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Outdoor Adventure
The Best Running Shorts for Women (2024)
20
May
May
After shoes, running shorts are the most important and personal piece of a runner’s kit. The right shorts will disappear on the run and comfortably carry everything you need; the wrong ones will chafe, cling, bounce, sag, ride up, and generally make your run miserable, especially in heat and humidity. We searched for, and found, shorts that can handle the challenges of summer while making you look good, feel cool, and run free.
At a Glance
All gear in this guide was tested by multiple reviewers. If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.
Best for Going Long
Oiselle Toolbelt Roga Shorts
Sizes: 2–24/26
Pros and Cons
⊕ Plenty of pockets for storage
⊕ Universally-flattering length
⊕ Comfortable, stretchy fabric
⊗ Built-in liner is tight for some testers’ thighs
All our testers instantly fell for the cute styling of these shorts. Their love was cemented by the whopping five well-placed pockets—four mesh ones built into the 4-inch, compressive waistband (that stays put, even when the pockets are full), plus a zippered one in the back, perfect for holding a phone. New Mexico-based tester Abigail Wise relied on these shorts for long weekend runs in the mountains, stashing lip balm, sunscreen, keys, snacks, and cash in the pockets.
The polyester/spandex blend throughout is incredibly stretchy and has a “just right” feeling that’s not too thin or thick, making these shorts suitable for cooler runs in the spring and fall as well as hot summer days. Ultrarunner Ellen Silva says, “I want them in every color,” and raves that they still look brand new even after hundreds of miles of wear.
Best Running/Casual Crossover
Rabbit Summit Chasers Shorts
$70 at Running Warehouse $70 at Rabbit
Sizes: XS–XL, 2.5” and 4” inseam options
Pros and Cons
⊕ Flattering fit
⊕ Comfy, wide waistband
⊕ Durable fabric
⊗ Sizing was off for some testers
This was the most flattering pair of shorts in our test—lead tester Svati Narula paired them with everything from flowy tank tops to baggy sweatshirts and always felt cute. Lightweight and quick-drying, they have a semi-relaxed fit thanks to a wide, compressive waistband paired with loose fabric around the thighs and a loose interior liner. Svati found the ripstop polyester/spandex durable enough to withstand thorny bushes and many heavy-duty washes after several incidents with glucose gels and tree sap.
Two deep side pockets, two internal waistband pockets, plus a zippered diagonal back pocket give lots of storage options—perfect for shorter trail runs when you don’t want to carry a pack or long dog walks. Ellen pointed out that finding the right size can be tricky: “These mediums were too big, but I’ve tried on smalls and they’re way too small. I need a small and a half.” If they fit you, however, you’ll reach for them for more than just running.
Best for Hot, Humid Days
The North Face Summer LT Shorts
Sizes: XS–XXL, available in both 2.5” and 4” inseams
Pros and Cons
⊕ Comfortable, classic fit
⊕ Superb at handling sweat
⊕ Water-repellent seat
⊗ Pockets too small for carrying a phone
These are as close to sweatproof running shorts as you can get, perfect for those who run in especially humid climes or just drip a lot. The North Face’s proprietary polyester blend wicked moisture extremely well and took a long time to get stinky, enough that trail-runner tester Anna Grace Tiede Hottinger would often head straight to social events after running in these without worrying about sweat-wet shorts. Three mesh pockets on the back of the waistband provide storage for items smaller than a phone, and the back of the shorts also have a PFC-free durable water repellent finish, in case you find yourself seated on a soggy bench pre- or post-run.
Abigail also loved their silhouette. “A simple, flared short that’s baggy without hiding too much of my shape, the Summer LTs give me 1990s vibes in the best possible way,” she says.
Most Comfortable (and Colorful)
ChicknLegs Women’s 1.5″ Split Shorts
$35 at Amazon $35 at Running Warehouse
Sizes: XXS–XL
Pros and Cons
⊕ Extremely light and breathable
⊕ Attention-grabbing patterns
⊕ Affordable
⊗ Inseam too short for some testers’ comfort
Runners who don’t take themselves too seriously and want the comfiness of pajama bottoms coupled with high-performance features will love these silly shorts. When Svati first saw the cartoon dinosaur print on these shorts, she was skeptical of their technical chops. But then she tried them on, slipped her iPhone into the back zippered pocket, and went to a group run. Not only did she receive multiple comments on how cute they were, but they also felt amazing—or rather, like nothing. She didn’t feel the fabric touch her thighs, the weight of her phone pulling on the elastic waistband, or any sweat on her bum at the end of the 45-minute run in 80-degree weather. Despite print patterns that include flamingos, cows, lightning bolts, and pickles, these are serious performance shorts.
Most Durable
Ciele Athletics W TRNShort 4’’ Briefs
$80 at Backcountry $75 at Ciele
Sizes: XS–XL
Pros and Cons
⊕ Ideal inseam length
⊕ Comfortable tailoring
⊕ Durable
⊗ Pricey
These shorts aren’t particularly flashy: they have a straight 4-inch inseam, simple mesh interior liner, and a three-inch interlock knit waistband with an internal drawstring. But Svati and Anna Grace were both impressed with how easy they were to wear, especially for their longest and hottest runs. “I wore these for a 40-miler and had zero issues,” says Anna Grace, who loved the mid-thigh length and said the mid-rise waistband was particularly comfortable.
Ciele’s high pricepoint is partly justified by the durability of its products: these shorts showed no signs of wear during our weeks of testing and we expect the recycled, 40-denier polyester/70-denier spandex fabric to hold up for many years, many washes, and thousands of miles. A stretchy rear pocket can hold a phone or credit cards, and a small interior waist pocket is good for a key.
Softest Liner
Ibex Springbok Shorts
Sizes: XS–XL
Pros and Cons
⊕ Soft, natural fiber liner
⊕ Odor resistant
⊕ Goldilocks length
⊗ Slim fit
⊗ Pricey
Nothing fancy here, just incredible comfort and a wide back zippered pocket that holds our essentials—phone, keys, glucose gel—perfectly. Ibex combined its signature merino wool with eucalyptus-based Tencel to make the liner on these shorts, which has the stinkproof breathability we love from merino plus extra softness, stretch, and durability. The outer short is a durable, slightly stretchy nylon-spandex blend. With a 3.5-inch inseam, these don’t feel too long or too short. We wish we had multiple pairs.
What to Look For
When it comes to summer running clothes, look for breathability, moisture-wicking, and a chafe-free fit.
Materials
Sweat-wicking and quick-drying materials are essential. These are usually made of polyester or wool blends and have a wide variety of proprietary names and textures. Polyester weaves tend to be the most breathable and highly durable, while wool resists odors and has a natural feel next-to-skin. Try on as many options as you can to find the ones that are both soft against your skin and feel cool and airy.
Fit
The fabric should not restrict your leg and arm movement or be so tight as to interfere with your breathing at all. When trying on garments, do some dynamic stretching such as leg swings, lunges, and running in place to experience your body’s whole range of motion in the apparel.
Shorts Style
Besides material and fit, there are a few key features to consider in running shorts: pockets, inseam, and waist height.
If you like to carry items like your phone, keys, sunscreen, water flask, gels, or snacks, you’ll need more pockets (if you don’t run with a vest). Make sure the pockets are large and robust enough to fit and secure what you’re carrying, and located in spots where they won’t bounce or irritate. When you’re trying on shorts with pockets, test how they feel when the pockets are full—especially if you intend to carry something heavy like a cell phone, which can drastically change the way a pair of shorts fits and rides.
Consider whether you prefer shorts with a longer inseam—like four to six inches—for more coverage and to avoid chafing, or ones with a shorter inseam that show a little more leg and feel less restricted.
The rise is crucial to consider, too. While some runners prefer a higher waist to feel more secure, others prefer a waistband that hits right at their hip bones and doesn’t constrict.
How We Test
- Number of testers: 4
- Number of products tested: 20
- Number of miles logged while testing: 2,500
- Most extreme temperature experienced during a run: 100 degrees (paired with 90 percent humidity) on a 40-mile-run in Minnesota in August
- Most elevation gained during a run: 3,500 feet while pacing a 25-mile stretch of the High Lonesome 100 race in Colorado
We tested as many different shorts, tanks, tees, and other kinds of summer apparel (like sun shirts and crop tops) as we could get our hands on between June and October 2023, with an eye toward products that would be new to consumers in 2024. Our four testers ranged in age from 20 to 40, each with more than a decade of running experience and at least one ultramarathon under their belt. We evaluated products by comfort first, followed by style, utility (ability to carry phones and keys or multitask as casual wear was a big plus), and durability.
Meet Our Lead Testers
Svati Kirsten Narula is a writer and Outside contributing editor based in Santa Fe, NM. Svati ran her first cross country race 19 years ago and has been a dedicated distance runner ever since. To test this summer’s gear, she logged miles on dirt paths, singletrack trails, paved roads, and even a few sidewalks—mostly in New Mexico, with some additional test runs in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.
One of Svati Narula’s go-to routes for testing running gear:
Ellen Silva is a Clinical Dietitian in Santa Fe, NM who has been running since 2009. She is an “any distance, any surface” type of runner and enjoys bringing down her road 5k time as much as training for mountain 100-milers and pacing friends in ultras. Her dog Finn accompanies her on short easy runs. They love living and training in the high desert, but this summer she enjoyed getting to test gear while in Hawaii, Maine, Arizona, Colorado, and New Hampshire.
Anna Grace Tiede Hottinger is a public policy professional and dog mom in northern MN. She has been running for just about her entire life, primarily as a method of fun and spending time outside. She tested her apparel on many runs, both short and long, while training for a 100-miler. Much of the apparel saw many hours in the woods, and experienced extreme heat, chilly rain and endured lots of mud!
Abigail Wise is an editor based in northern New Mexico. She’s retired from training for ultras but still logs a lot of miles between exercising her four dogs and getting her toddler some fresh air. Most of this gear was tested on pre-dawn tempo runs before work and longer weekend runs in the high-desert mountain sun.
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