Western Rise Boundless Shorts Review
A promise for do-it-all fabric in a multi-use. travel friendly short.
Western Rise Boundless Shorts Review Introduction
WESTERN RISE, at this point, has been around long enough to be producing Version 2’s on many of their products. And based on their development skills, I’d quickly vote that this is a good thing. I’ve reviewed enough to know they’ll only improve in most cases.
The Boundless Shorts are no exception to this improve-upon philosophy. Very recently, these got their own update. Seems mostly small, and hasn’t changed the spirit of the shorts. But I think they wanted to separate them a little more from the Evolution shorts - which I kind of agree with because it was a little confusing before.
This is my Western Rise Boundless shorts review. I’ll be looking at the updated versions.
As always for full transparency, I did reach out to Western Rise to request a pair to review and they were nice enough to send them over. This review is not sponsored in any way however, and the opinions are solely my own as always. I do use affiliate links which help to support the site if you decide to use them to make a purchase, but you’re under no obligation to do so. Thanks for stopping by!
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Boundless Shorts Overview
The Boundless shorts are billed as the “do it all shorts” and I’d place them in the “athleisure” category but also as shorts that can pass off as real shorts for many scenarios. Western Rise wants you to be able to wear these “all day every day” as they say on the site. For the most part, you probably can. They are built for you to be able to lounge, exercise, hike, swim, etc. But, you can still leave the house for your general walk-about-town days, too.
I recently completed a trip to Tanzania on safari and finished it on the beach in Zanzibar. These were the only shorts I took with me so I was able to really give them a go. This trip was in total about 11 days. I also took them on a weekend trip to DC when it was absolutely boiling. I had the Sand color.
Here’s the specs on the fabric from the brand’s site for the fabric:
• 100% T400 Polyester
• 175 gsm
• 4-way mechanical stretch
• Water and stain resistant
• Breathable
• Quick drying
The inseam on the newer versions I believe is a little bit shorter which gives them a little bit more modern look vs. looking like a pair of golf shorts. (This is actually part of the reason I never tested the previous version - just wasn’t my look)
Like I mentioned, these are swim ready, so hop on into the surf after your run if you want.
They come in at $88.00 USD, which I think is about right for these kinds of fabrics/shorts. There are 4 colorways available: sand, black, blue gray, and navy.
Western Rise Boundless Shorts Features
The Boundless shorts are in fact hiding a couple of features up their sleeves. Features that in fact make them a serious contender for your travel shorts.
These have all the usual features that they should like: breathability (seems like every fabric these days has that), quick dry (def a plus), and four way stretch (huge plus for those that like to exercise, but also those that just want to be wicked comfortable when lounging).
Going further into the list, there’s a special pocket on the left side, which has a zipper, that you can put anything kind of square and flat into and it lets it rest against your leg vs. being in your front pocket and flopping all over the place. Phone/wallet is your best option here.
The back right pocket also has a zipper on it. Another travel friendly feature.
For the swimmers, there’s a drawstring here, too.
Lastly, something to mention is that there is also a DWR coating on these. That helps to repel dirt and oil to help them stay clean longer or even help with a quick spill. But, it also will help keep you dry in a light rain so you don’t get soaked through. I BELIEVE it helps with quicker drying too, but don’t hold me to the fire on that one.
Another feature is the easy care nature. You can wash these in a machine on cold and tumble dry on low if you need. Otherwise, just air dry in your room after a sink wash or whatnot, they dry quickly.
The Good
Firstly - the look! I liked the look of these. I’m in the camp of being pretty opinionated on “athleisure” claims that, “They look just like real pants/shorts!”. It’s pretty rare that it’s the case, even when paired with nicer shirts. I see guys on the subway all the time now with Lululemon ABCs going to work and they honestly just look like what they are - athleisure pants or golf pants. Nothing wrong with that, but they don’t really look like chinos. The Boundless shorts do a really solid job of bridging that gap. Under close scrutiny you’re going to be able to tell they aren’t really khaki shorts. But outside of that? They are cut in a more modern way so as not to look like athletic shorts and you can pair them up or down based on your shirt for the look you want. I’d say outside of your true yacht club/blue bloods events and shorts-appropriate weddings/dinners where you need to be in your best Nantucket Reds or Lobster print shorts - you’re gonna be fine with these. In DC, I wore them to casual dinner. At the resort, I wore them every day with a linen shirt. That said, judge for yourself from the pictures and laugh inside and out at my modeling hack job.
The travel friendliness of these shorts is off the charts. For Onebaggers, you’re gonna love these properties. DWR, street/swim/exercise capabilities, very wrinkle resistant, and ultimately easily washable if you need to. Couple that with the different zipper pockets and if you wanted to, you can just bring these as your shorts. The colors are easy to pair with others so you can capsule these, too. I actually think they look great with a button-down.
The price. That’s a great price point and sometimes for more expensive brands that’s what you’re paying for cotton. It’s about a third less than those other famous shorts (*cough Outlier cough*). To be up front, I do own a pair of those as well but I’d compare them to the Evolutions, not these.
Love the side-pocket with the zipper. While I’m not a runner, I do a lot of walking as I’m in NYC. Putting my phone in here lets it rest along my leg and not bulge in my pocket. They have the same thing on their Movement shorts and it just works really, really well. You all know the guy who walks around with half of his home in his pockets and he looks like a complete muppet. The Boundless shorts help you avoid that with this kind of pocket. I have an iPhone 12 Pro and it fits with no issues in a Bellroy case.
Lastly and a bit rando, but I really like the material of the drawstring. It’s not ropey. It’s kind of silky and squishy. Very comfortable against your skin - kind of feels like a quick dry material.
The Bad
Having worn them extensively on my two trips and basically enlisting them as my everyday shorts in NYC for the past two months, I haven’t found much I don’t like.
I think the no snap-close and zipper limits the scenarios you can wear them a little. Even a faux button might help.
I also don’t like that the drawstring is on the OUTSIDE. There are worse things in the world and your shirts generally cover this (or obviously you six packed models out there won’t mind because your shirt is fully unbuttoned and you like that super mega cazh look with your instagram hair). Something I felt while wearing them though.
Not sure this is “bad” really - but for hiking, I’d say the Evolutions are more abrasion resistant. These are fine from an activity standpoint, but I don’t see them as being abrasion resistant.
The Improvement Requests for the Boundless Shorts
Move the drawstring to the inside, and you’re onto a real winner here.
Try and think about a way to maybe add a button closure and keep the functionality. But I’ll let the designers think on that one. To be honest, for a pair of shorts that are more geared towards the active/swim side of things, it’s not the end of the world.
Final Thoughts On My Western Rise Boundless Shorts Review
That wraps up the review of the Western Rise Boundless shorts - updated version in 2022. To recap, I’ve not only been wearing them as my everyday shorts in most cases around NYC but I also traveled with them as my only shorts on a safari/beach trip to Tanzania and a weekend trip to DC.
I think these go about as far as athleisure shorts/materials can go - I mean that as a compliment. I wouldn’t wear them to work (even in shorts-friendly environments, I’d use the Evolutions or New Ways for that) or nicer restaurants or even a casual bar for a night out where you're trying to impress the type of people you like to impress. Otherwise, these cover off on like 80% of what you’d need. They look solid, feel great, and are extremely flexible (both literally and situationally). I can’t speak for the other colors but the Sand really can pull off “casual khakis”.
For all of that, I have to say these make a fantastic pair of travel shorts. Bring them as one of your two if you’re going to be in heavy shorts-wearing climates, or as your only shorts if you don’t need a more preppy/formal pair for something specific. I also had no issues with wrinkling or anything like that which is another huge plus when traveling (and I rolled these).
If I want a tech short that’s closer to a “real” khaki short - I still grab the Evolutions or New Way shorts. But for everything else? These are gonna be a great option at a great price (considering they replace about 3 different pairs of shorts).
They sell directly from their website:
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