Review: Patagonia Dirt Craft Shorts
Patagonia continues to improve its Mountain Bike offerings, this time with the Dirt Craft Bike Shorts. The Patagonia Dirt Craft shorts with their adjustable waistband, integrated liner, and stretch make for fantastic hot-weather bike shorts.
Overview
- Outer Material: 94% nylon (62% recycled)/6% spandex
- Liner: 79% recycled nylon/21% spandex with HeiQ® Pure odor control
- Weight: 329 grams
- Sizes Available: 28 – 40 inches
- Country of Origin: Vietnam
What are the Patagonia Dirt Craft Shorts?
The Patagonia Dirt Craft shorts are a combo of lightweight stretchy mountain bike shorts and a very breathable well-padded removable liner. They proved to be exceptionally comfortable on the uphill and breathable on the warmest of hot summer days while shedding just enough mud on days when the weather took a turn for the worse.
The Outer Shorts
The outer shorts of the Patagonia Dirt Craft are made of stretchy nylon and spandex plain weave. They move with the rider really well, so much so, that I’ve also worn them on a few hikes as well. The 11.5 inseams and slightly longer front of the leg mean the shorts reach all the way down to the top of the knee pads. This creates a seamless look between shorts and pads but is totally unrestrictive thanks to the stretch of the spandex.
Ample DWR covering does a good job of keeping the mud away, or at least from sticking too much when the weather takes a turn for the worse.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of the Dirt Craft Shorts is their adjustability. A hook-and-webbing waist closure system on both sides of the shorts gives the rider a ton of adjustability. The metal hook is small so it goes unnoticed while riding but can be a bit finicky to handle when the shorts are on and tight.
Main pocket duty is handled by unzippered drop pockets on the front of the shorts. On the left side of the shorts is a vertical backward-facing pocket that is perfect for a large cell phone, keys, or perhaps your favorite energy bar. It is just like the pocket on the Dirt Roamer shorts we previously reviewed.
Inside the shorts, you will find two small nylon loops with buttons. These are for connecting the liner shorts.
Liner
The Dirt Craft liner shorts are exceptionally breathable. The mesh panels run the entire side of the leg and then wrap from front to back at the leg lowers. The contoured chamois do a great job of keeping the rider comfortable in the saddle for full-day missions. The waist on the men’s Dirt Craft liner shorts is thin and strong and stays in place really well.
The waistband and leg bands of the liner shorts hold really well. The liners will actually hold up the outer shorts If you’ve overloaded the pockets or just not done the adjustment tight enough.
Summary
The Patagonia Dirt Craft shorts have proven to be great bike shorts that can be worn off the bike just as comfortably as on the bike. You may not want to wear the liners to the supermarket though. They move well, are lightweight, and look pretty darn good.
I’ve worn the Patagonia Dirt Craft Bike shorts quite a lot this summer. From classic Squamish lines to the bike parks of Les Gets, France they’ve been my go-to bike shorts this summer. The liner is super comfortable in the saddle. Thanks to their mesh legs, the liners breathe really well even when cycling in a French heatwave.
Shortly after starting to wear them, I took a spill over the handlebars. The abrasion against the hip pocket where I had my phone resulted in a few holes. I was disappointed as it was roughly my second or third ride in them nor was it a particularly hard crash. They have not gotten any worse in the many days I’ve ridden since then.
Who their for: The Patagonia Dirt Craft bike Shorts are for riders that like the peddle up as much as the peddle down. Great padding, style, and breathability make for all-day comfort.
Who they’re not for: Park Riders may want tougher shorts for the occasion they stop riding their bike by accident
If you are interested in checking out the Patagonia Dirt Craft shorts then head on over to Patagonia’s website to check them out!
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Black Sheep Adventure sports was provided with a free sample of the Dirt Craft Bike shorts. This in no way affected our opinion and review.
