Dickies Temp-iQ Shorts: Lightweight Performance Shorts for Summer

PTR Review
  • Pro Rating 9.4

Dickies Temp-iQ Shorts are ridiculously comfortable and light to wear. They have the fit, comfort, and flex I need in workwear with a style that's great for wearing around town and on the golf course. If you're going to order one pair of shorts this summer, this is the pair you have to try.

Overall Score 9.4 (out of 10)

Dickies Temp-iQ Shorts Are the Must-Have Shorts to Wear this Summer

I’m a fan of Dickies Temp-iQ shirts and really excited to see new color options in their 11″ shorts pop up for this summer. They promise a breathable, flexible design with advanced temperature control. With temps in the mid-90’s from now until October, I’m happy to see exactly how well Dickies lives up to their claims.


Pros

  • Perfect fit
  • Excellent freedom of movement
  • Wicking, cooling cotton/nylon/spandex blend
  • Extra pockets including cell phone, pen, and knife pockets

Cons

  • No major drawbacks

Recommendation

Dickies Temp-iQ Shorts are ridiculously comfortable and light to wear. They have the fit, comfort, and flex I need in workwear with a style that’s great for wearing around town and on the golf course. If you’re going to order one pair of shorts this summer, this is the pair you have to try.

Dickies Temp-iQ Shorts

Comfort

Dickies Temp-iQ Shorts use a 5 oz twill 77% cotton/21% nylon/2% spandex blend for construction. It’s lightweight with some stretch that doesn’t look like we’re back in the ’80s with silk shirts and parachute pants.

Dickies gives this build the “Temp iQ” branding with advanced cooling control. To put it in a nutshell, as you sweat, the material pulls the moisture to the surface where it can evaporate. You feel cooler thanks to the physics of the evaporative cooling effect. As a highly breathable weave, moisture wicking and evaporation are very efficient.

I’m one of those weirdos that ride a bike to work since the office is just 2 miles away. The first day I wore Dickies Temp-iQ Shorts, the freedom of movement was very clear… and very comfortable. I have a couple of pair that I inevitably wear early in the week and find an excuse to do laundry so I can wear them again at the end. They’re that comfortable.

Fit

I’m a tall guy and finding shorts that pass the “Calvin test” (my son’s approval or disapproval on being seen in public with me) can be tough. Dickies Temp-iQ Shorts have an 11″ seam that reaches my knees and keeps my cycling tan lines hidden where they should be.

I’m a size 35-ish waist and always go with a 36 rather than trying to talk myself into a size lower than I really am. These shorts fit exactly the way I expected and how my other Dickies short do. If you’re ordering online, you can confidently order your normal size.

Pockets

For a pair of flat-front shorts, there are a surprisingly functional number of pockets around these shorts. The front pockets are pretty typical and deep enough to carry your normal loadout.

On the right, Dickies adds a cell phone pocket. It’s deep and wide enough to accept my iPhone 7 Plus with a case on it. Two smaller pockets on the outside of that one work great for holding your knife and pen so they’re out of the way when you go to dig your keys out.

The back left pocket gets a Velcro closure to make it a little more secure. It’s a small square addition and not as secure a zipper, though. The right rear pocket takes some getting used to. It has a hidden pocket closer to your rear that a shallower than the main pocket.

For the first few days, my wallet inevitably found the hidden pocket, sticking out too far. Then I learned to pull the bottom of it away and now it’s second nature to get it where it needs to sit.

Price

Dickies has these shorts online for $24.99 and there aren’t many prices better than that. You have 6 color choices (nickel gray, ink navy, desert khaki, spice brown, charcoal texture rock, and mushroom texture rock) and sizes running from 30″ to 44″.

The Bottom Line

Dickies Temp-iQ Shorts are ridiculously comfortable and light to wear. They have the fit, comfort, and flex I need in workwear with a style that’s great for wearing around town and on the golf course. If you’re going to order one pair of shorts this summer, this is the pair you have to try.

Dickies Temp-iQ Specifications

  • Material: 77% cotton/21% nylon/2% spendex
  • Fit: Regular
  • Colors Options: 4
  • Sizes: 30″ to 44″
  • Pockets: 7
  • Price: $24.99

Check out more summer workwear at Dickies.com!

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