New Swobo Baggies?

Since no one chimed in here and I had been wondering myself for quite some time, I up and plunked down the ching for them.

Bottom line, so far so good, but a few nitpicks (you can't be 100% satisfied with everything). I have a 34" waist and bought a size Large, as I did with my last baggie purchase, the Descente Newton DNA. This is a pseudo review and comparison of the DNA and the Swobo.

My observations: The outer Swobo short is remarkably similar to the Descente Newton DNA short. They even appear to use the same cuts in 90% of the outer short. In fact, the panel sizes, shape and stitching on the lower 80% of the shorts are identical with the exception being that four of the seams are welded on the DNA. The entire Swobo outer short uses the same fabric as is used in the butt panel of the DNA short. Obvious differences are: DNA - zip fly; Swobo - velcro. DNA has two buttons and the Swobo has one. They have nearly identical waist bands and completely different pocket placement. The leg opening on the Swobo short is about 1" bigger than the DNA.

The outers: I've only had the DNA shorts for about a month. The outer is very comfortable and I haven't had a single problem with it getting snagged or restricting my movement. They're the perfect length for me, they cover my crack, the waist is comfortable, adjustable and (hooray) doesn't have elastic on the back. The pockets have coated "waterproof" zippers which are a PIA. PU coated zippers typically have much more resistance to movement and these are no exception. Opening the zip isn't just a matter of grabbing the pull and giving it a yank. You have to stabilize the edge first, then pull. No big deal, but no ideal. After less than 300 miles, I'm starting to see some wear issues with the welded seams...they're starting to delaminate. The fabric appears to be wearing just fine, but we'll see what happens once the rain starts up again in a month.

I only have one ride on the Swobos so I can't say much. Since the fabric and cut is nearly the same as the DNA, I have nearly the same experience. The larger leg holes didn't add any seat snags and I assume that the lack of welded seams means that they'll stay intact longer, but time will tell. My only nit to pick is with the front closure. The one button comes apart *very* easily. If you tug on the waist strap to tighten the waist, the button unsnaps with the slightest pressure. I'm also not wild about the velcro closure. It's stiff and was very noticeable on the long ride.

The liners: The Swobo liner is fantastic with one minor exception, the stitches used to apply the gripper doesn't expand enough. If the liners had the same inseam as a normal lycra short, it wouldn't have been a problem, but as they're shorty shorts, I broke some threads by pulling them up to their natural resting position mid-thigh (for reference 27"). I love the chamois, it's the same one as is used in my beloved Ibex wool knickers and I believe the same is used in some of the higher end Performance branded shorts. All other aspects of the liner is perfect. They're plenty breathable, have a comfy waist band and fit me great (except for the exceptionally tight grippers). They're a HUGE contrast to the liners that came with the DNA shorts which are such crap that they're borderline criminal.

First, the DNA liner completely mismatched size wise with the outer. My L sized DNA liner is about right to fit a 100lb woman. I don't know who f'ed up the spec on those, but I suspect the outer is <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">USA</st1lace></st1:country-region> sized and the inner is sized for children I got the waistband to my thighs, despite hearing about two dozen stitches pop, pulled them all the way up and went for a ride. The chamois is not very dense at all on top of being on the thick side (when uncompressed) so they feel terrible when walking around and it tends to bunch up in the creases when you ride. On top of that, it also is small and didn't provide me with a lot of coverage. The frontal coverage...how shall I put this...only provides room enough for twig and one berry. The other berry uncomfortably squirts off to the right and is occasionally mashed between seat and thigh...terrible. The DNA liners and baggies should be available separately. I'd buy the outer, but wouldn't every purchase the inner again.