MUSA Shorts - 2025

MUSA shorts. Made in the USA. Now with a key loop.

And by popular demand, BLACK shorts, coming soon.

We've made them since 2004, and these are the best ones yet.

PFAS-free,* Light-weight, Tuf-e-Nuff Military Spec MUSA fab for this run-o-shorts.

They're still light, tough, quick-drying. They have 2% spandex for a small amount of stretch. They're as good as ever for riding, hiking, anything that allows shorts allows these.

You can get get similar shorts just as well-made and with more trick features for less, but for riding bikes and all-around use, none beat these, and they're made in the U.S. If our profit on them was industry standard, they'd cost more than $170.

FIT GENERALITIES:
WAIST: The CUT is the same as before, but there’s less gathering of elastic, so it feels looser. Basically, they’re more vanity-waisted now.  If you have our old ones you can get the same size or one size down.

Inseam: S - 8", M - 8.5", L - 9", XL - 9.5"

BUTT-‘n-THIGHS: Big & baggy.

Smalls have a 29" relaxed waist ( 29 to 32 waist )

Mediums have a 32" relaxed waist ( 32 to 35 waist )

Larges have a 35" relaxed waist ( 35 to 38 waist )

XLs have a 38" relaxed waist ( 38 to 42 waist )

    •    MUSA military fabric*, slight stretch, Berry-compliant (google it).  Instead of the all-nylon, they’re like 98-2 nylon and spandex.  I know this veers off our tweed-and-orgo cotton vibe-theme, but these are better for riding.

    •    The belt-elastic is also Berry/Military spec.  The best in the world, or at least the country. It doesn’t have to be, but it really is. It’s not stitched in, so it’s what we here call “theoretically replaceable.” You could get your own ¾-inch elastic and buckle down the road.

    •    No buttons on the rear pockets.  I never used mine, so I made this unilateral call. I doubt there’s a person in the world who’d put a wallet back there and take the time and develop the dexterity to button it, so we have button-free pockets.

*PFAS is an acronym for polyfluoroalkl substances—person-made chemicals used to slough off water and stains and food from frying pans. To keep stuff from getting dirty or stained or grungy with fried foods. Teflon, Gore-Tex, lots of others. It’s in food, in air, it’s probably on the keyboard condom I used to keep the crumbs and fizzy water of out of my computer. They’re all around, it’s a sad story, they were scientific advancements with unintended and unknown consequences. They’ve had their day, every one of you reading this has a closet and kitchen and pantry full of PFAS stuff, but just hang in there.

The ”good” (?) news is, manufacturing them is worse for the environment than wearing or using them is for you. If you have to make that distinction.

But even the conservative gov’t is taking action against them. It seems to be up to the states for now, but a nationwide ban is in the cards within a few years.

Most or all MUSA clothing has had PFAS. The knickers I wear everyfriggin’ day have DWR (durable water repellant) treatment that relies on it. After more than 200 washes, maybe it’s mostly PFAS-free now, but the chemicals from them are out there.

Starting as soon as we realized all of this, and effecting all MUSA clothing made for the 2025 season and onward, no more PFAS. A big fabric supplier, Milliken, has been, as they put it, “PFAS-free since ’23,” but we learned of them just about 7 months ago, and the new MUSA shorts and pants, and all future ones, are made the USA-made Milliken PFAS-free fabric. It’s still not as green as organic cotton or hemp or linen, but this is a step toward that, and at least a pair of our MUSA bottoms will likely last 10+ years. That’s something.