I recently had the opportunity to test out the Renegade Cargo Short made by the popular mountain brand, Kuhl. This being my first piece of clothing from them, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, nor how different it would be from the other brands I was already used to. After all, shorts are shorts, right? It turns out I was pleasantly surprised by both the overall comfort in them as well as the little details that went into making this an ideal pair of shorts for hiking.

The overall fit was remarkably comfortable, particularly for hiking. After taking them on dozens of miles of trail in the Teton Mountains, I couldn’t find anything that felt out of place or obtrusive. They felt as though they were engineered to move with me rather than simply look comfortable. I was surprised at just how lightweight they felt as I was able to glide seamlessly over the trails without needing to adjust the shorts at all.

I nearly always take some form of cargo shorts/pants hiking with me, particularly in bear country, so that I can always have one of the side pockets dedicated to bear spray for easy access. With some shorts I already own, the lightweight fabric allows the can to bump against my leg, eventually leading to a bit of discomfort, particularly as the miles add up into the double-digits. However with the Kuhl Renegade Cargo Shorts, I never felt any discomfort. I even had to check a few times the first few hikes to make sure it hadn’t fallen out since I was barely noticing it. I don’t think a can of bear spray was in Kuhl’s testing criteria for the side pockets, but regardless, they passed my test. The Velcro pockets also save a little weight where some manufacturers prefer zippers, and are still very secure at keeping belongings inside.

The zipper and button only complement the durability yet lightweight aspects of the overall shorts. The zipper is refreshingly large, while also being durable and easy to work with without compromising comfort or weight. Likewise, the metal button is tough, yet also showed no sign of difficulty to manipulate. Whereas some shorts I’ve worn feel like each could fail at some point, these feel like they’re built-in for the long haul. They only add to the overall tough feeling of the shorts themselves, which gave me confidence to take them on 20+ mile day-hikes, as well as overnight backpacking trips.

A couple of extra features that I didn’t know that I needed were a mesh liner dividing one of the side pockets to essentially add another pocket, as well as a small hanging loop on the back. It’s as if they knew I’d get caught in a hail storm on one of the hikes I was testing them with. The hanging loop provides a quick and easy way to dry them off while out on longer adventures, though the fabric itself is surprisingly well-adapted to repel moisture. Regardless, it never hurts to have a backup option, and I’ve even found it useful already for other purposes.

My only complaint with them is that summers are short here in Jackson Hole, so now I’ll have to go buy the cargo pant version of them to get that level of quality and comfort year-round.