Patagonia vs Lululemon: which short wins?
Both land in the mid tier — the Patagonia Baggies Short at $69, the Lululemon Pace Breaker Short at $78, just $9 apart. Here's how they stack up, head to head.
| Patagonia | Lululemon | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $69 | $78 |
| Material | Quick-drying 100% recycled nylon (made in a Fair Trade Certified factory) with a recycled mesh-brief liner and a DWR finish. | Lightweight four-way-stretch Swift fabric (recycled polyester with elastane), sweat-wicking, with a brushed mesh liner. |
| Fit | Relaxed, boxy cut on an elastic drawstring waist in 5-inch or 7-inch inseams; size down if you want it trimmer, and most people prefer the 7-inch for everyday wear. | Athletic, slightly relaxed through the leg with an elastic drawcord waist; offered in 5", 7", and 9" inseams, true to size — the 7" is the default. |
| Quality | Excellent for the price — bartacked seams and tough nylon that routinely lasts years; the DWR water-repellency does wear off over time and the liner is the weak point. | Strong shell that wears for years, but the liner is the failure point — it pills, balls, and can chafe; the Swift fabric snags and pills where it rubs. |
| Best for | Beach, river, trail, and travel — anyone who wants one short that swims, hikes, and lounges and holds up for years. | Gym, lifting, and athleisure wear where you want stretch and a soft hand; long-distance runners often prefer the linerless version to dodge the liner chafe. |
| Care | Machine wash cold and hang or tumble low; skip fabric softener, and refresh the DWR with a wash-in treatment once water stops beading. | Cold wash inside-out, avoid fabric softener (it kills the wicking), and hang or tumble low; softener and heat are what degrade the liner and finish fastest. |
Nine dollars separates a versatile water-to-land short with bartacked nylon construction from a stretch-focused gym short with a liner that pills and chafes — a gap small enough that it would need to be justified by meaningfully better construction or utility, and it isn't. The Patagonia earns its price through material durability and genuine cross-use range; the Lululemon charges a logo premium over comparable lined athletic shorts that run $40–55 elsewhere.
- The case for Patagonia
- The Baggies wins on durability and versatility — recycled nylon with bartacked stress points survives years of water, trail, and travel use in a way the Swift fabric's pilling and snag tendencies do not match.
- The case for Lululemon
- The Pace Breaker wins on stretch and soft hand feel — the four-way-stretch Swift fabric moves better in a gym or lifting context than the stiffer nylon shell of the Baggies.
The bottom lineWhich should you buy?
Buy the Patagonia if the short needs to do more than one thing — swim, hike, travel, lounge — or if liner longevity matters, since the Baggies liner, while not perfect, outperforms the Lululemon's pill-prone brushed mesh. Step up to the Lululemon only if the use case is strictly gym and athleisure and stretch is the overriding priority — and even then, the linerless cut at $68 is the more rational buy given that the liner is the first thing to fail. The $9 premium on the lined Pace Breaker buys neither better construction nor longer liner life; it buys a logo.
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