Meripex Apparel Men's Freeballer 8" Athletic Gym Performance Sport Shorts – Perfect for Running, Weightlifting, and Yoga

I’m now up to five pairs of these shorts! They’re very comfortable, both the liner and outer material feels great. I personally like the 8” length which suits me really well, it’s a nice balance between short but not too short. I’ve wore them to run and lift in (mostly general training but also some olympic lifts) and have held up nicely. Having two zipper pockets is a great benefit with one being horizontal and one vertical. The price is really hard to argue against for the quality of the shorts, for the price of some name brands you can get two pairs. So far the only thing I’d like different in these shorts in liner colors. Some pairs like black and gray could work to have different liner options. Out of of my 5 pairs only 1 doesn’t have a light grey liner. Again that’s personal preference and doesn’t take away from the performance or quality of the shorts, nor will it stop me for buying more of these shorts.

Sewn in brief is very comfortable. Fabric of shorts feels nice. The hip pockets are shallow, but the back/side zipper pocket easily fits my 6.2" screen phone, and would fit a larger phone than mine. The left back/side zipper pocket fits my wallet and keys. The zipper pockets are on the side, so there is no discomfort sitting down on your phone and wallet. Size L fits me well, and I usually wear 32-34" waist pants, so overall I think they fit a little small. Good elastic waistband and nice drawstring. I had wanted to buy the Columbia Whidbey shorts I had been wearing for a long time, but they no longer make them. Amazon suggested these, and they are much nicer than the Columbia shorts. And they are half the price of the Bird Dog Shorts that had been recommended to me.

My friend has been raving about his Birddogs this summer, so I wanted to try something similar. Having never worn Birddogs, I bought the Ol' Faithfuls last week and LOVE them. I wore them 3 days straight (2 days with underwear as an every day short, 3rd day without for a long run), and they look great with t-shirts, collared shirts, active tops, or solo. They are extremely comfortable, seem very well-made, and can perform in pretty much any non-cold weathered activity that I can think of. The pockets are really nice (two front hand pockets, two side zippered pockets with different orientation). Activities these have gone through already: sitting in a conference room for 2 hours, 6+ hours of walking, 4+ hours of biking, lounging around the house, 8 mile run, and playing at a water park "splash pad" with my daughter. I wore these freeball, as intended, on my 8 mile run pushing a stroller in 90F CO heat, and they felt great (I'm picky about running shorts). I then kept my phone in a zippered pocket while playing with water jets with my 1yo daughter, and my phone stayed dry! I could pop it out, take pictures/videos, and secure my phone again. These shorts aren't supposed to be waterproof, but they sure kept my phone dry, and then the shorts felt completely dry 20 minutes later for me to run back home.

Like many, I was searching for shorts which are similar to Birddogs but don't cost an arm and a leg. These Meripex shorts are pretty close. In terms of color combinations, they obviously just copied Birddogs. The difference is in the fabric, construction, and fit. As others have mentioned, the Meripex shorts are made of a much thinner material compared to Birddogs. It's still stretchy and feels decent but it's definitely thinner and not as smooth. The way the liner is sewn into the shorts is different and adds some bulk. It's like they took the shell of the shorts and just sewn another pair of compression shorts into them - if that makes sense. It's like shorts sewn into another pair of shorts. In terms of fit, the leg openings are wider than Birddogs. To be more specific, I think the Meripex fit is actually somewhat similar to the Khaki & Oxford Birddogs which tend to have a wider leg opening and are less fitted. This isn't a bad thing but just something to keep in mind. If you're looking for that fitted look of Birddogs then Meripex may not be the right look. In terms of pockets, I think they have the same type as Birddogs. Two regular side pockets, one phone pocket, and one small pocket in the back for a wallet. I think someone mentioned that the back pocket can't hold a wallet - that's not my experience. I have a full size bi-fold wallet filled with cards and the back pocket is just fine. So overall, I think these shorts are definitely worth the money. They're good for being out and about as well as the gym. If you're looking for an exact copy of Birddogs then these are not going to do it for you. If you're looking for something similar and don't mind some subtle differences then I think you'll be happy. For reference - I got the Twilight 8'' ones. I'm 6' 220lbs and XL is nice and comfortable for me.

I have purchased several of these shorts from this seller. The shorts are well made, very comfortable and smart looking. I like the belt loops in addition to the waist cord and elastic waist band. It allows for a perfect fit. The price is very reasonable.

I'm a big guy and most of my "comfy" accessories are 2XL. I still wear plenty of sweat pants and shorts that are XL but generally go with 2. I saw the advice to "size up" when ordering these and thank goodness I did. The 3XL shorts are still pretty dang tight. They fit me the same as an XL short from Target would fit. The feel is good and the liner is nice; but I can't overlook the outrageous discrepancy on sizing. Even if this fit was in the 2X I could understand, but it's not. Just be aware when ordering; especially as a big guy.

Very comfortable short, inside liner is nice. I wish the liner was a bit tighter but it’s not a deal breaker at this price. Very reasonably priced too. Oddly these are a bit looser than the all black pair even though the sizes are the same. Customer service was great and tried to fix the issue, but I believe this short just fits a little less tight in the crotch area than the black pair and that is a good thing!

Regardless of whether or not these are supposed "dupes" of another kind of short with built in underwear, these are just a great product. Super lightweight, comfortable, stylish and the more plain colors like black or navy can be dressed up a bit for summer outings. Great for walking the dog and keeping your phone or other items neatly tucked away in the side/back pockets. Kind of difficult to get my wallet out of that pocket at times, but a small price to pay. I'd recommend these in a heartbeat!