T8 Sherpa Running Short with Integrated Waist Belt | Gear Review
by Chase Parnell — July 8, 2020
As some of you know, we recently rented out our home in Bend, Oregon for the entirety of the summer. Originally we were going to spend this time in Europe, bouncing around from race to race, but due to Covid-19, we’re doing the Oregon Coast and the mountains of Central Idaho instead (currently in our favorite beach town of Yachats, which is nice and sleepy right now after the 4th of July hysteria).
I don’t think we were quite prepared for the magnitude of the job that was getting our house ready for strangers to move into it for 90 days. What became glaringly obvious was that I had very few of the right tools to get the job done. We didn’t have any plaster to patch the holes, no mop to shine the floors, no trailer to take away the yard debris and junk. One day, my father in law dropped off his shop-vac. With the help of this miraculous invention, my car has never been cleaner, I got all the cobwebs out of the house, extracted kid mess from the depths of our carpets and rugs, cleaned out the couch crevices with ease, and sucked the bits out of all the dresser drawers. All along I was thinking, how have I survived 35 years of life without a freaking shop-vac?!
That was a really long-winded wind up to say that the T8 sherpa short, paired with the T8 commando running underwear, is the shop-vac to the ultra runner’s lower body apparel needs. A stretch, I know. But honestly, similar to my shop-vac experience, I had no idea what I was missing out on! It’s not that my prior short and waist belt setup was terrible, it just wasn’t awesome; I was dealing with it.
After using the T8s now for 3-4 months, I can’t believe that the big brands out there aren’t selling this type of short. I guess ultra running is still a little niche, and this concept of having a built-in belt to carry your personal items is not yet widely used, but I really think this is going to be the new norm. It’s too convenient not to be. These days, essentially everyone carries their phone at a bare minimum, and if the run is over 60 minutes, maybe a gel or two and some water. And listen, hydration packs are great, but unless you’re going to be out there for 3+ hours, they are a bit overkill in my opinion. The Sherpa short is the perfect tool to comfortably carry everything you need for the vast majority of your runs.
Let’s break down the features one by one so that we don’t miss anything.
The theory behind the short/underwear combo.
First of all, to be clear, the Sherpa short DOES NOT HAVE BUILT-IN UNDERWEAR like most running shorts. You need to wear running specific underwear underneath. So yes, we are talking two layers. Nikki and I did a review of the T8 Commando running underwear awhile back that pair perfectly with the Sherpa short.
Without giving out way TMI, I’ll describe my problem with shorts that have built in underwear. I don’t wear tighty whities ever. I wear boxer briefs in my day to day life so why would I want to wear a tighty whity type underwear with my running shorts? I don’t and now I won’t. In my traditional running shorts, the underwear liner can chafe where it makes contact with the skin. With the T8s, there are no distinct contact points like there are with a liner, there’s just a generalized compression that feels smooth and secure.
Mesh waist belt with minimal bounce.
We all know that there are other shorts out there with lots of pockets, but if they bounce, they suck. Even your car key fob can be annoying in a standard short pocket. Add to that the risk of your keys or gels bouncing out of your pocket altogether, and you’ve got a real problem on your hands.
The Sherpa short utilizes an 80% nylon, 20% elastane blended mesh to compress and secure your items to your body. This waist belt carries up to 2L and has four separate pockets: front, back, left, and right. If I’m heading out for a run in the 2-3 hour range, I usually take my phone in the front pocket, a 16oz. soft flask in the back, a windproof jacket in the left (if gaining significant elevation), and a few gels in the right. With that setup, there is minimal bounce. It’s not distracting and becomes hardly noticeable at all once your water gets down to about 10-12oz. For my 30-90 minute runs, I typically just take my phone in the front pocket and use my wireless Jaybird headphones. For my really long runs, I’ll wear a hydration pack and fill that up with water and gear but still use the Sherpa short waist belt for my phone, gels, and trash.
I’m really happy to get rid of the old shorts with built in liners and the waist belt that I had to continuously adjust so that the clip wasn’t digging into me.
The Sherpa short and cut.
The entire short weighs in at 2.75 ounces (78 grams). It has a 6 inch inseam so it’s slightly longer than a typical road running short (4 inches) but shorter than some of the other popular trail running shorts (8 inches). I think it’s a nice compromise. You don’t have to show off your butt cheeks in the grocery store after the run but you also don’t feel like you’re wearing board shorts or something. A nice mid-quad cut.
The short also isn’t super flowy so there is very little flapping in the wind. They seem to hug your legs a little more but you don’t feel any resistance as you stride out and stretch the shorts.
Right now they only come in black, which for me is totally fine. There are too many bodily fluids involved in ultra running that make me not want to risk any other color option. You can use your imagination on that one.
Fit and sizing of the Sherpa short.
On the T8 website description of the Sherpa short, they note in bold that they use ASIAN SIZING as they are based out of Hong Kong. They make sure to note, “If you have large quads, are looking for a more comfortable fit, or are used to western sizing, consider going up a size.” Despite this precaution, I went with a medium, which is the size I use across the board. Full disclosure, I was a little worried on the first couple runs that I should have gotten a large. The elasticity of the waist band/belt did feel a little tight. But in the end, I’m glad I went my my gut because they ended up being perfect after just a few runs. The materials began to form-fit to my body and naturally gave a little where needed.
That said, my recommendation is to stay with your normal size only if you are not even close to the next size up. If, for example, you have some shorts that are smalls and some that are mediums, then go with the medium T8s. If you only ever wear larges and you aren’t even close to an XL, stick with the large. I hope that helps!
The little details make all the difference.
When you receive your pair, take a second to acknowledge all the very thoughtful touches. I don’t know how they make their shorts, but the stitching almost appears handmade with a little zig zag attaching the waist belt to the short. The drawstring is capped on each end with a weighted blue cap so it won’t fray out or get pulled into the short. There is ample reflective elements on all sides of the short so you can feel safe running at night.
T8 uses environmentally conscious packaging materials and even donates 1% of their net profits from the Sherpa short to the Himalayan Trust Nepal. They don’t have to do this but it’s part of the company ethos to tread responsibly on the earth and give back to causes they believe in. Inspiring to see!
And just so you know, I’m doing this gear review because I’m trying to make sure Treeline Journal is a valuable resource that offers insightful unbiased product reviews. I don’t receive any compensation from T8 for this; I’ve really just developed a love for the product and want to share it with the readers/viewers that trust Treeline Journal.
YouTube T8 Sherpa Short Review
T8 is a small company. They bravely entered a very competitive apparel market and are making a run at competing with some of the biggest brands out there. In all my interactions with their team, I’ve seen nothing but passion and an acute knowledge for the sport. By purchasing a T8 product, your dollars are going a long way to support the brand.
Alright, I hope you fall in love with this product like I did. I wish I learned about it years ago. Let me know if you pick some up and what you think about them. I don’t know if this is true for you, but the older I get, the more I care about the gear I choose to use. It’s the little things these days that can make getting out the door that much easier. See you on the trails.
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