I got a bunch of these shorts in Medium/7" about five years ago and they were the best shorts ever; immediately bought a few more as they were the perfect fit, no belt needed, pockets, everything was just right. Wore my two favorite colors almost everyday in California weather for 5 years and they are mostly all still holding up, though the waistband is starting to disintegrate.
At one point I even found a couple of the pant version of this at a thrift store which were too short for my leg length, and had those tailored into matching length shorts, though those fit way slimmer in the leg due to the cut, and were not my thing.
So I ordered a few more around Black Friday '25 thinking they stuck with the winning formula of the perfect shorts but unfortunately there's been some changes. The cut is slimmer, waistband is tighter, the inseam length is a tad longer too (the old 7" was a bit shorter, billowed out better for more flexibility and comfort, absolutely awesome for biking, hiking, whatever, without the shorts riding up and down on your leg with each motion). These new ones actually feel like those pants I had tailored into shorts, which get zero wear from me. It's like they kept the cut/pattern of that rather than making them off a separate design. Sure, they stretch, but the new cut is tighter in the crotch and thighs (I'm 5'11", 160ish pounds, so not massive thighs but I like to have room down there) to the point where it's not comfy having a phone in pocket and sitting down. The old cut was more forgiving in that the pockets contents had room to exist without being squashed up against your skin. When I first got those years back, I immediately ordered more because they nailed what shorts should be. The quality is good but fit-wise my initial impression with these new ones is disappointment they went with a skin-hugging cut and will probably send these new ones back. I still have a pair of the old ones I never really wore because the brown color wasn't for me, and the fit is in fact different.
