Centennial Shorts

[ManyHats]

Does anyone have a pair of the Centennial shorts? I got an email that they are on sale and was considering buying a pair for the hubby. According to the size chart a 40 waist would be size L. Do they run that big - size 40 is normally XL?

[ScoutBox]

I got myself a pair when I was in DC last week. The sizes seem to run correct.. but if he has a larger back side, then I would suggest a larger waist size. But they do come with an elastic band, and a tie cord..

[prairie]

Picked up mine yesterday, fabric reminds me of the original switchbacks but a little thicker. They mostly look like a swimsuit made to look like longish cargo shorts, as I never plan to swim in them so will remove the "liner" which feels weird to me, like wearing two pairs of underwear.

If bought on sale I'd say the value matches anything you could buy like it in a bigbox store.

 

 

[Kudu]

I put off buying a pair until a couple of weeks ago, then they went on sale the day my pair arrived in the mail :-/

 

They tell me I have to mail the first pair back to get a refund.

 

I have mostly only worn them swimming under a wet suit so far, but they work for me! As prairie writes, the liner does feel feel weird on dry land if you are wearing underwear, so I may also cut the liner out on one pair, but leave it in on a second pair for swimming.

 

Yes, they fit well enough to justify buying two pairs at the sale price!

 

Does anyone remember how angry the Wood Badge crowd got in the 1990s when we Uniform radicals suggested that official nylon shorts could be used for swimming? Why aren't they "Storming" against BSA Supply now the way they "Stormed" against us? That is what you have to do to practice "leadership," right? Storm? "An outdoor Uniform would NEVER work! There are too many climates in the United States! The Uniform represents our "deeply-held values," so if Boy Scouts are embarrassed to be seen in the dress-designer Uniform we wore at Wood Badge, they therefore hate our deeply-held hothouse values!" :-/

 

Well, the idea they hated most is on super-sale now! I'm talking about the short-sleeve "Boy Scout Short Sleeve Action Shirt" being closed out at $7.99! If you are going to buy a pair or two of the Centennial Shorts, you should also get a couple copies of these fantastic shirts as well. They are almost free to begin with and they do not bump up the postage charge!

 

See:

 

http://tinyurl.com/2snvml

 

The "bi-swing back with mesh inserts" is especially well-designed to keep you much cooler than the Centennial Uniform shirts. I sewed a Council Patch and my unit number on a pair to wear during the day at summer camp this year, way up north in Georgia.

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

 

 

[Kudu]

Update:

 

I just finished a week of Webelos day-camp wearing the Centennial Shorts every day. The temperature was in the 90s all week with the humidity around 100%, which made the heat index well over 100. The Centennial Shorts were very comfortable.

 

My second pair has not yet arrived, so I never got around to cutting the lining out. I'm glad because the "weird" feeling disappeared after the first day, and I needed to use them as swimming trunks an hour a day to work on Aquanaut.

 

The only minor annoyance was that the cargo pockets are so generous (wide and deep, unlike the 1990s) that my cell phone banged against my knees. So, I put it in a small belt bag which I carried in my cargo pocket rather than my belt.

 

To answer ManyHats's original question, I ordered my regular waist size and they fit perfectly.

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

 

[Mr. Boyce]

I'm a size 34 and I ordered large; I guess I'm a medium in their book.

[Mr. Boyce]

I returned the large and received the mediums, which fit very well.

 

For some odd reason, there's no back pocket to stick your wallet in.

 

(I always thought a wallet was a pretty high-tech thing. At least for me it is.)

[skeptic]

Mr. Boyce;

 

Found that I really liked keeping my wallet in the left lower pocket with the zipper. I was less uncomfortable, and more secure it seemed.

[Austinole]

I just ordered a pair of mediums. I hope the size chart is correct. I ordered a large pair of the switchback pants and they seemed a little too big. Especially with the elastic waist. I guess they are giving us some growing room.

[Mr. Boyce]

I"m trying to figure out what the tiny triangular pocket at the top of the right side pocket is for.

 

any guesses? A phone could fall out.

[ScoutBox]

I was told at Wood Badge that there are standard, and loose fitting sizes with the shorts???

[Mr. Boyce]

I'm going to sew in a button to keep my shorts together.

 

I've worn these a few times, laundered, etc. I'm a regular 34, but the damn snap keeps popping open. Is is a cheap snap?

[prairie]

So far the snap has held up for me and at my size I have tested it, however most of the time I wear a belt, time to find that belt that came with the original switcbacks as that would be better than getting my leather belt wet. I fall between sizes, one pair fits like old style swimtrunks and the next size up is baggy, will upgrade to a button soon, have some salvaged from wore out army BDUs that should work well.

[Mr. Boyce]

I have to say, I like the material these are made out of. Seems pretty durable, but light, and not show-through at the same time.

[Mr. Boyce]

. . . after more experience. . .

 

I just think Slash Pocket construction style lets stuff (like money) slip out of your pants. I lost a $10 and a $20 that were wadded together in my pants. . . fell out the pockets when I was sitting.