Strength & Speed's Jacob Stone wearing HYLETE Helix II shorts for KC Timber Challenge‘s winter themed Yeti event.
Despite what some of our social media feeds look like we don’t wear race clothes all the time. Occasionally I need to dress relatively normal to go out in public, spend time with family, go shopping or just to relax with some friends. I picked up a pair of HYLETE’s Helix II shorts since I was such a big fan of their pants and here’s what I thought of them:
One of the biggest podiums of my life, North American OCR Championships Pro Coed Team 2nd place, wearing my all black Helix II shorts. This is the “above the knee” cut.
Style: If you want options, HYLETE has options. The shorts come is six waist sizes (XS to XXL) each with three different lengths: above the knee, standard length and below the knee. As a runner and an athlete used to wearing short shorts, I prefer the above the knee. They fit my five foot six inch frame well and I wouldn’t want them any longer. The waist sizes are also flexible since you have a drawstring to adjust the tightness making them fit perfect during race season and out of race season. Plus, you can loosen them up after binging on a huge meal post Ultra-Beast. The shorts lack a liner so you can either go commando (personal preference), wear underwear or throw on a pair of HYLETE compression shorts underneath.
CTG Pro Doug Snyder wearing HYLETE on the podium of Battle Race.
Color Options: The shorts come with a wide variety of options, Black, Grey, American Flag variant, Blue (Aegean), Orange-Red (Brick) and several variants of Brushed Camo. While I prefer the solid colors, I think there is enough variety and styles for anyone whether you want to blend in or really make a statement.
Wearing the all black Helix II shorts while walking around the festival area.
Price: The current price is $68, which isn’t the lowest price for a pair of shorts. However, I got my first pair of all black Helix II shorts back in April of 2017 and I wear them multiple times a week. The shorts still look new and since then I’ve picked up the American flag variant. Bottom line is you get what you pay for and these shorts have stood the test of time despite a frequency of wear I’m slightly embarrassed to admit publicly. This is a common trend among all of HYLETE’s products, which I’ve only had to purchase once based on their durability (review of HYLETE 6-in-1 backpack).
Taking my mini-mudder for a lap in my USA HYLETE shorts.
Use: Since the shorts don’t have a liner, I personally don’t like using them for cardio-based workouts or racing. However, I have used them as training shorts, wearing them to the ninja gym, climbing gym or traditional gym. My go to use for these shorts though is just day to day wear and post-race clothes though. After finishing a race covered in tight-fitting, muddy and wet clothing, I can strip down and throw on these shorts allow for more freedom and comfort. If you’ve ever seen me post-race, chances are I’m in HYLETE shorts or pants (weather dependent).
While you can wear them for races, and I have several friends that have, I prefer compression clothes. The pockets located on the hips have zipper pockets making them great to store things without losing them. These pockets make them perfect for your phone, wallet or some gels, especially since walking around after a race I’m often compelled to redo some of my favorite obstacles.
Climbing in HYLETE at ROKC Olathe climbing gym.
Overall: To put it simply, these shorts are great. I’m not the only one that thinks so, as you can see from the photos in this article many of my friends own their own pair. If you don’t trust my opinion, reach out to any of the people in the photos of this article and they will tell you the same thing.
I highly recommend the Helix II shorts as I have with every other HYLETE product I’ve tested. They continue to produce high quality athletic gear that is versatile enough to wear as part of my normal clothes. My only regret about buying HYLETE is that I didn’t find them until 2017 and spent years buying similar products from other brands.
Nathan Palmer with the double flex and HYLETE USA shorts in the front row.
5/5 Stars
Jacob Stone photo from Stoke Shed