Swimwear shopping is no easy task. Picking out a pair of board shorts that not only look great, but feel great too, can take hours. Luckily, we’ve come up with a few key tenets to remember when shopping for board shorts. From this season’s hottest styles, to the must-have materials, check out 5 examples of bad beach board shorts.

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Board Shorts Made Of Lycra

Avoid lycra at all costs when going board short shopping. Lycra will stretch when wet and is not chlorine-resistant, meaning the colour will deterioriate the more you swim in the water. Alternatively, you should be looking for swimwear and board shorts made out of polyester. Polyester is strong, chlorine-resistant, comfortable, quick-drying, breathable, and holds its shape. In essence, you can’t go wrong with polyester. 

Board Shorts With An Elastic Waistband 

Elastic waistbands should be avoided at all costs. First off, they are more prone to stretching, and second, they are much harder to wash as washing machines can stretch or even tear the elastic. If you’re searching for board shorts, choose a pair that buttons at the waist like a normal pair of shorts. Sure, you may have to buy a new pair if your weight fluctuates, but you’ll probably want to anyway owing to how quickly styles change.

bad board shorts

Board Shorts That Go Past Your Knees

Board shorts are not capris – don’t confuse the two. A classic pair of board shorts will hit you right above the knee. However, in recent years hemlines have been getting even shorter. Nowadays, board shorts and swim trunks that hit you between the upper thigh and mid-thigh are fair game. Opt for whatever you feel most comfortable in!

board shorts

Board Shorts In An Unappealing Pattern

Styles change quickly so just because you have a pair of perfectly good board shorts from last season, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go shopping for a new pair. As I noted about shorter hemlines, colours and patterns also change from year to year. This year, tropical and palm prints are back in, as are vibrant one-tone board shorts. No longer restricted to basic black and white, some of the best men’s retailers in existence are putting out swimwear lines in all colours of the rainbow. Feeling a pink-hued pair of board shorts? Go for it!

Board Shorts That Don’t Enhance Your Body 

Just like underwear, men’s swimwear should also serve the added purpose of accentuating your body. Rather than a baggy pair of trunks that do nothing for your package or your rear, we recommend a pair of board shorts that presents the best version of yourself. Mundo Unico Swimwear and Oceanico Swim Trunks both feature flattering stitching, an upper thigh cut, and a front pouch that enhances your bulge.

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