I've heard a lot about these shorts, how they are the best on the
market, the most comfortable, that they are, in short, better than
being naked!
I've seen them in stores for £65-£70 which even with my love of bling
and shiny new run-tech is a lot to pay for a pair of shorts. To date I
have been wearing Nike (the ones with the zip pocket in the back) and
Brooks (to date my favourites as they have a longer leg and side
pockets). Both retail at around £20.
Over the summer I was in Blacks and they had a sale which included
their running gear and TNF Better than Naked shorts at £25. I tried a
pair on to check the fit as I like a larger short with a longer leg
and settled on a pair in size medium. To give some idea of sizing I am
a little over 5'10" and around 150 lbs.
The shorts are great. They are super light flash dry material and
branded with the familiar TNF Flight Series logos. They comprise an
inner short which is like a cycling short in that it grips low down on
the thingy he with then a looser more traditional over short. The
liner rather than being compression is comfortable with flat seams and
'room' for a gentlemans under carriage to not be rubbing on any seams.
Better than naked or at least a bit like being naked.
The waist band is made of soft material with no rough edges and no
seams to pull in to make them tight. There is a small silky tie to
secure them. But absolutely zero running. The fit is remarkable.
Where these shorts are interesting though is in the number of pockets.
The linker short has pouches on the legs suitable for stowing gels or
power bars. There is comfortably room for 3 or 4. They are held
securely so that even while you are running they do not feel like they
will fall out. The only issue here is that it does mean they are warm
when you come to eat them so it is probably best to avoid putting
anything that could melt in there.
On the outer shorts there are three pockets around the back of the
waistband. In the middle a zip pocket which I have used for an iPhone.
It fits perfectly and is held by the shorts so doesn't bounce around
back there. Either side of this pocket is a flat pocket suitable for,
again, gels and the like, these are held securely but the waistband of
the shorts with seemingly little pressure. The same issue would apply
to anything that could melt as the pockets are tight against the body.
I have run in these shorts almost exclusively since I have had them,
they feel great and are versatile enough for both short and longer
runs where you can carry adequate food. I have had zero chaffing or
rubbing with these shorts whatever the conditions or however warm and
wet it has been.
Overall these are probably the best shorts I have worn, they are
comfortable beyond compare and proven to be durable despite many
washes through the machine. At upwards of £65 they are probably
expensive and despite how good they are I would struggle to justify
that kind of expense for a pair of shorts. If you can find them on
sale though they are a brilliant bargain.
For the garment I would give it 5/5 as genuinely the best short. For
price, at the RRP, I would give it 2/5 as they are significantly more
expensive than nearly every other short!
