Páramo Manu Shorts – Review by Rudolf Abraham
From the time I first tried Páramo’s Manu Shorts on a 17 day hiking trip in Salzkammergut, back in the summer of 2019, I’ve never really wanted to wear any other hiking shorts (even the excellent Páramo Maui Shorts).
Extremely comfortable against the skin, lightweight, very hardwearing and easy to wash, with a slight stretch and plenty of movement, I’ve worn them on blisteringly hot days hiking in the Soča Valley in Slovenia, and on the epic Juliana Trail, as well as in the rain, and under waterproof over-trousers, and on cycling trips including the Véloscenic in France. I’m still keen to try them with the Velez Adventure Trousers, which seems like it would make an ideal carrying combination for changeable weather conditions such as those I had in Slovenia on the Juliana Trail.
The material used for the Manu Shorts is Windproof Stretch, which Páramo describe as ‘a water-repellent stretchy fabric that provides excellent moisture vapour transfer, a quick drying speed and will cut a gale-force wind, while still being highly breathable’. I haven’t tried them in a gale force wind, but I’ve found the rest of this assertion to be spot on. It’s also UV-proof, and the water-repellency can easily be renewed with Nikwax TX.Direct.
The Manu Shorts have three pockets (one open-topped at left front, one zipped at right front, one zipped at the back), and come with a tough webbing belt, and small reflective details.
My only slight niggle is the Velcro-like fly. Over time, particularly if the belt is done up quite tight, I’ve found that the hook and loop fastening buckles slightly and inevitably comes undone. Possibly a zip would have been better. But these are still my shorts of choice for hiking and cycling in the great outdoors, bar none.
As with all Páramo gear, the ethics and environmental commitment are outstanding – the Manu Shorts are PFC-free (as is their entire supply chain), the company has a long-term partnership with the Miquelina Foundation in Bogotá, Colombia (which provides work opportunities, training and experience as well as homes and childcare for vulnerable members of the local population), and they’re fully recyclable through Páramo.
Find out more about the Páramo’s Manu Shorts here.
Review date: July 2022 | Back to reviews