You've seen the word on swim racks and in surf shops, on gym-short listings and in beach-town boutiques: volley. So what is a volley short, exactly? The short version: a volley short is a lightweight, above-the-knee short with an elastic drawstring waist and no built-in liner (usually), born on the volleyball courts of Southern California beaches and built to go from water to land without a change. The long version — where they came from, how they differ from board shorts and swim trunks, what they're made of, and how to wear them — is below.
Part of our Style & Fit series — see also what are biker shorts and the men's gym outfit guide.
Volley shorts, defined
A volley short is a hybrid athletic-swim short defined by four traits:
- An elastic waistband with a drawstring — no zipper, no velcro fly. This is the fastest tell versus a board short.
- A shorter, above-the-knee cut — typically a 5–7 inch inseam, made for movement.
- Lightweight quick drying fabrics — thin nylon or polyester blends that go from soaked to dry in minutes.
- Land-and-water versatility — they're cut and finished to look like regular casual shorts, not obviously-swimwear.
The name comes from beach volleyball. Players needed shorts they could sprint, dive, and jump in on sand, that handled an ocean dip between games, and that didn't look ridiculous at the taco stand after. The volley short is that answer, and the DNA is still visible in every pair.
Volley shorts vs. board shorts
This is the comparison people actually mean when they ask. Board shorts are surfwear: longer (often to or past the knee), with a fixed, tie-front waist and no elastic — because elastic plus a wipeout equals shorts around your ankles — and a slick, tough shell built for wax and boards. Volley shorts are the opposite philosophy: shorter, stretchier at the waist, lighter, and designed for running and jumping rather than paddling. If you surf, you want board shorts. For literally everything else at the beach — volleyball, swimming, walking, sitting — volleys are more comfortable.
Volley shorts vs. swim trunks and gym shorts
Against classic swim trunks, the differences are subtler: traditional trunks are shorter-lived on land — mesh-lined, shinier, and unmistakably swimwear — while volleys skip or minimize the liner and pass as everyday shorts. Against gym shorts, volleys give up a little of the stretch and sweat-wicking engineering but add water-readiness and a more finished, casual look. Think of the volley short as the exact midpoint of the triangle: swim trunk, gym short, casual short.
What they're made of
The fabric is the feature. Volley shorts run 90–150 gsm nylon or polyester — roughly half the weight of a chino — often with a touch of stretch, a water-repellent finish, and mesh or perforated pocket bags so they drain instead of ballooning in the water. That's what makes the water-to-land trick work: you can swim at noon and be dry by the time your food arrives. Quality pairs add a soft internal drawcord, side pockets deep enough to trust, and sometimes a back zip pocket for keys.
The liner question
Classic volleys are unlined — that's part of the definition — which is why they double so easily as regular shorts over your own underwear. Modern versions split three ways: unlined (the purist cut, wear as you like), mesh brief liner (the swim-trunk holdover), and compression liner (the athletic hybrid, increasingly common). None is wrong; it's purely about how you'll use them. For swimming-first, a liner is convenient. For wear-all-day versatility, unlined wins.
When to wear volley shorts
- Beach days, obviously — they are the beach-day short, from the water to the boardwalk.
- Casual summer wear: with a tee and sneakers, a volley reads as a normal warm-weather short; nobody knows it swims.
- Vacation packing: the one-short travel play — pool in the morning, town in the afternoon, one item in the bag.
- Light workouts and yard work: the same lightness that dries fast also breathes; they're a fine hot-day training short for anything that isn't heavy lifting.
- Boats, lakes, water parks: anywhere the wet/dry line blurs, volleys are the answer.
How to style them
The volley short's superpower is looking intentional in casual settings. The formula that always works: volley short in a solid color (navy, olive, black, bone), a fitted tee or tank — the ones in the Connfi collection are the exact energy — and clean sneakers or slides. Solid, muted volleys read the most "regular shorts"; loud tropical prints read the most "swimwear," so pick according to how far from the water you're planning to roam. Fit note: they should sit at the natural waist with the hem above the knee — a volley that reaches the knee is fighting its own design.
How to choose a good pair
Five checks, thirty seconds: weight — hold them up; they should feel almost insubstantial. Dry speed — thin synthetic shell, drainage in the pockets. Waistband — soft elastic that doesn't roll, drawcord that actually holds. Inseam — 5–7 inches for the classic cut; taller guys can go 7, shorter guys shine in 5. Finish — flat, matte fabric and clean seams are what let them pass as everyday shorts. Care is simple: rinse after salt water, machine wash cold, hang dry — the shell fabric outlives summers if you keep it off high heat.
A short history, for the curious
The volley short's family tree runs straight through mid-century California: post-war beach culture produced short, elastic-waist swim shorts; beach volleyball's boom gave them a job and a name; and the surf industry's board shorts pulled the category longer and stiffer for decades — until the throwback revival brought the short, light, elastic original back as both athletic wear and a summer style staple. What you're buying today is essentially the 1970s beach short, upgraded with modern quick-dry fabric.
Volley shorts for women
Volleys read as menswear on the rack, but the category has quietly gone unisex — the same light, elastic-waist, quick-dry formula in shorter 2–4 inch inseams and higher rises. Women's volleys occupy the same niche: the beach short that swims, walks, and runs errands without announcing itself as swimwear. The styling logic transfers exactly — solid colors read casual, prints read pool — and the pairing with a fitted tank is the definitive beach-town summer outfit. If you've been alternating between bikini bottoms and denim cutoffs all summer, the volley is the missing middle option.
One short that swims, sprints, and orders lunch — that's the whole volley short pitch, and it delivers.
Quick answers
Can you swim in volley shorts?
Yes — that's half their job. Quick-dry shell, draining pockets. Unlined pairs just mean choosing what you wear underneath (or a swim liner version).
Are volley shorts the same as swim trunks?
They overlap, but no: trunks are swim-first and look it; volleys are the hybrid that passes as casual shorts on land.
What length is a volley short?
Classically 5–7 inches of inseam — above the knee, always. Longer than that and you've wandered into board-short or gym-short territory.
Now you know exactly what the tag means — and why one good pair of volleys quietly replaces three other shorts every summer.