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| vollebak ocean shorts review |
It all started with a discussion about ball comfort at Vollebak HQ. Any guy involved with extreme sports will have a horror story of a deadly combo of water, shorts and long duration exercise that ends in fatherhood potential being significantly reduced and a funny walk for days. From this the idea of the Vollebak Ocean Shorts was born.
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| Vollebak Ocean Shorts Granite Edition Review |
Almost all clothing is built to a design that is then ‘tweaked’ to save as much money as possible in construction. This often means lots of seams and lots of places for discomfort.
What if money was no object? What if you could make shorts with NO SEAMS. Would these become the most comfortable shorts of all time?
With the website claiming these were so comfortable you could run an ultra in them I set to find out by taking the shorts on a 54 mile ultra run and using them to set a fastest known time running on the 141 mile Sussex Border Path.
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| Vollebak Ocean Shorts with interior waist silicone grip strips |
I took delivery of a pair in size medium which fitted fine. As a ‘British’ person I initially found the ‘USA long Surf boarder’ fit a bit long on the leg but actually soon got used to them and now rather like them. They have a ‘scuba diving’ feel to me and have been designed to be just as good in the water as swimming trunks as they are out of the water as running or adventure shorts. The term amphibious shorts is very appropriate.
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| Vollebak Ocean Shorts with rear sturdy pocket and zip |
A closer look at the construction shows that the seams of the outer material have been laser cut and bonded. They look and feel like a very expensive divers drysuit in a lightweight fabric that has stretch and strength like the compression gear you can get for running. Just like the Planet Earth shirt they potential stress points all have min tack welds on them as well.
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| Vollebak Ocean Shorts with huge amounts of stretch |
The shorts have plenty of stretch and give, but because of the way the bonding is done round the ends the shorts hold their shape well. This turns out to be very important in and out of the water. When wearing them out of the water I found the shorts hold their shape well which actually billows air up and round your body to help keep you cool, and in the water they hold their shape better and are less clingy.
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| Vollebak Ocean Shorts with sturdy waist tie |
The interior of the waist band has a double silicone strip to grip your waist better so they don’t fall down. These means you don’t have to do them up too tight so they are more comfortable and stay up even when wet and heavy.
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| Vollebak Ocean Shorts with natural water repellent quick drying fabric |
The shorts have a rear pocket with heavy duty zip. Its offset to the right hand side so you can reach it easily provided you are right handed. I would like to have seen this pocket made of a drysuit zip and made completely waterproof but the main remit of these shorts was stripped down simplicity. Its possible we might see a 2nd gen version with cargo pockets and dry zip pouch. The pocket was more than big enough for keys and phone and wallet when wearing it casually, in running races I tended to use it as an out of the way rubbish pocket for packets etc.
The material is treated with a plant based technology that repels water. This means they dry hyper fast when they’ve been wet as the water simply beads and rolls off them. Even after a few washes I’m finding the water repellency remains.
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| Vollebak Ocean Shorts – pic by Lee-Stuart Evans |
The entire short has been built with just one seam that’s bonded not stitched. The interior mesh that acts as underwear seems to be made from the same ultra wicking and strong material they used in the Black Light Baselayer and has no seams. As a result I got no chaffing at all . I tested these shorts on a 54 mile ultra AND set the Fastest Known Time on the 141 mile Sussex Border Path in these shorts and didn’t get any rubbing at all. I normally have to talc my ‘man bits’ regularly to keep them comfortable. Remember the initial discussion about ‘ball comfort’ ? Mission accomplished.
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| Lee-Stuart Evans running the Fastest Known Time on the Sussex Border Path in Vollebak Ocean Shorts |
It was during the Sussex Border Path FKT that these shorts really came into their own. It was a hot weekend and I needed to cool down regularly as I made my way through the baking Sussex countryside. With these shorts I could jump in the various rivers and streams I crossed to cool down, get the opportunity to benefit from being wet and cool down, without the fear of having clammy shorts rub me raw. The shorts dried super fast whilst my t shirt etc stayed wet to keep me cool. Ball comfort in the wet ? Mission Accomplished.
Verdict
So are these shorts worth the £175 price tag ?
There are three elements that come into play for these shorts for value, I like actually wearing them and look good in them, they are comfortable and good for running, sport and swimming so this means I get far more value for money wearing them than the usual separate swimming trunks , running shorts etc I would normally wear.
The fact that they are so comfortable with zero seams says a lot because they have become my go to shorts on any hot day in the summer. The priceless part of these shorts is the actual design element of them, I’ve come to consider a lot of the Vollebak range as iconic clothing pieces. In a world where even high end designers and manufacturers do everything possible to save money and costs on the manufacture and assembly of their clothes its refreshing to see what a ‘money is no object’ approach to create shorts that are as comfortable as possible. I’d go as far as saying these are the Rolls Royce of shorts. Vollebak gear discreetly stands out.
As well as granite they come in a very high visibility Green if you are from California or not over 40 like I am.
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| Lee-Stuart Evans Finishing the Ox Race 50 in Vollebak Planet Earth Shirt and Vollebak Ocean Shorts. |
You can find out more about the shorts here
Thanks for writing this review. I’m curious about your impressions of several of your Vollebak purchases now that some time has passed. How are these shorts holding up? I would be equally interested on your thoughts about the 100-year hoodie and pants and the relaxation hoodie you have reviewed since they have been used.
Hey there and thanks for reaching out. As im writing this im actually wearing the 100 year pants and they are still awesome. All of the gear I have of theirs I still use regularly ( except the shorts as its january in CT right now lol) and much of the gear has had daily use and still looks brand new. Im still a massive fan of their high end gear . regards L-S
I have bought 5 pieces of Vollebak gear – 2 planet earth shirts, Ocean Shorts, 100y Hoodie and 100y Jacket. You have to expect some of the clothes to look different after being washed – 100y hoodie and Planet Earth shirts, but still function amazingly. The Planet Earth Shirts are amazing pieces of kit, technically and I continually get asked which brand it is. The Ocean Shorts still look the same after 9 months, I wear them for everything including surfing, they are the best shorts I’ve ever had as a ‘do everything’.
The 100y Jacket is great and I kept it, it is a technical marvel, but the only piece of kit I might question, it is very tough and waterproof beyond expectation, however there are buts for me on this one. I have huge admiration for Vollebak and their creative director – Satish Tailor, a brilliant designer.
great to hear from you ! and yeh I AGREE SO MUCH !
I’ve purchased a bunch of Vollebak gear (100y line, puffers, equator shirts and shorts, and the ocean short) and hands down this company makes great gear. However, I was disappointed with the Ocean short. Comfort, to die for, but, these short do not dry. Not unless it is very hot and you hang them out. Compared to my Bluesmiths Spartan standard short (priced about the same), the Ocean takes days to fully dry. My Spartens dry in a bag in less than 2 hours. Probably the materials but I weigh the ability dry when you are transitioning in and out of water, above comfort. I’m still a big fan of Vollebak and let them know my feedback.