Size & Inseam Guide
Two decisions matter when you buy swim trunks: how long the leg is and what waist size you take. This page covers both.
1. Pick your inseam
Inseam is measured from the crotch seam down to the hem. It is the single biggest factor in how a pair of trunks looks on you. Most products state their inseam in the title. If one does not, email us and we will check with our manufacturing partner.
| Inseam | Where it sits | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 inch | Upper thigh, well above the knee | Retro and short-cut styles. Pool, sunbathing, showing leg. |
| 5.5–7 inch | Mid-thigh | The middle ground. Most men are comfortable here. |
| 9 inch | Just above the knee | The most conservative everyday length. Doubles as a walk short. |
| 11–13 inch | At or below the knee | Classic board short. Surf, paddle, full coverage. |
If you are unsure, 7 inch is the safest first purchase.
2. Pick your liner
What is sewn inside changes the feel more than the fabric does.
- Compression liner — a snug knit short inside the trunk. Holds everything in place and stops chafing on a long day. Best for swimming, running into the water, and anything active.
- Mesh liner — a loose net brief. Lighter and more breathable, less support. The traditional swim-trunk lining.
- No liner — you wear your own swim brief underneath, or nothing. Chosen by people who dislike a built-in liner.
Most product pages say which one that product has; if one does not, email us and we will check with our manufacturing partner.
3. Pick your waist size
Most of our trunks come in Small, Medium, Large and XX-Large. A few come in numeric waist sizes (30 to 44) or in 1X, 2X and 3X.
How to measure
- Stand relaxed — do not hold your stomach in.
- Run a soft tape around your natural waistline, roughly where the waistband of your shorts sits, just above the hip bone.
- Keep the tape level all the way round and snug but not tight.
- Read the measurement in inches.
No tape? Take a pair of shorts that already fit you, lay them flat, measure straight across the waistband from edge to edge, and double it.
Being straight with you about the chart
We are not publishing a waist-inch conversion table, because our manufacturing partner has not supplied verified per-size measurements for these garments and we are not going to make numbers up. What we can tell you:
- These are elasticated drawstring waists, which forgive an inch either way.
- Sizing follows Asian manufacturing standards and tends to run smaller than US high-street sizing. If you are between sizes, or if you normally buy US-brand shorts, size up.
- Where a product lists numeric waist sizes (30–44), order the waist size you actually measure.
We would rather say this plainly than print a chart we cannot stand behind. If the fit is wrong, the return is free — we email you a prepaid label and there is no restocking fee. See Returns & Refunds.
4. Trying them on
Try trunks on over your own underwear and keep the hygienic liner strip in place until you are sure. That keeps the item returnable.
Still not sure?
Email support@cheermarketz.com with your usual short size and the product you are looking at, and we will tell you what we know about that specific item. Reply within 24 hours.