The liner is the short. It decides chafing, whether you can run without underwear, and how a loaded waistband behaves at mile ten. Six shorts ranked by what their liner actually is — not by the shell everyone photographs.
A light-compression boxer-brief liner under a recycled DriLayer shell, with three back pockets and a phone-sized zip in the center — and it lists for well under the premium shorts here.
A light-compression boxer-brief liner under a recycled DriLayer shell, with three back pockets and a phone-sized zip in the center — and it lists for well under the premium shorts here. Good to know: a 2-in-1 liner runs warmer than a mesh brief in real summer heat.
The only shorts on this page sold lined OR unlined, so the single decision that ruins a short is yours rather than the brand's. Four-way stretch shell, no-pinch waistband, laser-cut ventilation, six sizes, 14 colorways. Good to know: a premium price, and no fabric composition published.
The same 2-in-1 idea from the brand most runners already own something from, with Dri-FIT and a 7-inch inseam. Good to know: scored on our carry rubric like the other phone-pocket shorts, so its number is not directly comparable with the apparel-rubric picks here.
A genuine 9-inch running short, which almost nobody makes, with the same lined-or-unlined choice and the same shell as the 5-inch. Good to know: nine inches of fabric is warmer than five, and that is the whole trade.
Ten Thousand's race short, lined only — no option to forget it at 6am — in an ultralight 3-inch cut built for long runs and tempo days. Good to know: the most expensive short here for the least fabric, and about half the size and color combinations were unavailable when we checked.
A built-in mesh brief, a rear zip pocket and an inner drawcord at a fraction of everything above. Good to know: a basic mesh brief rather than a compression liner, so a loaded rear pocket bounces more on faster runs.
#ad · Prices come live from Amazon, last checked November 6, 2026. Scores are ours, compiled from published specs and the maker's intended use. Product photos come from Amazon. Tap a row for the full write-up.
Who this page is for
Anyone who has finished a run thinking about their shorts. A good liner is invisible; a bad one chafes, rides up, or holds water for an hour after rain. The shell gets the photography and the liner does the work, so this page ranks on the liner.
Mesh brief. A thin, loose brief sewn into the shell. Cheap, cool, and the default on budget shorts. It stops the shell against your skin and does nothing else — no support, no compression, no pocket.
2-in-1 compression. A boxer-brief-length compression layer under a separate shell. It holds a phone against your thigh instead of your waistband, stops chafing between the legs on long runs, and runs warmer. This is what most people mean by “lined.”
Race liner. A supportive liner in a short cut, sold lined-only because a split short with no liner is underwear. Light, minimal and specific.
Knowing which of the three you want is 90% of this decision. The rest is inseam and price.
What we ranked on
We do not test apparel. Every detail here is the maker's or retailer's published specification, linked on the spec that uses it, plus the published findings of OutdoorGearLab and Treeline Review for the shorts they tested. Four criteria, in this order:
What the liner is, and whether the brand says so plainly.
Whether you get a choice. Lined-or-unlined is rare and genuinely valuable: liner preference is the thing most likely to make a short unwearable for you specifically.
Inseam options, because 3 and 9 inches are different garments.
Price against what it actually adds. A sub-$40 short with a mesh brief is not a worse buy than a $128 one; it is a different one.
Inseam: 3, 5, 7 or 9 inches
Inseam
What it is for
On this page
3 inches
Racing and fast sessions. Maximum stride, minimum fabric.
Ten Thousand Distance
5 inches
The everyday default for most runners in most weather.
Ten Thousand Interval, Baleaf
7 inches
More coverage without feeling like training kit.
Brooks Sherpa, Nike Challenger
9 inches
Full coverage. Rare in a running short rather than a gym one.
Ten Thousand Interval 9"
Buy the length you will actually leave the house in. A 3-inch short you feel self-conscious in is a 3-inch short that stays in the drawer, and nobody has ever run faster because of an inseam.
The chafing question
A liner reduces chafing between the legs; it does not eliminate it, and it does nothing for the places that actually ruin a marathon — the waistband line, underarms and, for some runners, the chest. That is an anti-chafe balm problem, and it costs a few dollars.
One honest note on washing: a compression liner loses its stretch faster than the shell does, and hot washes and tumble dryers are what kill it. Cold wash, hang dry, and a $98 short lasts years rather than a season.
In detail
The picks, in full
1
Best liner for most runners
Brooks Sherpa 7" 2-in-1 Short
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
9.7 /10
A light-compression boxer-brief liner under a recycled DriLayer shell, with three back pockets and a phone-sized zip in the center — and it lists for well under the premium shorts here. Good to know: a 2-in-1 liner runs warmer than a mesh brief in real summer heat.
#ad · Price as of November 6, 2026 · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Brooks Sherpa 7" 2-in-1 Short
2
Best if you want to choose
Ten Thousand Interval Short (5-inch)
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
9.4 /10
The only shorts on this page sold lined OR unlined, so the single decision that ruins a short is yours rather than the brand's. Four-way stretch shell, no-pinch waistband, laser-cut ventilation, six sizes, 14 colorways. Good to know: a premium price, and no fabric composition published.
+Lined or unlined is a choice, not a guess — the single thing that makes or breaks a running short
+A no-pinch waistband and four-way stretch shell, which is why this is the brand's best seller
+Laser-cut ventilation rather than mesh panels that go see-through when wet
+Six sizes and 14 colorways, so there is a version that fits and a version you will wear
+Buying direct gets you the full size, length and liner matrix plus Ten Thousand's own returns
Good to know
Choose something else if you specifically need a verified phone pocket — Ten Thousand describes the Every Session Carry system but publishes no phone-size figure, so our phone-pocket roundup is the better list for that.
#ad · Ten Thousand list price $98 as of November 6, 2026 · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Ten Thousand Interval Short (5-inch)
3
The Nike 2-in-1
Nike Challenger Dri-FIT 7" 2-in-1 Short
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
9.6 /10
The same 2-in-1 idea from the brand most runners already own something from, with Dri-FIT and a 7-inch inseam. Good to know: scored on our carry rubric like the other phone-pocket shorts, so its number is not directly comparable with the apparel-rubric picks here.
#ad · Price as of November 6, 2026 · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Nike Challenger Dri-FIT 7" 2-in-1 Short
4
Longest inseam here
Ten Thousand Interval Short (9-inch)
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
9.4 /10
A genuine 9-inch running short, which almost nobody makes, with the same lined-or-unlined choice and the same shell as the 5-inch. Good to know: nine inches of fabric is warmer than five, and that is the whole trade.
#ad · Ten Thousand list price $98 as of November 6, 2026 · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Ten Thousand Interval Short (9-inch)
5
Best for race day
Ten Thousand Distance Short (3-inch)
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
9.4 /10
Ten Thousand's race short, lined only — no option to forget it at 6am — in an ultralight 3-inch cut built for long runs and tempo days. Good to know: the most expensive short here for the least fabric, and about half the size and color combinations were unavailable when we checked.
#ad · Ten Thousand list price $128 as of November 6, 2026 · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Ten Thousand Distance Short (3-inch)
6
Best budget liner
Baleaf Men's 5" Running Shorts
C25K10KHALFMARATHON
9.3 /10
A built-in mesh brief, a rear zip pocket and an inner drawcord at a fraction of everything above. Good to know: a basic mesh brief rather than a compression liner, so a loaded rear pocket bounces more on faster runs.
+A rear zip pocket on the cheapest short here, so the phone can't work its way out
+A mesh brief liner and an inner drawcord, both of which budget shorts usually skip
+Quick-dry woven fabric rather than a heavy knit
+Cheap enough to own two pairs instead of one premium short
Good to know
Choose something else if you run fast enough that a phone at the back of your waistband will bounce; a 2-in-1 with a liner pocket holds it against your leg.
#ad · Price as of November 6, 2026 · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Baleaf Men's 5" Running Shorts
The short answer, again
Our recommendation
If you only take one thing from this page, take the first of these two.
Buy this one
Brooks Sherpa 7" 2-in-1 Short
Best liner for most runners
9.7 /10
A light-compression boxer-brief liner under a recycled DriLayer shell, with three back pockets and a phone-sized zip in the center — and it lists for well under the premium shorts here.
#ad · Ten Thousand list price $98 as of November 6, 2026 · Affiliate disclosure for the link to Ten Thousand Interval Short (5-inch)
How we chose these
Researched, compared, scored for your level
We start from what a published training plan actually asks of a runner at your level, compare every model's published specs (stack height, drop, weight, plate, stability features, widths) against that job, and score each pick on a public rubric. Each spec links to where it came from, so you can shortlist in minutes and buy with the numbers in front of you.
The Brooks Sherpa 7" 2-in-1 for most runners: a light-compression boxer-brief liner under a recycled DriLayer shell, three back pockets with a phone-sized zip, at well under the price of the premium shorts on this page. If you want to choose between lined and unlined, the Ten Thousand Interval is the only short here that offers it.
Should I wear underwear with lined running shorts?+
No — that is the point of the liner. A brief or compression liner is designed to sit directly against the skin, and adding a cotton layer under it reintroduces exactly the seams and moisture the liner exists to remove.
Mesh brief or 2-in-1 compression liner?+
A mesh brief is cooler, cheaper and does nothing but keep the shell off you. A 2-in-1 compression liner holds a phone against your thigh, reduces chafing between the legs on long runs and runs warmer. For runs under an hour in heat, the brief. For long runs and loaded pockets, the 2-in-1.
What inseam should I buy?+
Five inches is the everyday default. Three is a race cut, seven adds coverage without looking like gym kit, and nine is rare in a proper running short — the Ten Thousand Interval is one of very few. Buy the length you are comfortable leaving the house in.
Are Ten Thousand shorts worth the price?+
They are the only shorts here that let you pick lined or unlined, and the only ones offered at a 9-inch inseam, which are two real things you cannot get elsewhere. They also cost roughly twice the Brooks, which is why the Brooks is our number-one pick. If the liner choice or the inseam matters to you, the premium is buying something specific.
Every figure above is traceable. Specs come from the maker's own pages or the named reviewer's published measurements (linked above); level definitions come from published training plans; prices come from Amazon's own API and carry the date they were checked, so you buy on a current number. Read the full method.
