Some shorts look good… until you actually live in them.
You know the drill: they feel great in your bedroom mirror, then you sit down in a hot car and suddenly you’re wearing a wrinkled diaper with buttons.
The Faherty All Day Shorts are not those shorts.
Faherty bestselling short that takes you from beach to bar - or theme park to water park, in our case.
These are the rare unicorn “hybrid” shorts that can handle a full day of dad life — walking around a theme park, sweating through 100-degree asphalt heat, getting absolutely drenched at a water park, and still somehow looking like you didn’t just emerge from a chlorinated battle.
They’re stretchy, crazy comfortable, and they dry so fast it’s honestly suspicious. Like… “did I just glitch the laws of physics?” fast.
So yeah — we tested them the only way that really counts: real life, not “standing still next to a perfectly staged pool holding a sparkling water.”
TL;DR — Just Tell Me The Basics
- The Verdict: These live up to the hype. They are the ultimate “do-anything” hybrid short that looks like a tailored chino but performs like a swim trunk.
- Best For: Guys who want one pair of shorts for everything—from the golf course to the beach to a casual dinner.
Here’s what happened, what we loved, what annoyed us (just a tiny bit), and whether they’re actually worth the price tag.
Meet the Faherty All Day Shorts
Highlights of the All Day Short (now in version 2.0!)
- 7” inseam + classic/modern fit (aka the sweet spot between “dad shorts” and “why are your thighs yelling at me?”)
- Hybrid short energy: looks tailored with a flat front, but has swim-short performance (quick-drying + water-repellent)
- Eco-friendly fabric made mostly from recycled plastic bottles, with a little cotton mixed in so it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing a tent
- Stretchy and comfy thanks to the recycled polyester / cotton / spandex blend
- Built-in interior drawstring + zipper fly so you can skip a belt if you want, but still look put-together
- Pocket situation is legit: side slash pockets + one back zip pocket for keys/cards + an extra back welt pocket
- Price: $108 – Get the best price here
How we put these hybrid shorts to the test
We put these to the toughest test possible: surviving a day at a theme park and water park.
My son and I took these shorts down to Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado. It was a hot day – over 100 and even hotter in the asphalt jungle of a water park. We spent the first part of the day riding rides (dry) and then ventured into the water park.
I purposely wore these All Day Shorts because I wanted to see if they were comfortable enough to wear in the theme park for several hours, but versatile enough to also wear swimming.
I also didn’t want to use the gross water park locker room. Do you blame me? EW!
So, when it was time to change, I took off my shirt and changed my kid’s under a towel.
Did they stand up to the test? Watch our honest review to find out!
What is Faherty?
Before I get ahead of myself, let’s first talk about the brand, Faherty. It’s a funny name.
You probably noticed I didn’t even attempt to pronounce the name in our video review, but Faherty is a family-run business fueled by purpose and optimism. Their goal: to build a new American legacy by creating high-quality, sustainably-minded, feel-good favorites that will bring you joy to wear.
They have a ton of great styles and we will be trying more of their great products soon.
Faherty All Day Short Review: The Style
The first thing to know about these shorts is that they don’t look like swim trunks at all. In fact, most folks won’t even know they could double as swim trunks. That’s because they have all the same looks – and features as chino shorts – a flat front, natural looking fabric, “real” pockets (you will know they are mesh-lined but no one else will) and is even available with belt loops.
The All Day Hybrid Shorts are available in 7″, 9″ and 11″ inseam lengths (I prefer the 9″ inseam on all shorts – see our summer short roundup) and available with or without a belt loop.
They even offer free tailoring for your pair of shorts with Hemster, which is pretty cool!
The overall fit is relaxed and features a straight leg.
The shorts also come in a variety of colors, from classic khaki, to navy to black and even a couple of patterns.
However, if you want them to NOT look like swim shorts for men and more like chino shorts for men – get them in Ice Grey, Coastal Blue or Khaki. Those are the colors that make this an awesome hybrid short.
The other colors, especially the patterns, look a lot like swim trunks.
How do they fit?
Overall, the fit is true to size. I wear a size 32 waist in almost everything (except the Perfect Jean – read our full Perfect Jean Review and Perfect Jean Promo Code for more information). I would say that the waist was about .25 inches off from other clothes that I’ve worn. However, the stretch fabric really helps.
I’d style this as true to your men’s size and get the typical size for waist and inseam.
Proper care of your Faherty All Day Shorts ensures longevity. It’s advised to machine wash them cold with similar colors to prevent fading. Avoid fabric softeners, as they may impact the water repellent finish.
Tumble dry on low or simply hang them to dry in a shaded area to conserve the fabric’s integrity. Keeping ironing on a low setting will also maintain their neat appearance without impacting the fabric quality.
The Features of Faherty All Day Shorts
A couple of quick features of the All Day Shorts:
- Obviously, it’s moisture-wicking, water-repellent, quick-drying
- They also are engineered with 4-way stretch, too
- There is not an elastic waistband, but the stretchy fabric essentially makes it a like an elastic waistband – it’s that stretchy.
- There is a drawstring to keep your short on tight in the water.
- There are two front mesh pockets
- A back zipper pocket with mesh
- A high-quality button closure
- A zippered fly (I hate when these shorts are NOT zippered!)
Faherty: Sustainable or not?
Faherty makes these shorts out of recycled fabric — and not the vague “eco-ish” kind. We’re talking plastic bottles, reborn as shorts you can actually wear in public.
Specifically, the All Day Shorts are made with 75% recycled polyester, sourced from plastic bottles, which basically means less trash sitting in a landfill and more material getting a second life. That’s the whole “circular economy” idea… except instead of sounding like a TED Talk, it just means: reuse the junk, make something useful.
And Faherty doesn’t stop at the fabric. They also work with environmental groups to keep their production more responsible and reduce their footprint — which is nice, because nothing kills the vibe like “These shorts are comfy… and also terrible for the planet.”
They also put effort into ethical sourcing and fair labor practices, which we love to see. It’s one thing to make good-looking shorts. It’s another thing to make them without being sketchy behind the scenes.
Basically: Faherty is trying to do the right thing — and they’re transparent about it, too. So if you care about sustainability (or just like the idea of your shorts having a backstory that isn’t “made in a mystery factory somewhere”), this is a solid win.
All Day Shorts – The results of our ultimate test
Were these shorts worth the hype?
In a word: yes. In two words: they’re amazing.
I’m weird. For a lot of reasons, but one is: I don’t wear or use anything that I’m going to review until I ACTUALLY am ready to do the review. That’s because I don’t want to ruin something and at least not provide you with what the product was supposed to look like before I ruined it.
It’s never happened but knock on wood.
Theme Park + Water Park Results
What I was looking for: comfort and versatility. Also, cool!
But the real moment to shine came when I wore this hybrid short to the water park.
When I wore these to the Theme Park (water park coming up here in a second), there were no clues that these were actually swim trunks. They were lightweight, extremely comfortable and looked good.
Water Park Results
What I was looking for: performance of swim trunks, but faster drying.
First, as I mentioned, I didn’t want to change in the locker room – I just knew it would be gross. And boy, was I right. There was a line to even enter the locker room and overall the water park was packed with wall-to-wall people. The weather was hot and everyone was trying to beat the heat, I guess in the water park that day.
The magic of these shorts came on the first ride: splash down. It was a giant raft ride that you would plummet into a giant pool of water, and naturally, the hybrid shorts were under water. But when I came out, something magical happened.
They were dry. Like right out of the washing machine-dry. I just wiped off some water that beaded up and BAM! The water was gone. Instantly dry shorts.
These hybrid shorts with stretch fabric kept me comfortable for hours.
It got better as the day wore on, too. The hybrid shorts performed so well during splash down that I put them to another test: an actual swim in them (which you’re supposed to do with at a water park, naturally).
While I didn’t have the same miraculous experience (these shorts aren’t actually magic), the shorts got dry very quickly. After a dip in the wave pool, my son and I went to get a snow cone.
By the time we finish the snow cone, the shorts were dry again. Obviously, it was a hot day, which helped the shorts dry quickly.
Also, we live in the very dry heat of Colorado, not something where there is more humidity in the air (like the beach).
The shorts didn’t FULLY dry in the 5 minute or so walk from the wave pool to the car at the end of the day, but that was OK – I was still hot and it felt good. The shorts were slightly wet in the car ride home, with air conditioning blasting full blast almost the entire hour drive home, but that just shows you how hot it was this summer day.
These shorts were some of the fastest drying shorts I’ve ever experienced.
A couple of small downsides to the All Day Shorts
I’m not going to lie. There is no perfect short. Two incredibly small downsides: I wish it had one smaller zipper pocket in the front pocket and I wish the back pocket was located on the other side.
I wish it had a small zipper pocket in one of the front pockets (like so many of my lululemon shorts do), just to store something like a pill or key.
I wish the back pocket was on the other “cheek,” if you will, because that’s just where I typically store my wallet.
Really not that big of a deal at all.
Other than that, I would recommend this hybrid short to everyone.
These hybrid shorts were comfortable, quick-drying and versatile- I honestly can’t think of any situation where you wouldn’t want these hybrid shorts in your life!
How to style the All Day Hybrid Shorts
The easiest way to style these is simple: however you would style chino shorts, swim trunks or even board shorts.
I know that’s a simple answer to a much longer question, but it’s true. These truly could act as chino shorts, swimming trunks or boardshorts. That’s the honest truth.
I did wear my Exofficio Boxer Briefs under these shorts, see our full guide on what to wear under board shorts for a better idea of your options.
The Final Verdict on the Faherty All Day Shorts
These don’t.
The All Day Shorts 2.0 are one of the rare pairs that actually live up to the name — they’re comfortable, quick-drying, sharp enough to wear out, and durable enough to survive whatever summer throws at you.
If you’re cool with the price, they’re absolutely a grab-and-go staple type of short.
The verdict on these Faherty All Days shorts is that they are one of the best hybrid shorts I’ve ever used. In fact, I would even say these are some of the best shorts that I’ve ever used – regardless of being the best hybrid short I’ve tried.
Who These The All Day Shorts 2.0 Are For
These are for you if…
- You want one pair of shorts that can do everything without looking like you just left a CrossFit class.
- Your summer plans include some combination of heat, sweat, water, walking, kids, and chaos.
- You like shorts that feel comfy like athletic gear… but still look like “real clothes.”
- You hate the “wet shorts for 3 hours” problem and want something that dries fast.
- You want something that works for vacations, backyard BBQs, beach days, and errands without needing an outfit change.
- You appreciate little details like a hidden drawstring (so you can skip a belt and still look put together).
- You’re into the idea of buying from a brand that at least tries to be responsible with materials and production.
Basically: these are the shorts for people who don’t want to think too hard about shorts.
Who Should Pass on the All Day Short 2.0
These might not be your shorts if…
- You’re on a tight budget and $108 makes you say, “For shorts? In this economy?”
- You want super light, paper-thin swim trunks (these are more structured and “real short” feeling).
- You love baggy cargo-style shorts with a million pockets (these are more clean + modern).
- You only wear shorts that are 9”+ inseam and you like them long enough to qualify as capris.
- You’re looking for something ultra-stretchy like full-on gym shorts — these stretch, but they’re still meant to look sharp.
Faherty has ton of great styles and we will be trying more of their great products soon.
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