The Planet Earth Ultralight Shorts are lightweight, softshell shorts that stretch like high performance sports gear and repel water and dirt with biomimetic technology. They’re part of a system of ultralight, highly technical all-weather clothing designed to take you across every climate, environment and terrain on the surface of Earth. Each pair starts out with advanced material technology developed by Schoeller in Switzerland, before being assembled at a cutting-edge Portuguese factory that builds skin suits for elite Olympic athletes.

While the shorts are highly elastic, breathable and water repellent, they don’t look or feel like sports gear. And that’s because the Nylon yarn we’ve used to weave the material is engineered with a textured surface. It gives the pants a soft feel and minimalist look so they fit in anywhere. So if your days involve transitioning from trails to the office, or you just like to move around fast and light, these pants will work anywhere.

The fabric replicates the self-cleaning effect produced by cuticles with microscopic chains wrapped around each individual fibre. These helix structure chains spiral round the fibres to reduce surface tension, forcing water and mud to simply roll off the surface of the shorts. The technology works without using any toxic fluorocarbons while keeping you and the shorts dry and clean at the same time.

Weighing 195 grams the shorts are phenomenally lightweight and packable. When they’re on you’ll hardly notice them, or they fold down small enough to make it into almost any bag. Pair them with our Planet Earth Ultralight Shell and your whole system will only weigh 545 grams. And while lots of ultralight clothing is completely stripped back to save weight, we’ve not sacrificed features like zipped pockets that make the shorts as practical as they are lightweight.

At either side of the shorts you’ll find two pockets that fasten with concealed zippers. The zippers lock into place and come fitted with grippy rubber pullers, so your fingers won’t slip even if you’re soaked or sweating hard.

At the back of the shorts there’s a top-entry pocket at the centre of the waistband. Just like you’d find on trail running gear the pocket is integrated into the waistband, so anything you’re carrying inside sits snugly and won’t shift up and down if you’re moving at speed.

The elasticated waistband tightens with a bungee cord and lock for speed and simplicity. Just push the button on the lock and pull the cord to tighten the shorts as much as you need. To loosen them simply push the button and pull the lock away from you to release.