by: Fred Lemon

The dictionary calls "shorts", trousers that extend to or above the knee. The concept of short pants has changed many times in the garments history. Today's most popular style of shorts is generally called the Board Short. This name applies to both men's and women's designs. Board Shorts are found to be worn in casual attire, in many sports and in beach wear. Generally baggier than most shorts, the board short tends to extend to the knee and beyond, and rarely are lined, like most swim suit shorts. Board shorts started as the swimming trunks of choice, but now virtually anyone involved in an active lifestyle has embraced board shorts. Surfers, skaters, windsurfers, and kayakers have fallen in love with these lightweight, durable, comfortable, and fast drying trunks. Even those who simply want to look like they just came from the beach are buying board shorts, and many people who live in warmer climates opt to wear board shorts as everyday attire.

The freedom of movement that a good pair of board short can afford to an individual has brought them into several newer arenas recently. Several martial arts have adopted a new garment called a fight short. These shorts are basically board shorts without pockets and a slightly different closure assembly. Most fight shorts are just shorter than knee length, and made from the same supersuede or microsuede fabric as board shorts. Several brands of fight shorts had experimented with having a more flexible expanding panel on the inside of the leg, on the assumption of facilitating high kicks. These panels have proven to deteriorate faster than the rest of the fabric in the shorts and have been abandoned by most brands. Grappling, Jiu Jitsu, and Karate have also adopted the Rash Guard Shirt, another surfing garment, as it decreases friction during contact sports.

Many of the more popular clothing lines carry board shorts for Men, Women and Children. The shorts are available in a wide range of styles, colors and fabrics. Some shorts have contrasting stitching, so the seams are more apparent, and some use a tonal stitch so that the seams blend in with the fabric. Pockets on these garments usually have a drain made from a grommet of mesh fabric to retain the contents of the pocket while allowing water to escape. This also helps with the fast drying nature of the shorts.

Whether you are headed to the beach or for a hike in the mountains, there is a pair of board shorts that will fit your needs. Take a lighter weight pair for a hot day or a heavier weight pair with a cargo pocket for a cool day. Some styles even have a contrasting side panel which is a great spot to add your team or business logo and personalize the shorts for your needs.