EAST CLIFF EXPEDITION 19" HYBRID SHORTS

Great light weight medium density fabric that looks great with one exception: I wear a 35 waist. I ordered a 34 and they fit ok the first time or two. Now the waist is too snug to button. I’d blame my diet but I haven’t gained a lb. Maybe they shrunk? Or they don’t stretch? I found it perplexing how another O’Neil size 34 short bought at the same time fits really great yet this one feels 1/2” smaller waist size. It’s tough being in between sizes. I’d recommend sizing up if your in between.

Been looking for a good pair of Hybrid shorts that are: comfortable, secure zipper pockets for traveling through crowded areas, work as boardshorts, look good for casual going out. Tried Roarks, Howler Bros, and a few other similar surf brands. Then I finally saw these release a couple weeks ago and tried them out. The Cordura stretch fabric is the #1 reason these shorts stand above others. It's comfortable, stretchy, durable feeling, and still looks kind of like a normal chino short. The 19" length is much better than the Travlr 20" option that is made of the same fabric. The zippered pockets feel strong and durable as well and I will confidently be able to walk through crowded areas not worried about dropping something or getting pickpocketed.

A few things I think O'neill can improve.

1) The zipper pulls on all of their shorts have this abrasive, sharp cornered rubber cover that can catch on threads of clothing (shirts) or scratch things. These should get replace by just bare metal zipper pulls in my opinion.

2) The zippers zip from top to bottom, which is slightly unnatural. I would prefer they go from bottom to top like everything else. But it's easy to get used to.

3) More color options.

Overall I think this short model is a winner, and Oneill nailed it. Please invest in more colors for this model also. It's simply superior to many other shorts I have tried.