Patagonia Field Shorts come in three colors: Black, White and Gray
Everybody in the club Ultimate scene has proudly worn a Patagonia jersey, but did you know they also offer shorts made exclusively for Ultimate? Patagonia has provided shorts to Ultimate teams for quite some time, but since releasing a new, longer legged version in 2009, Pata’s Field Shorts have become the bottoms of choice for many top college and club teams.
Comfort/Material
“It feels like I’m wearing nothing at all.” – Ned Flanders.
True, Patagonia’s Field Shorts are incredibly light. This weight encourages speed, and reckless layouts. For the most part Pata’s Field Shorts provide a level of comfort that keeps you thinking about the game.
One bonus of some other shorts is an ability to wipe sweaty fingers or dry a wet disc. The Field Shorts material (100% recycled/recyclable polyester fabric) does not play the role of towel well.
Further, the thin material is not likely to keep your body any warmer compared to thicker options . However, the shorts do offer some weather protection.
One downside to the material is that these shorts aren’t always the easiest to print on.
Durability
Rain is what Patagonia Field Shorts are made for. These bottoms are the kings of water resistance and are certainly the #1 choice when it comes to harsh weather tournaments. Where other shorts will slurp up moisture like a freshman chugging PBR from a disc, Patagonia’s Field Shorts will leave you dry enough to start a fire. (Warning: It is not recommended you start a fire on your shorts.)
Patagonia offers the lightest weight, most durable shorts on the market. The material is tough enough to stand up to season after season of lay out Ds and still look good. Plus they offer the unique function of never absorbing moisture so they will feel just as loose and light for the 4th game of the day as they did in the first. – George Plomarity, Patagonia Team Sports Sales Rep
Style
Patagonia is a company famous for their sleek style and rugged, outdoorsy quality and sometimes starkly unique styling, but their Field Shorts don’t quite live up to their reputation. Pata instead chose to go easy on the eyes with these shorts, offering only three varieties of color (a small stock compared to some of the other Ulti gear companies out there). You aren’t likely to be “noticed” for wearing these shorts, but it would seem Pata’s philosophy is that you don’t need to be.
Price
Patagonia plays hardball here offering a relatively steep price-tag for their weightless wonders. At $44 a pair, their Field Shorts are definitely at the high-end of the Ulti shorts spectrum. However, ordering as a team, brings the shorts down to $22 a pair and if you contact Patagonia’s George Plomarity you can arrange for a similar deal.
Update: It’s important to note that Patagonia’s material is environmentally solid. Making something out of 100% recycled material certainly accounts for some of the cost.
Overall Rating
These are definitely the all-weather animals of Ultimate. When it’s raining, they keep you dry; when it’s hot, they keep you as cool as a nude mountain hiker. They don’t rip and they last. Where Field Shorts really fall is in style and price. Without additional color options and with a tricky printing material, Pata’s Field Shorts get a Personal Misconduct Foul. Everybody knows that 50% of Ultimate is looking good, but then again, everyone has their own opinion on how to be tight.
If you’re looking for durability, water–resistance and play-in confidence, Field Shorts are the way to go.
Patagonia Field Shorts – $44 (Silver, White, Black)
As Worn By
Revolver, Chain, Ironside, Doublewide, Riot, Brute Squad, Mischief, Slow White, Troubled Past, Beyondors, Surly and more.
Like most things we make, we built these because we were not able to find something that worked for us. After really dialing in our jerseys it was a natural extension to then turn our focus to shorts. We took a look at what was out there and decided we could make a better product. As to why specifically for ultimate players? Because we love ultimate! – George Plomarity, Patagonia
Photo by David Hwang
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