Nike Trail Second Sunrise Shorts Review
Traditional outdoor brands beware, the Men’s Nike Trail Second Sunrise Shorts (shop now) are an instant favorite of ours thanks to their secure zipper access hand pockets, side thigh pockets, and extremely stretchy yet durable fabric.
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- Weight: 6.0 oz (size L, 7″ inseam, liner removed)
- Price: $75
- Pockets: 2 zippered hand, 2 envelope side thigh, 1 zippered center back, 2 front gel-sized
- Material: 80% recycled polyester, 20% Spandex
- Inseam: 7″ & 5″
- Built-In Liner: Yes
- Waist: Elastic band with external drawstring
- Average User Review: small sample size
- Pros: Very stretchy. Durable face fabric. Sustainable. On trend. Many functional and secure pockets. Large lower thigh notch.
- Cons: No women’s version. 20% spandex fabric blend is heavier, slower to dry. Hand pockets are kind of shallow. Cut out the built-in brief liner.
Nike Trail Second Sunrise Shorts Overview
At their core, the Nike Second Sunrise Shorts are true trail running shorts. They have a short inseam (5″ or 7″), large notch, elastic waistband, stretchy fabric, and bountiful storage. But it’s the zippered hand pockets that make them versatile and perfect for many activities besides running. In fact, they’re one of our very favorite hiking shorts.
They fit very comfortable, thanks to the loose, stretchy 20% spandex fabric. The waistband is a bit wider than average, which is very welcome. A heavy duty drawstring with a bit of stretch to it, works in conjunction with the elastic waistband to create a very user-friendly on/off.
These shorts come with a brief-style built-liner. But it’s unimpressive, and we recommend cutting it out and wearing these shorts in conjunction with your preferred running underwear. By now, you likely have a preferred pair that fits your body best, and it will be more pleasant and give you better support than the briefs built into the Nike Trail Second Sunrise Shorts.
Pockets Galore
The zippered hand pockets are shallow, but likely intentionally so. That’s because shallow pockets with zippers can still secure a phone and with less bounce and sway while running than you expect from deep pockets. It’s just how physics works. But once you have a phone in one of the pockets, it weights it and sits super well and securely and is not at huge risk of falling out. That said, we do recommend always zipping up the hand pockets when storing valuables.
Perhaps the most interesting feature are the envelope-style side thigh pockets. These are incredibly unique; we’ve never seen anything like it before. They share a perimeter with the zippered hand pockets, only run backwards along the side of the upper thigh. The top of the pocket overlaps the bottom, but it is not a secure closure. These pockets are great for storing things like gloves or a hat, but are equally capable of holding a snack.
But wait, there are even more pockets! A horizontal zipper pocket runs across the center back just below the waistband. It can hold a medium sized phone very tightly to prevent bounce and sway. It could also be used to store a key, I.D. and credit card. The interior of this pocket has a waterproof liner, but if you store a phone here, you can certainly still expect it to get sweaty.
Two gel-sized stash pockets completele the storage suite. They are located just below the waistband, immediately left and right of the drawstring. Haven’t used these yet, but could come in handy.
What Could Be Better?
For starters, we dislike shorts with built-in liners and recommend cutting them out. You almost certainly already have better sports underwear than the generics built into the Nike Trail Second Sunrise Shorts. They would be better without liners. However, this problem is completely remedied by cutting the liners out, so it’s more of hassle than a problem.
Another area for improvement is the side thigh pockets, which are very welcome and additive, but still feel a bit slapdash. They’re extremely oddly shaped with lots of volume in the upper half, a somewhat shallow lower, and not particularly secure. Finding a way to make them deeper and more secure would be the biggest area for improvement.
Beyond that, we might change the fabric blend to slightly reduce the amount of spandex. The more spandex, the heavier the fabric and the slower it is to dry. We suspect 85%-15% would be preferable to 80%-20%. As-is, maybe don’t choose these if you plan to stow them more than wear them or if you’re a particularly sweaty individual.
Nike Trail Second Sunrise Shorts Review Verdict
The Swoosh delivers. Nike Trail Second Sunrise Shorts are an excellent pair of both trail running shorts and hiking shorts, thanks to the bountiful pocket configuration and extremely comfortably movement friendly fit. We recommend cutting out the built-in liner underwear.
Compare this model to all of the best hiking shorts or best trail running shorts.
