Olivers All Over Shorts Review: Comfortable, Well-Made, and Ready for the Summer Heat

In 2015, I reviewed the All Over Shorts, a pair of reenvisioned gym shorts from a new company named Olivers Apparel. The company has updated the All Over Shorts and has significantly increased its apparel offerings since then. In 2015, Olivers All Over Shorts were $68; they still are, but now they’re better than ever.

Olivers describes the All Over Shorts this way:

Whether you’re out for a brisk trail run or swinging kettlebells, our versatile All Over Short was designed with one thing in mind: Performance.

Since 2015, the Olivers All Over Shorts have remained a fan favorite and, along the way, seen a few updates. They were kind enough to send one of the current All Over Shorts so that I could do an updated review.

Available in your choice of Black, Dark Navy, Military Olive, Hazelnut, Carbon, Spruce, Burnt Red, Cobalt, Grass, the Olivers All Over Shorts are made from 88% nylon and 12% spandex. They refer to this fabric as “All Over Stretch Weave.” The result is a pair of shorts that move with you. That’s important, considering these shorts are intended for warm-weather outdoor activity. Moreover, the fabric is water repellant, moisture-wicking, soft, and light.

In my 2015 review of the original All Over Shorts, I included this from the company founders:

It took us the better part of a year to build the All Over Short, with help from the best designers and craftsmen. We found a factory that works with premier outdoor apparel brands to mill and greige our base fabric. The other core components – among them ballistic mesh and commercial mil-spec paracord – have been carefully selected to consider both function and form. With help from a team of expert pattern makers, we worked through countless iterations to perfect the fit. The result: a superior men’s athletic short.

The Olivers All Over Shorts are available in two styles. One has a 7.5” inseam, while the other is two inches shorter at 5.5”. I prefer the longer 7.5” inseam but can see why the version with a shorter inseam might be preferable for some activities.

I love the feel of the material. It is light and among the least constricting shorts I have ever worn. There is a pocket on either side, and the right pocket has an inner, “hidden” pocket at the bottom. It’s a great way to keep your phone’s screen separate from something like keys that might otherwise scratch the screen.

There are no back pockets. That doesn’t bother me since I can’t see stuffing these shorts. These are for running, long walks, and other outdoor activities.

Elastic at the top keeps the shorts comfortably in place, although there is also a drawstring to make sure they stay on. There are no belt loops, but who would wear a belt with a pair of shorts like these?

I am a fan of the Olivers All Over Shorts, even though I probably should have requested a pair in size L rather than XL. Raina isn’t quite as enamored with them. She likes something with a bit more styling. But while I would agree with her if these are shorts I would wear out to dinner, they aren’t. Instead, thanks to the four-way stretch and water resistance, these are the shorts I’ll likely wear when we are out hiking with our golden doodle Nava. And for that purpose, they are fantastic.

Features:

• 4-Way Stretch
• Water Repellent
• Moisture Wicking
• Hidden Inner Pocket
• Performance Essential
• All Weather

All of this noted, there is a harsh reality that has to be mentioned as part of this review of the Olivers All Over Shorts: at $68, they are pricey. Amazon has a two-pack of their “Amazon Essentials Performance Shorts for under $20. Champion offers a pair for under $13. In fact, a quick search on Amazon shows that almost all of the shorts they sell are half the price of these.

But, and this is an important but, I’ve learned this year that you get what you pay for, even when it comes to clothing. I’ll be delving into this more deeply in an upcoming series of reviews covering the merino wool clothing I’ve been accumulating to replace my t-shirts and dress shirts.

The four-way stretch, water repellence, and moisture-wicking, combined with these shorts’ amazing comfort, make the Olivers All Over Shorts stand out. And, based on prior experience with clothing from Oliver’s Apparel, they will outlast any of those cheaper offerings. So while the upfront cost is more, in the long run, you not only get an incredibly comfortable pair of shorts, but you end up saving money.

I’ll be wearing the Olivers All Over Shorts this summer when we go hiking. And I’ll wear them when I’m mowing the lawn or doing other gardening. I might even wear them when I walk the dog. But, as it has been made clear to me, I won’t be wearing them when I go out to dinner with Raina. For that purpose, I may need to invest in a pair of the company’s Capitol Shorts! You can check out the All Over Shorts, as well as Olivers’ entire range of offerings here.

The Olivers All Over Shorts sell for $68; they are available directly from the manufacturer.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Light; Comfortable; Water repellent; Moisture-wicking; Ideal for outdoor activity on hot summer days

What Needs Improvement: The quality of these shorts comes with the potential for sticker shock