Haglöfs Ardent

It’s not often I opt to wear baggies, I wasn’t brought up that way. The Ardent short from Haglöfs has made me question my preconceptions.

Initial fondling showed the usual suspects; some pockets, some vents, a reinforced bum. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for the material. I was an early adopter of softshell-style jackets and have yet to find a pair of shorts that do the same job. They need to breathe well, keep off most of the water in a downpour, and then shrug off trail debris and crashes. I’ve never come across a short that could do all that and not feel like it was made of Cordura.

The Ardent short became my go-to short during the past few warm weeks, though. Light enough that I didn’t notice them while I was wearing them. Breathable enough that I never overheated thanks to both the material and ample, crotch-to-bum vents. Finally they emerged unscathed from a crash that took me off the bike for four weeks. I never got to test their waterproof limits in the time I had them, but honestly I don’t mind. Like a tin of Ronseal, they did everything they promised and I’ve no reason to believe they won’t cope with rain too.

On the technical side; the pockets hold things. The velcro closures work. There is nothing wrong with these shorts. It’s all just right. Go and buy a pair. These are everything I’ve never had in a short, yet everything I would have designed in a short. Perfection.

Overall: Lightweight, breathable, crashproof and possibly radioactive. Please take my money, Haglöfs.

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