prAna  Stretch Zion 8" Shorts II - Men's

I’ve been wearing the Zion short and Zion pant for over a decade now. I literally wear them every day of the year. The new design was mostly an improvement, except for the main button. What were you thinking? I bought five pairs of shorts less than a year ago and four of the pairs no longer have the button because it broke. It really is a poor design. It’s also not repairable because of the design. Trying to be eco in the design, but it really isn’t. Seems like there might be an end to my relationship with the Zion pants and shorts if they don’t make a change to the button. We don’t need excuses to why you made the change. You just need to understand that it’s a poor design and you need to make a running change in your production to fix the problem. I’ve never had a Zion product fail before. I’ve literally worn them out to the point my wife makes me throw them away. They use to be that durable. No longer the case. It’s a sad day.

I will start with the good. The flint color is great, these shorts generally are super comfortable and adjustable. However... The new design seems to make the 12" shorts longer that they used to be, so that was not great. But the biggest issue is with the new front button, it is terrible. It used to be a nice metal button that slipped through the button hole easily and stayed put. Now it is a big bulky plastic button that flops around on a very loose ribbon. It is harder to button and unbutton, and is always off center from the zipper placket because it pulls to the side by a 1/2". So now the button is not aligned with the zipper and it looks goofy.

I understand change but this is a whole different short. Prana (Colombia) really had it nailed as the best shorts on the market with the unique built in belt, comfort, lite weight and design everything. Until now. I've been a huge advocate of Prana for over 20 yrs. Been thru the belt redesign and button redesigns. To call the new zion 2 an upgrade is ughhhhhhh. This is a completely different short feel look comfort wise. I just ordered 3 pair and immediately was disappointed. The shine the feel and look (Reminds me of a bad 90's outfit) The new button I'm not a fan as its difficult to button and unbutton and feels like its gonna break while trying to enter the tiniest of button holes. The most uncomfortable part of the short is the new redesign of the pocket of the left thigh. This has been raised about 4 inches, from previous version. Which places the midseem of the short and the pocket seams and zipper all at one spot Mid thigh Very uncomfortable feels like something heavy pushing on thigh area. I have stood by prana for a long time but this new Zion 2 is a down grade from years past. I have searched high and low to buy as many old pairs as I can. Moving forward once this design is fixed I'll be back but for now I'll be looking for a cooler pair (wink) Pictures-Old pair is on bottom and on the left of these photos Photo 1 the Button-Metal is better by far, Not a struggle Photo2-pocket side by side - notice the new placement of the cargo pocket MID thigh photo 3-the heavy intersection of misdeem stitching-midseem plus 2 pocket layers and a zipper photo 4 -inside picture of the heavy stitching intersection that rubs the thigh uncomfortably

I bought several pairs of these shorts, in both the 10 inch and 12 inch version, because I once had a couple of pairs of the older generation back when their material was heavy cotton and I really appreciated their fit and durability. The fit of this new generation of shorts is just as good, I have to say! And these shorts were well on their way to becoming my favorite ever. But what really disappointed me is the material which, after about 2 months of use, has exhibited a lot of pilling in the crotch area. Pictures included.

I purchased these shorts at a local REI for $75. After only two weeks, they snagged and started coming apart. Really wanted to give them a better review, but can’t justify $75 shorts lasting only a few weeks before significant wear.

Great Shorts, But bad button. 5 Months old and the button brakes. I have 4 pairs that I bought in 2016 with the metal button and they're working great. Please go back to the metal button or fix this one for the sake of these Great shorts.

First time I tried it the new button failed. The last ones had a metal button that was great. My othe Zion pants failed to at the button. Very dissatisfied

I've been a fan of the Zion II pants for years and jumped on getting these shorts for when the weather warms up. They're made with the same great material, but I have no idea what the people at Prana were thinking when it came to the button on the fly. It weirdly slides on a small piece of fabric, which causes the front of the waist to bunch up unbecomingly. It was clearly done to cut costs, as the pants version uses a metal rivet for the button, similar to jeans, which works far better. Otherwise a good pair of shorts, but I was hugely disappointed by the fly.

I love these shorts. The reason for the 4 star review is I'm still evaluating the front button. It is attached using a strip of material rather than the previous riveted button. It feels like it will wear out quicker, but so far it is holding up well. My previous 2 pairs of Zion shorts with the riveted button are still going strong but getting a bit ragged since I wear them all the time here in south Florida. I ordered these 3 new pairs knowing they might become yard work shorts sometime soon.

These shorts are not built well. The button is not flush with the pants so above the zipper the pants always look open. This was not the case with the Stretch Zion I. This is a horrible flaw in design. These are the only shorts and pants I wear and not I need to move on to a new brand. Unless you would please fix this issue.