Cloth, material, design is top notch
Sizing is atrociously bad
I am a 34 waist-large too loose and medium is on the tighter side.

The issue is that the medium waist fits me but the short feels tights and constricted. I would give a 1 or zero star for the sizing.

These have a great fit [I'm a 33/34 inch waist, 200 lbs, 5'10"] and move with me while playing street hockey or hiking. They can hold onto some dirt, but it takes a great amount of work for them to tear or rip. The fabric is smooth and as tough as a tank's armour. The built in belt comes in handy and they can hold up without washing for a few days out on the trail. Wash them in a stream or under a spigot, dry them quickly in the wind and off you go again!
These are hard working shorts without many frills, just simple and well made.

Just got these shorts in a few days ago, and beware potential buyers!! I ordered a Sm from the web site here, the packing slip and all brand packaging read Sm, and the 'nut' label on the waist of the shorts read S, so everything's cool and I'm happy with my purchase until I try them on; they're loose, really loose. I figure no problem, one of the reviewers here said that could be and that's what the belt is for, right? So I put them through the wash and when go to fold them, I notice that THE S LABEL PEELING OFF FROM THE WAISTBAND TO REVEAL THE TRUE M SIZE OF THE SHORTS. Somewhere during the manufacturing process (this pair came from the good folks in Cambodia), something went wrong and it would appear different sizes are being re-labeled and sold (fraudulently, in my opinion) to unsuspecting retailers and consumers.Will be calling Mountain Hardwear in the morning to notify them of this and I will be publishing the results of my inquiry at this location. Let's hope they do the right thing here and more people don't spend their hard-earned money on wrongly-sized clothing...it should be noted that I own many Mountain Hardwear items and am by and large very impressed with their products and hope to continue my customer relationship with them.***UPDATE***Got through to Mtn Hardwear warranty office, where they patiently listened to the situation and offered an exchange for the full retail price of the shorts. My faith in the brand is restored, and I return to fully recommending anything from this company as they will stand behind it with integrity.

***EPILOGUE***
Warranty department gave me a credit for full retail price of any currently manufactured shorts; I chose the Coolidge trunks and they were rushed to me in approx. 3 days. Awesome MHW, just freaking awesome. This is how you do business and treat customers...

A size medium was too tight for me - my waist size is between 33 and 34.