Best Men’s Work Shorts With Pockets (Come from Scruffs) in 2023
Looking for new work shorts? Our guide explains why Scruffs makes the best shorts for work, and what we think about other alternatives.
We’ve chosen Scruffs work shorts as the best in class thanks to their durability, breathability, functionality and price.
They’re suitable for:
- Plumbing and gas fitting
- Carpentry, plastering, building and electrical work
- Mechanics
- And even DIYers.
Best Men’s Work Shorts With Pockets?
I was planning on writing up a list of 5-10 options that vary in price, quality and the online reviews that they have. Then I decided that’s just wasting everyone’s time.
#1 – Scruffs Men’s Trade Shorts
If you’ve already got a tonne of work gear, there’s a good chance you’ve got a pair of Scruffs somewhere.
They’ve been kicking out quality work gear for tradesmen since 2003. You don’t keep a big business alive that long by producing junk.
Why Scruffs?
Their trousers are durable, breathable, but functional thanks to plenty of well-placed tool pockets.
But, what about their work shorts?
Material
The materials used create the DNA of any work shorts.
I’m sure you’ve debated buying a set of cheap work shorts/trousers and aren’t sure what the difference is when it comes to brands like Scruffs.
The main difference?
Cheap materials reduce durability and breathability. Long story cut short, that means replacing your shorts earlier than you should because:
- They wear out ridiculously fast
- They’re simply too uncomfortable, hot and sweaty to wear.
(HINT: You don’t want that. There are enough things to throw your dummy out the pram about in the average day – don’t let being hot and sweaty be one of them.)
The Scruffs Trade Shorts use 65% polyester and 35% cotton. So, say bye-bye to being muggy all day like you would be in cheaper work shorts.
The polyester gives them their rugged construction and long-term durability, whereas the cotton gives their lightweight, breathability and comfort characteristics you need in hot weather.
On key stress areas, they’ve been reinforced. So, you won’t need to junk them 12 months down the line, just because you’ve ground through the high-contact areas.
Pockets
But, venting well and being lightweight doesn’t make them functional.
If you’ve got nowhere to put your tools, they’ll be useless. 
And that’s exactly why the Scruffs work shorts have a tonne of different pockets:
- Phone pocket
- Rule pocket
- Main cargo pocket
- Holster pockets that can be tucked away.
Compared with most other sets of work shorts from competitive brands there are not just more pockets on offer with the Scruffs Trade shorts, they’re also slightly bigger.
Basically, you’ll have plenty of places to stash your tools, and half a packet of Hob Nobs too.
Online Reviews
If you’ve been tossing up a couple of options to make a decision on the best work shorts, there’s a good chance you’ve looked at a few online reviews.
Personally, I don’t buy products without finding at least a handful of reviews. The only exception is if it’s a fairly unique product where there are unlikely to be ANY reviews (like a flue gas analyser etc).
It’s no coincidence that the Scruffs Trade work shorts have most-probably, the highest volume of reviews online.
And, the majority are positive. They’re definitely worth checking out – they’ll confirm everything we talk about here (durability, breathability and so on).
I’m not sure about you, but that fills me with the confidence I need to make a purchase.
Zips
OK, probably not something you really think about when purchasing work shorts, but I’m sure you’ve had a pair that have been binned because the zips started getting stuck.
Annoying, right?
That’s not going to happen with the Scruffs Trade shorts.
They don’t manufacture their own zips to save a few pennies. Instead, they’ve gone the opposite way. So, they pay more to ensure their zips are the best they possibly can be.
They import their zips directly from a manufacturer, that, well, specialises in zips.
That’s right, a company that specialises in zips. Who’d have thought.
It’s YKK Fastening Products Group. Go and Google them if you don’t believe me.
Fit/ Sizing
Although we didn’t sell a tonne of work shorts at the merchant I used to work at, we did notice that Scruffs tend to offer a slightly larger and looser fit.
Especially when you compare them to the likes of Dickies.
It’s not a problem, it’s just something worth noting when your deciding on size.
So, if you’re in between sizes (35” waist), just go for the size down (34” waist) and you’ll be good to go.
Price
Are they cheap? Well, not when you compare them to no-name products on eBay imported from who knows where.
But then, is anything?
Compared with well-known workwear brands, they’re competitive on price. So, we’re talking DeWalt, Apache, Dickies and so on.
The price varies depending on sizes, current deals and so on, but they’re usually around £30 online.
Scruffs Work Shorts (Review) Verdict
Are there cheap alternatives to the Scruffs work shorts?
Definitely.
Are these cheap work shorts worth it?
Probably not.
The fact is, you get what you pay for.
If you don’t wear shorts regularly throughout summer, then you’ll get away with a cheap set. When I say “get away with”, I mean, you’ll be able to live with sweating-it-out for a few days a year.
But if that’s the route you’re taking, I’d probably just save the cash and wear a decent pair of trousers instead. They’ll probably vent better than cheap no-name shorts.
However, if you want something durable, functional and breathable, there’s a good chance you’ll have to budget more than £20.
And to be honest, for the extra £10 or so that the Scruffs work shorts are in comparison to the cheap (and quite honestly, poor quality) shorts, it’s definitely worth the extra spend.
In summary, I’d buy the Scruffs work shorts, or not bother buying any shorts at all.
What’s Next?
Thanks for reading our 5-minute guide to the best work shorts from Scruffs.
Recommend any workwear you’ve used/got?
We’d love to hear about it – drop a comment below.