Article by Matt Kolat
Inov8 Airlite Pro Shorts ( £65)
Introduction
Welcome to another Inov8 review at Road Trail Run. Today we are having a closer look at Inov8's Airlite Pro, a 2-1 short with lots of storage and side venting.
Fit
As always I opted for size Large. It fits me very well, with an athletic fit around the waist and bottom and loose around the thigh, perfect fit. For reference I am 6 foot tall (182cm), 12.9 stone / 82 kg / 180 pounds. I prefer my running shorts on the average end of fits - neither loose nor tight.
What I liked
Features. I would describe the Airlite as a feature rich product. It is intended for Trail running however due to the very mixed weather we recently had where I live I’ve tested them on road runs as well (and suffice to say they performed more than appropriately.
First of all the pockets. Airlite has a fully secure pocket in the back:
There is a feature allowing to attach keys to an orange coloured loop. It’s easy to attach the keys, but removing them while wearing the shorts - is quite tricky. I would recommend Inov8 to enhance this by introducing a small, plastic carabiner.The rear pocket is large enough to fit in a large smartphone (my Iphone 16 Pro Max fits with a little bit of space left).
In the front there are two very large stash pockets each of which can hold a 500ml bottle without issue.
Let’s go back to the back for a second where we have another two stash pockets on the sides, which can fit in a handful of gels or a windbreaker for example. And on top of that we have two sturdy loops which can hold trekking polls. Ye,s these shorts are pretty much a replacement for a hydration vest for shorter adventures.
Materials. First of all the shorts weigh 80gs - that's very light.
Inside the shorts there is a liner but not the usual minimalistic style one but rather a longer one which feels like a sporty boxer short. The materials are soft and the fit is on the looser end (as in the liner does not feel compressive or tight). The outer shell of the short is loose and allows for excellent air flow, via multiple vents on the side of the shorts.
Please notice the vents on the picture above where my hand is resting on the shorts.
The fabric itself is Polartec Power Dry, and here is how Inov8 describes it:
“Premium fabric that’s engineered to deliver superior moisture wicking. Constructed using bi-component fabric technology, the interior pulls moisture away from your skin to the exterior surface, where it disperses and is quickly released.
This process happens continuously, preventing the garment from becoming saturated and
helping to regulate your body temperature. The Polartec® Power Dry® fabric is odour
resistant too, meaning it doesn’t need to be washed as often during heavy training blocs.”
Can’t say I disagree with the above claims but because of the dual layer construction of the Airlites, regardless of the fabric used, it will never feel as air-flowy and light as a premium pair of splits.
What I did not like
Honestly I wish Inov8 would charge more for the Arilite Pro, they are so good it’s hard to believe they are priced at £65. I jest of course, there is nothing particularly worthy of mentioning here, perhaps limited colours available (only one) but that is an extremely minor problem to have.
Inov8 Airlite Pro Shorts
INOV 8 SHOP HERE
Maciej 'Matt' Kolat- 39 years old, hailing from Poland but pounding Scottish pavements and trails since 2007. Mainly runs shorter distances on pavement 5-10 km and reserves longer runs for beautiful Scottish Glens. Matt’s opinion sometimes may differ from other RTR testers as he is the slowest of the bunch (5k at 25:38). Matt also uses running as a way to stay healthy having shed 106 lbs so far (and counting).
Europe only: use RTR code RTR5ALL for 5% off all products, even sale products
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