Oiselle Pockito Shorts

Review by Erin Trail

As weather turns warmer, I was looking to refresh my warm weather running gear. I’m a triathlete and generally run in my tri shorts (compressive, tight fitting shorts with a very thin chamois, designed for both cycling and running). My tri shorts don’t have pockets, which is something that I’ve been missing.

The Pockito 6″ Shorts are Oiselle’s sister short to the Pocket Jogger tight line. The Oiselle Pockito 6″ Shorts come in a variety of inseams (4, 6, and 8 inches) and are available in sizes ranging from 2 to 14, offering coverage for a wide variety of bodies. I chose the 6″ length because the triathlon shorts I’m used to running in are typically 5″ long.  I find that this length is good for me in terms of coverage and comfort.

The Oiselle Pockito 6″ Shorts have a good variety of pockets:

• A large pocket along the IT band of each leg, large enough to hold a cell phone.
• A zippered rear pocket, appropriate for a key or a smaller item that you don’t want to lose.
• A wraparound waistband pocket

I’ve been wearing the Oiselle Pockito 6″ Shorts on my hour long lunchtime runs where the temperatures have ranged from 60-75 degrees. I like using the side pocket to hold a gel or chew package; they fit securely and don’t bounce around. To be honest, I have no idea what the wraparound waistband pocket is for, and this detail seems to add a bit of unnecessary bulk to the waistline of the shorts.  The zippered rear pocket is perfect for my inhaler or my car key.

The Oiselle website reports that users find the Pockito short to run small and recommended sizing up.  I ordered my usual size (same size as the Pocket Jogger tights) and found that the legs are a little loose for my liking.  I am used to wearing triathlon shorts that are really tight and often have leg grippers along the bottoms, and often, my main complaint with that style of shorts is “sausage leg”.  I have the opposite issue with the Oiselle Pockito 6″ Shorts.  There is no leg gripper, and for me, the legs were a little loose.  I did find that on a few of my runs, the bottom hem of the shorts did creep upwards for me at the start of my run.  Once I started to sweat, the fabric stayed in place better and I didn’t need to tug the shorts down.  I suspect that if I went down a size (going against website recommendations), the shorts would have fit more compressively (at the risk of sausage leg) and likely would have eliminated any movement while running.

The waistband of the Oiselle Pockito 6″ Shorts is fairly high, hitting me above the navel. I found the fabric be be medium weight, especially compared to some of the triathlon shorts that I own.  The shorts, in Twilight Monarch, are completely opaque.  They do show a bit of sweat, but only at the back waistband.  The dark color of the shorts I received made any sweat barely noticeable.

I found the Oiselle Pockito 6″ Shorts to be very comfortable during my hour long runs.  I didn’t experience any chafing (yay!) and I was able to essentially forget about my shorts as I ran, allowing me to put my focus into my interval work.

Closing Thoughts

The Oiselle Pockito 6″ Shorts are great options for women runners who don’t like running in traditional baggy running shorts. The side and rear pockets are very useful and the 2025 colorways are also really fun , offering options beyond “basic black”. I would suggest going against website guidance and size down (or go to REI to try on a pair).

Erin Trail