunks, on the other hand, emphasize style and put performance features on the back burner, if they’re addressed at all. They’re for leisurely laps in your backyard pool or plunging into a posh hotel’s hot tub. While you could wear them interchangeably, you shouldn’t.

Think you need board shorts instead? Shop our comprehensive board short buying guide here.

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