Superior Surf Shorts: Roark

(For all of 2019’s Superior Surf Shorts, head here!)

A relative newcomer to the surf rag trade, Roark’s guiding light is packing it up and hitting the road. And hey, we like to peramble as much as the next guy. Roark’s trunks are road tested and rugged, shorts fit to last and perform every session of a long trip. No frills necessary, but no details neglected, either.

Parker Coffin wears the Savage Boatman.

It’s interesting that Roark designer Danny Geary was the only one of our interviewees who said that they thought that the golden period of board short design was still yet to come. Perhaps says something of Roark’s blending of function and tech. “Boardshorts started out very pure,” Danny says. “Created purely for sport. After that, everything got sideways; crazy lengths, baggy fits, poor performance fabrics, and over-designed features. I believe we are working our way back to the origin of boardshorts. Lengths and fabrics that simply function better.”

Parker levitates in the Tiger Lotus.

The design that the Roark squad are hanging their hats on this year is the awesomely named, “Savage Boatman.” The cool thing about these trunks, is that Roark went the distance and relocated to Jamaica (briefly) to develop the trunks with the watermen of the Orcabessa Fish Sanctuary (a rad organisation that’s taking on overfishing in the area).

“This style embodies everything we believe in,” Danny says. “Design for function, not fashion. The goal here was to enhance the user’s comfort when moving or putting the boardshort through strain. The slightly angled sideseam, in the opposite direction of what has been done for many years, is specifically placed to enhance comfort while moving, eliminating any restriction or binding from a traditional sideseam.”

Parker wears the Savage Horizon.

If you haven’t quite found your speed in trunks up until this point, and you’re on the adventurous side, then Roak might just be your bag. They’re playing in a space that not many of the other brands bother with, and that might just prove to be their strength.

Follow your compass into a new pair of Roark’s, here.