Gladiator Men's Neoprene Shorts

Room for Improvement

Neoprene shorts appear to have waned in popularity since the late '80's and through the 90's. But longtime watersports enthusiasts such as myself know the value of this product for ALL water ...Read complete review

Neoprene shorts appear to have waned in popularity since the late '80's and through the 90's. But longtime watersports enthusiasts such as myself know the value of this product for ALL water related activities,regardless of current fashion trends. Although my core activity these days center around my PWC, these Gladiator shorts are indispensible for 36 MPH slalom skiing and associated wipeouts. For swimming and general play in the water, the quality and thickness of the neoprene fabric provides protection, warmth and even a degree of flotation. The compression aspect of the design+material+Gladiator's top-notch stitching construction help mitigate fatigue in the legs.The O-Ring component at the bottom of the legging tube is the best in the business, period. The O-Ring's ability to trap water and hold it without literally crimping the femoral artery is amazing. So now I'm going to put my hat back on and do some finger wagging. The "waist band" is not a waist band at all. It is a BELT. Trying to pass off a low quality belt for an above average or trick waist band fools not the fool. The width of the belt is simply too thin for the continuous loop in which it is contained. This causes constant twisting of the belt within the loop. So unless modified by the user (such as done by me) the belt is more trouble than it is worth. The belt should be kept in the design but a commitment to the twisting problem, (from either perspective; belt OR loop) is absolutely required. The legging tubes are way too short, despite them belonging to "shorts". There's a "ride-up" problem when the shorts are wet and in action that mirrors the typical ride up aspect of cheap "boxer-briefs" that are so popular today for men. Gladiator should lengthen the legs getting that o-ring down between the quadricep insertion and the knee cap. In addition, the crotch could be tightened up a bit which would also help ride-up. All that said, I love this product.