My favorite shorts for a long time were my Gerry vertical board shorts. They are just about perfect—but almost 8.1 ounces. I’m wearing a pair now as I write this. $12 from Costco. Link to picture of shorts,
I skipped shorts at the start on my latest PCT hike and then bought a pair while hiking. They were great until I started to shrink out of them and they began binding. I replaced them with shorts found in a hiker box. 4.6 ounce free shorts.
They have only two pockets, no zippers and are really minimalist.
My convertible pants are 11.4 ounces. White Sierra pants. I keep thinking I can just zip off the legs and have shorts and pants in one item, but I find “real” shorts have advantages that are hard to explain.
It is funny. My REI Sahara pants I got from a hiker box were ten ounces. The newer version I bought from REI when I shrank out of the hiker box pants weighs twelve ounces. REI keeps changing the recipe for its convertible pants.
6.8 ounce full featured shorts. I’m seriously considering carrying shorts again when we leave for the PCT in April.
In theory a pair of zip offs is a pair of pants when you need them, turns into shorts and can take the place of a base layer at night. Yes, I’ve used convertible pants that way.
Having clean shorts for laundry day (or clean pants while hiking in shorts), more ventilation and better comfort sometimes seems worth a few ounces. Pants also help protect me from excess sun, wind & cold weather and rough trail scratching my legs into a bloody mess.
I prefer one pocket deep enough my phone won’t fall out, one pocket that zips for my wallet, and belt loops. Other pockets for snacks, my buff when I’m not wearing it and such are nice.
But I’m still not sure.
Generally, most of the year you will find most hikers in shorts. On the AT they usually wear shorts and a t-shirt. On the PCT they wear shorts and a sun hoody.
When it is cold some wear tights, others base layer bottoms and shorts and others wear pants. I’ve hiked with pants and with a baselayer and shorts.
I’ll make up my mind some day. ??