DON'T GET CAUGHT SHORT THIS SUMMER

The humble boardshort is widely considered the trigger that fired up what has become the modern, multi-million dollar surf industry. Some of the world’s biggest clothing brands began in basements and backyards producing functional shorts for surfers that would last, wouldn’t chafe and were comfortable both in and out of the water. Distributed to surfers the length of the Australian coast, soon everyone wanted the shorts that would associate them with the surfing lifestyle. From humble beginnings, an industry was born.

Boardshort technology has evolved in leaps and bounds, but functionality has remained at the heart of the design process. Each year we’re introduced to new innovations in fabrics, seams and drawcords, pockets and a dozen other aspects of boardshort technology. Today, boardshorts remains the brand-defining garment, with designs that separate the authentic from the pretenders, the core from the kooks.

This year ASL has gone the extra mile with the Ultimate Boardshort Test, trialling eight pairs of trunks on a gang of surfing hard nuts. The result is an unbiased and comprehensive review aimed at helping you best decide which boardshorts you should be wearing this summer, and why.

Click on one of the boardies above to get started!