When it comes to relaxing, you need all the help you can get. These days, many of us are working in our pajamas, which can make it difficult to know when it’s time to really let our hair down and unwind. You need a garment specifically for your downtime that has good airflow, a nice, comfortable fabric, and doesn’t bunch or bind while you set your phasers to loaf. Hence, we found the 15 best lounge shorts for lounging at home. If you plan to lounge abroad, you’re in the wrong list.
Outdoor Voices All Day 7” Short
Nothing is more appropriately named than the CloudKnit weave used in these lounge shorts. They’re so light and airy that you’ll know exactly why cherubs sitting on cumulus clouds are always happy. Though made of polyester and spandex, there’s none of the sticky synthetic feel when wearing these. They’re also touchably soft for when your partner, or even yourself, feels like running your hands along your perfectly proportioned quads. There’s even an internal phone pocket should you decide to run errands, or want to keep your friends close, and your Instagram closer.
Rhone Bolinas Beach Short
These shorts turn your beach bumming to beast mode. They’re soft under your fingers, but don’t let that deceive you. That’s just the fluffy cotton, which is as durable as it is pleasing against your skin. Which means even if you like sitting straight on the sand, you’ll still be unwinding in these for years to come. The strong drawcord waistband is a nice addition over just elastic, since it gives you the option of pulling these tight should you feel the need to get in touch with your inner Baywaycher and tackle a riptide.
Under Armour Men’s UA Training Stretch Shorts
Under Armour is a great brand if you’re feeling fast and/or furious, but it’s equally good if you’re feeling slow and sedentary. The Training Shorts have a comfortable build made for mobility, which is great if you need to go from resting to sprinting, or if you want to get into some seriously slothful positions. The breathable mesh panels keep your legs cool whether laying on your memory foam mattress or surviving another brutal summer. The anti-odor tech throughout also means you’ll avoid the funk that comes from long sessions of glorious idleness.
Mack Weldon Ace Sweatshort
Most lounge shorts don’t provide much security to the pockets, which can cause your phone, lip balm, or other everyday carry accessories to slip into your couch cushions, never to be seen again. The Ace offers not one, but two zippered pockets, with one on the side for quickdraw access, and the other on the back, for keeping pickpockets away from your wallet when you make a snack or beer run. Even better, the micro-brushed french terry fabric looks stylish enough that if you do leave your house, you’ll draw only admiring glances.
Lululemon At Ease Short 7”
Oddly enough, there’s been tremendous technological advances in the shorts world. The At Ease shorts take advantage of several of them. The textured fabric moves with you, should you want to get into a quick warrior pose between slouching sessions, but also relaxes to keep your special bits from getting bound up. On the back is a handy little loop for hanging these on a hook to dry, or to keep them off the biohazard that is a locker room floor. The four-way stretching fabric works for action sequences, but is likewise exceptional for getting into and out of the most soothing slumps.
Adidas Essentials 3-Stripes Shorts
Adidas’s striped pants broke the mold for exercise gear, and is now doing the same for shorts. These are as handy for use at the gym as sprawled across your love seat. The AEROREADY fabric absorbs moisture, should you be a particularly sweaty couch surfer, yet it keeps you feeling springtime fresh wherever your journey may take you. Not only are these good for you and your layabout lifestyle, they’re good for the world. Made of sustainably-farmed cotton and recycled polyester, the 3-Stripes reduce plastic waste so they’re as comfortable on your conscience as your body.
Vuori Ponto Short
Vuori lauds these as the world’s softest shorts thanks to the brand’s DreamKnit fabric. That might be nothing but braggadocio, but when you let your fingers whisper across the fabric you’ll have to admit they’re certainly a contender in the Softness Bowl. The extra lightweight feel isn’t just to make your skin tingle. It also helps these dry faster than desert sands at sunrise. There’s a little Elastane for four-way stretching, but 89 percent of the material is recycled polyester, making every color choice a green one.
Public Rec Weekend Short
Using a midweight french terry fabric, the Weekend Short has just enough heft to feel cozy, and just enough breathability to feel feathery. These are made with premium Pima cotton, which contends with Egyptian cotton as the top choice for luxurious bedding material. Due to the Public Rec’s slightly weightier build we suggest these shorts for wearing during off-season leisuretime, when the weather can swing from balmy to bitter in the span of an hour.
Reebok Road Trip Woven Shorts
Reebok made the Road Trip shorts water-resistant so that you could ford streams or take a quick dip. However, we’ve found that hydrophobic construction is equally good for shedding spilled cocktails and lemonades. Since these are geared for road trips, the nylon plain weave is especially good at keeping your seat area from getting swampy as you tackle the full Route 66 tour. In addition, they have loads of pockets so you can take your GORP, phone, wallet, and other accoutrement out and about on every thrilling rest stop along the way.
Howler Brothers Tranquilo Chillshorts
As if the word “Tranquilo” didn’t cause enough drowsiness, the Howler Brothers added in “Chillshorts” just so there was no confusion about the level of activity you’re expected to have when you don these. The cotton/poly blend has a strong workout sweatpant allure, but the boardshort aesthetic speaks to a more lollygagging lifestyle. The big story here is something too few shorts have, which is a zipper fly. Perhaps not ideal for intense activity, but a welcome addition for pool parties where a keg is on scene.
Tracksmith Session Shorts 7 Inch
Cut with either a seven-inch or snug five-inch inseam, the Session shorts let you show a little leg if you’re the type who has hot gams, be that literally or figuratively. This slighter build has a retro appeal that is likewise good for springing, or at least gradually stirring, into action. The Session shorts are specifically made with runners in mind, but you’ll find that you need not be a road and trail fiend to find the loose hemline offers ample space for really active levels of inactivity.
Nike Yoga Dri-FIT Men’s Shorts
Nike’s offering to this lineup is actually so gossamer that you won’t be able to help but feel a little naughty wearing them out in public. Rest assured, for as breezy as they are, they’ll keep your bathing suit area well covered even if you’re sweating up a storm. The Dri-FIT has excellent moisture wicking to keep wetness from staying on your flesh, and yet is made from a minimum of 75 percent recycled polyester fibers. Namaste to that.
Western Rise Movement Short
If you’ve reached legendary levels of laziness and don’t like to change your shorts between the lake, the gym, the store, and the couch, then these might just have answered your clothing prayers. Solid water-resistance allows for the Movement Short to replace your swimsuit while the triangular cut on the sides means you can hurdle just fine. They hang tight to most legs, but not so tight that they bunch in all the wrong ways as you sink into your sofa.
On Running Sweat Shorts
Normally the Swiss are best relied upon to make banks, chocolate, and army knives that have corkscrews for those combat cocktail hours. Nevertheless, it might be time to consider the land of ski slopes equally adept at making lounge shorts. The fit is laid-back without being billowy, so they hang attractively on most any frame. In keeping with the Swiss aims of sustainability, the cotton used to make the french-terry fabric is 100 percent organic, with the overall materials being 90 percent.
Tommy John Lounge Shorts
All bodies might be beautiful, but perhaps you’d rather hide your beauty under a bushel. For that purpose, there’s these longer lounge shorts that bear a full 11.5-inch inseam. This extended coverage isn’t ideal for sudden zumba routines nor a quick crossfit set, but it’s outstanding for giving you a little more material for colder times or climes where shorter shorts might be a little too little.
Jambys
Finally, guys can wear their boxers whenever and wherever they want while still carrying their necessary stuff. These are high and tight for the leggy man who refuses to deny the world a look at his dancer’s physique. Made out of Modal, which is spun beechwood cellulose that requires far less water than cotton, these house shorts are as kind to the environment as they are to your skin. They also come in a wide range of snazzy colors and prints should anyone get tired of looking at your toned calves.
Pair of Thieves Superfit Mesh Lounge Shorts
If you think you know the skinny on mesh shorts, it might be time for a second look. These are so soft they practically melt in your hand. Slip them on and that downy feel will be cradling your body all day long. They’re meant to promote drafts for either hard workouts, or soaking in the heat during the sunny months. That’s not to say they’re too light, as they have a sense of dense construction that speaks to their durability. You’ll also get plenty of pockets, which is too rare in the carefree world of mesh shorts.
Nice Laundry Pocket Lounge Shorts
Some mesh makers are still using polyester to make their shorts. While we know this breaks your heart, to say nothing of what it does where your legs meet, fortunately there’s a better choice. Battle against the polyester adherents with these nylon delights made with 4-way stretch, specifically for more comfortable lolling about. Under the proverbial hood isn’t more mesh like most shorts, but a Micromodal layer that wicks moisture while still feeling silky.
Brooklinen Bowery Shorts
Brooklinen likes to beat up its products. While we never condone short abuse of any kind, in this case it’s to ensure that the Bowery Shorts are durable enough to last you a good long while. That’s not to say they’re built denim tough, but rather they’re able to stand and deliver in spite of their pillowy soft feel. Constructed out of an even split between cotton and modal, they’re the best that nature and synthetic science have to offer.
Marine Layer Sport Yoga Shorts
No short is allowed to tell you how to use it. If you want to bust a pose in these during a yoga sesh, go ahead, but ain’t nobody going to stop you from shooting hoops, spiking hard at the beach, or just owning noobs from your couch. The heavyweight recycled polyester is thick enough to keep you warm during cooler seasons, and saves us all from more landfill junk. Double winner.