Fjallraven Men's Ruaha Outdoor Shorts - Lightweight, Quick-Dry Hiking & Travel Shorts for Adventure & Casual Wear

I recently added these Fjallraven Ruaha shorts to my Karl, Karl MT (convertible) & Vidda Pro trouser collection.I like the substantial, finely woven, rip-stop material, which is treated with Greenland wax to repel water.Described as a "comfort" fit, with mid-rise waist, I got these in the same size as my "regular" fit Karl trousers and found them to fit just as trim in the seat and legs. However, the extra rise compared to the Karl is appreciated when hiking and sitting.The distribution of pocket space and fasteners is not ideal for me. The main cargo pockets have openings that are slanted downward from the side toward the front of the pants. They have hidden bellows on the rear and bottom that look neat and not conspicuous like most cargo pockets. I find them plenty large enough for all the goodies I carry. They have snap flap closures, but no zipper under either flap as some brands do. These are the only pockets I will be using on these otherwise excellent shorts.The side slash pockets are barely 1" deep at the top rear. This is the major flaw in these shorts! The pockets slant downward along the line created by the top of the sloping cargo pockets, creating more depth toward to the front. There is enough room to put my XL hands inside to keep warm, but I do not trust using them to carry keys or sunglasses because those are likely to fall out when sitting or squatting. Since the hand pockets are made from separately sewn material, there is no reason for the rear depth to be so shallow. Dumb. What were they thinking?The rear pockets are very deep and have zippers. You may love them. Unfortunately, they are useless to me, even when I am not carrying a backpack. I NEVER carry anything in rear pockets because I don't like sitting on objects that press into my buttocks. I would rather have at least one of those zippers underneath one of the cargo pocket flaps as extra security against loosing small objects. Better yet, put those nice zippers on side slash pockets that are deep enough on their own, and do away with the rear pockets.I much prefer the deep Karl hand pockets. The right cargo pocket on the Karl is large and has the traditional snap-flap top. However, the Karl left pocket has a goofy (imo) side zipper and isn't as large overall. I use it, but find it cumbersome. I prefer symmetry in the layout of my cargo pants so I don't have to think how to use the pockets. The Ruaha at least offers this for the cargo pockets. Also, the G-1000 Silent material used for the Karl looks more dressy, but is very prone to picking up lint.My pair came with a construction flaw. The front metal button to fasten the waist was not fully crimped to its post and wobbles quite a bit. I don't think it will fall off, so I am not returning this pair.I wish Fjallraven would make Dark Navy shorts in this material, but with the pocket layout of the Vidda Pro.