Women's board shorts that aren't short shorts

July 4, 2016 8:46 AM

My partner is struggling to find women's board shorts that (a) come down to just above the knee (9"?) and (b) are proper shorts designed to be worn whilst doing a water sport, not just for faffing about on the beach. Any suggestions for brands to look out for or for retailers that ship to the UK?
posted by fatfrank to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

Title Nine has a couple options (1, 2). It looks like they do ship overseas but you have to order by phone.
posted by Flannery Culp at 8:57 AM on July 4, 2016

Best answer: Ive been very happy with these swim shorts from Lands End. They're amazingly comfortable both in and out of the water, and they've held up well for two years. And it looks like they ship to the UK.
posted by bibliowench at 9:00 AM on July 4, 2016 [1 favorite]

Ditto'ing the Lands End shorts: very well made, hold up to sport activity, I am very pleased with them. If those aren't quite what she wants, they have several types too (a couple lengths and with/without inner brief).
posted by rollcredits at 9:39 AM on July 4, 2016

Have you got a Decathlon nearby? They also ship: Sports and long shorts. Price-quality ratio is usually very good for their brands – you'll want to check the Tribord ones, as that's Decathlon's water sports line.
posted by fraula at 10:09 AM on July 4, 2016

You might try searching for "swim shorts" rather than board shorts.

Swim Outlet has some longer options, and they ship to the UK.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:15 AM on July 4, 2016

some long ones here
and amazon.de (and co.uk) carry random sizes of Nikita boardshorts which is a brand I've always been happy with quality/lookwise.
posted by speakeasy at 10:58 AM on July 4, 2016

Best answer: Another vote for the Lands End shorts, they are a good deal and the Lands End swim stuff is a venerable brand that is heavily used by daily swimmers at my pool.
posted by fshgrl at 11:27 AM on July 4, 2016

I'm happy to see this option for women! I wonder if I could piggy back a bit on the OP's question and ask how people make the decision of whether to get the built in panties or no? Is it if you think you'd wear a regular bikini bottom under, or may want to wear the shorts dry with regular underwear for non swimming activities? (Thinking of the Lands End shorts that offer this option).
posted by Salamandrous at 12:49 AM on July 6, 2016

Response by poster: FWIW Salamandrous, my partner will be wearing them over a separate item of swimwear, so would get them without the liner. Your mileage etc
posted by fatfrank at 6:22 AM on July 7, 2016 [1 favorite]