Tested: Insulated Shorts

 Remember how unimpressed I was with the last solution I discussed to keep my butt warm? Well, I've found a much better way!

And can maybe explain what might look like a nonsensical piece of kit
(This is the product photo of the Ohsho Lidia shorts)

Through a weird series of events I've ended up with two pairs from two different Canadian companies, but I'll review them both together here. 

What they are: Shorts with a hybrid construction - synthetic insulated front and back panels with inserts of stretchy fleece-backed fabric for freedom of motion.

Product photo of the Indyeva Boon shorts

Why you want them: To keep your bum (and other parts) warm while having fun outdoors in cold weather.

Duration used: About a fortnight - they both arrived on January 28th, 2022. Have run in each pair 3-4 times so far.

Side by side comparison - Indyeva Boon left and Ohsho Lidia right

Price paid/purchased from: This is a bit tricky, as they're sold out at both places I got them from. MSRP for the Indyeva Boon is $125 but I paid $75 + HST from TheLastHunt.com - MSRP for the Ohsho Lidia is $90 but I paid $80 + HST from Active Running.

Indyeva Boon shorts

You may be thinking that you've never seen a stupider concept than insulated shorts, but these have a number of fantastic applications:

• Over a pair of tights for a winter run
• Over a pair of tights or under pants for extra warmth while walking, skating, or nordic skiing
• Under snowpants for extra insulation on ski lifts or while sitting on a hill while skiing or snowboarding
• Under trousers for extra warmth for your buns while watching a cold-weather sporting event
• Maybe a tiny bit of extra padding for tobogganing?

Ohsho Lidia shorts
(No worries about me quitting my day job for a modeling career)

What rawks: Both of these are produced by Canadian companies - both out of Quebec, actually - though neither is manufactured domestically. Both employ synthetic insulation that will keep you warm even if it gets wet (unlike down, which loses its ability to loft when soaked - this makes it a poor choice for activewear), with strategically placed panels of stretch fabric to enhance the range of motion available while wearing, and to increase breathability. Both do an excellent job of insulating with very little bulk, and keep your whole body noticeably warmer despite their apparent small amount of coverage. This is primarily a function of eliminating heat losses from the groin area, which is a major factor in body heat regulation; that's why the Heat Escape Lessening Position (HELP) taught in survival courses requires you to pull your knees up toward your chest, so your groin is better insulated. I have worn these in temperatures as low as -24c/-11f with windchill of -30c/-22f for over an hour while running, and as low as about -10c while cross-country skiing (at a much lower rate of exertion than running) and have found myself extremely grateful for their warmth! I'll discuss details of each pair individually as they differ in some key ways.

We'll start with the Ohsho Lidia

These shorts are described as having 3oz (85g) of un-named synthetic insulation encased in a water resistant, breathable 20D ripstop 100% nylon shell, with "side and waist stretch panels" and a cellphone pocket. No mention is made of what the stretch fabric panels are (soft shell vs fleece), but they are actually a soft, stretchy material with a hard face and a fleeced back. The same stretchy material forms a wide yoga-pants-type waistband with a narrow elastic at the very top, which is very comfortable to wear and stretches nicely to pull the shorts on over your hips.

The strip down the outside of each leg is ~2.5in/7cm wide with a logo label on the right leg - the leg opening is nicely hemmed with the stretch fabric extending all the way from top to bottom.

The gusset of the Lidia shorts is one solid piece of stretch fabric ~1.5"/4cm wide running from one leg opening to the other - this is fantastic for breathability and range of motion!

Inside-out view
The seams at the edges of the insulated fabric along the legs are very nicely finished; less so the meeting of the stretchy waistband and the rest of the shorts, but this junction is securely serged and should not pose any durability issues. 

You can also see that the pocket - the bag of which is visible on the inside of the shorts - is quite deep, which allows most phones to drop below the hinge of your hip so it doesn't interfere with range of motion.

The zipper key has its own little nylon garage to keep it from jingling while you move.

The brand label in the back forms a hanging loop for drying between uses, though the material used may irritate some if worn next to skin.

The inside of the stretch fabric is lightly fleeced, and the diagonal baffles of the insulation have a pleasing visual effect

These shorts fit true-to-size with enough room for a base layer or fairly thick tights underneath

Now, for comparison, the Indyeva Boon shorts:

These seem to have a rather more 3-dimensional shape to them, making them sit a bit oddly when laid flat

The most major difference is in the construction of the waistband: while the Ohsho Lidia shorts use a wide, stretchy, solid waist, Indyeva has opted for a double-snap and zip fly approach, with elastic along the rear of the waistband. Further to that, they have included a yoke of stretchy material at the lower back for extra breathability in a very high-heat area, which also allows fantastic range of motion.

Post-run stretching after a run down to the farmers' market - my foot is about level with my waist here, with no impediment from the shorts.

Indyeva also gives a great deal more information about the construction of these shorts, listing them as made of 40gsm 100% recycled nylon, with the stretch fabric panels being Bluesign 266gsm 93% recycled polyester with 7 % spandex content (which they call K.Y.W.A.D., but that seems to be proprietary to their brand), and they use a YKK zipper for the fly. The insulation is 80g of Primaloft Gold insulated with 55% post-consumer recycled content - while this is slightly less than the Ohsho Lidia, Primaloft Gold has a very high reputation as an incredibly efficient insulator. My own testing indicates that these are actually slightly warmer than their competitor in my closet.

The stretch panels at outer leg are approximately the same size on both pairs of shorts, though the Indyeva Boons seems to have a bit more stretch.
The opening of each leg is finished with a stretchy seam tape debossed with the Indyeva brand mark.

The gusset of the Boons also runs fully from one leg opening to the other, and is slightly wider than that of the Lidias.  

A tiny reflective heat sealed brand logo appears near the left leg opening, and a detail view of the seam tape

A look at the interior shows some further differences - for starters, there is also no visible pocket bag on the interior; it is encased between the inner and outer layers of fabric, and appears on the left leg instead of the right.

Contrary to the Lidias, the Boons do not have turned-over seams at the edges of the insulated panels - instead every seam is serged completely flat, making these a better choice for friction-free movement. 

The stretch fabric is slightly more fleeced on the inside, and the baffles are a more horizontal pattern.

The large panel of stretch fabric at the lower back gives the Indyeva Boons a mobility and breathability edge over the Ohsho Lidias, and the softer fabric used for the rear tags is appreciated - there is, however, no loop that can be used for hanging.

The pocket zipper is significantly wider on the Boons, and the pocket is approximately twice the size overall

The zip uses a tiny key that locks in place - the pocket is practically invisible when zipped

Both pairs do a great job at one thing I'd really hoped they'd be useful for: keeping snow thrown up by snowshoes from sticking to my bum when it's really cold out and my posterior gets sweaty!

Of course they do nothing for my lower legs, but I don't seem to have as much trouble with them getting chilled.

What sucks: The junction of the stretch waistband and the rest of the Lidia shorts is not flat or stitched over, and may cause chafing if worn against skin during activity...however these are not designed to be a next-to-skin layer, but rather worn over a base layer for use under trousers, or over tights or leggings as an outer layer. The pocket opening of the Lidia shorts is very small, to the point I can't get my hand in it.

My cellphone drops in, but can be a bit tricky to retrieve - I definitely couldn't do so while moving, but I don't think I could do that with any pocket that crosses the hinge of my hip, so that counts out the Indyeva Boon as well.

The Ohsho Lidia shorts also do not include any reflective markings on them, making them less ideal for use during the many hours of darkness in winter...however no-one would wear these as their sole article of clothing, so reflective could always be incorporated on other pieces for safety. 

As I did here, with a reflective jacket for a late-day trail run

While the Indyeva Boon shorts do have reflective, they have very little of it - just a tiny Y logo on the front of the left leg, and a reflective brand name on the back of the left hip. The latter I don't understand at all, as it would almost always be covered by other clothing. In any case, what some people might find off-putting is the shiny nature of the outer material: while it's not quite as plasticky as it appears in their own product photos, I joked with Tank about my "hashtag trash bag" shorts due to the slick finish on them. 

Ooh, shiny..

The difference is pretty stark when shown side by side

The tiny zipper key on the Indyeva Boon's pocket - could be very difficult to use with gloves or mittens, and the invisible-style zip construction is much more prone to jamming on the surrounding nylon than the straightforward zip of the Ohsho Lidia shorts. That said, if it's cold enough for me to wear these, I'm probably wearing a jacket with pockets anyway; I actually have yet to use the pocket of either pair of shorts, though the security of the zipper would make it a good choice for a car key or something else valuable I wouldn't want to lose but also didn't need to access while moving. Despite the size of the pocket in the Boons, I wouldn't want to put very much in there as they fit very snug against my thighs while moving, and I can't see having anything bulky or pointy in there being very comfortable, or good for the durability of the shorts.

The Indyeva Boons are less snug, but also a size larger.

Speaking of durability, I have questions about the choices Indyeva made when setting the snaps for the waist opening on the Boons.

They used plastic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in cold weather.

They did a great job with the snaps on the inner flap of the shorts:

Set through all layers of fabric, with a nice smooth surface toward your waist

However, I suppose in some sort of attempt to hide the snaps from view, they only set the outer pair through the inner layer of nylon.

This does not offer a lot of structure, and I fear that one day I'll try to un-snap them and pull the fasteners right out of the fabric

I also have serious beef with Indyeva's sizing for these: I had initially ordered a medium, as that's the size I should take according to their chart:

I checked myself with a measuring tape before ordering to be sure

When the mediums arrived, I could only just pull them up over my thighs and do them up - walking carefully up a set of stairs seriously strained the seams on them in spite of the stretch fabric, and that was over just a pair of underwear! I knew they'd never fit over a pair of winter-weight running tights, so back they went, and I ordered a size large instead. They're just about exactly the fit I wanted! 

Nothing extra, but enough room - and stretch - to move comfortably.
DISCLAIMER: I have a big bum and thighs

That's not to say that Ohsho has no measuring issues: the Indyeva Boons are listed as having a 6.6" inseam in size small, so I wouldn't think they'd be any more than 7" or so in size large. Ohsho says the Lidia shorts have an 8.25" inseam, and yet both pairs hit me in almost identical places:

Osho Lidia left - Indyeva Boon right - the Boons sit a bit higher on my waist

What I'd like to see: I'd love to see the snaps of the Indyeva Boons set through all layers of the exterior panel for greater durability, and a wider pocket opening on the Ohsho Lidias. I'd also love for Indyeva to make these fit according to their size chart, or at least offer a disclaimer that they run a full size small!

Ohsho Lidia wins the sizing battle for sure!
They are a bit snugger around the thighs than the Indyeva Boon, but still allow free movement.

What I'm saying: If your tush gets cold in winter, or if you just want to trap more body heat in general to keep your core warmer, either of these shorts would be a great option! I've found that they keep me toasty enough that I can forego a second layer under my jacket when the temperature dips below -20c/-4f, which is no joke.

Mistakes at those sort of temperatures can be fatal

 I've got a lot of use out of them already, and sincerely hope they'll stand up to the test of time. They're also great for snow angels - no more freezing to the ground! - and for snowshoe running!

No more snowy bum!

For further edification: Honestly I had a lot of trouble finding any reviews of either of these, so I'll just refer you to the manufacturer's pages for the Ohsho Lidia shorts and Indyeva Boon shorts. 

Indyeva Boon in action at The Flurry 2022

Ohsho Lidia at The Flurry as well (on another run on the course after the race)