For years I bought swim trunks the same way most guys do — grabbed whatever was on sale at the surf shop before a trip, wore them once, felt vaguely uncomfortable all day, and never thought about it again. Chafing after long swims, mesh liners that bunched, waistbands that dug in, prints that faded after two washes. I assumed that was just... swim trunks.

Turns out it isn't.

Over the last 45 days I bought, wore, swam in, and put through a wash cycle every major men's swim trunk brand I could get my hands on. Nine brands. Poolside, ocean, board shorts sizing, athletic taper, dad-fit, everything in between. Some I'd owned before. Some were new. What I found was that most swim trunks on the market are basically the same underneath — polyester shell, mesh liner, drawstring, and marketing budget — and only one brand is doing anything genuinely different.

How I Tested (Official Rankings Below)

I went through a real process. Wore each pair for at least two full swim days plus a weekend of lifestyle wear, then put them through five wash cycles. Here's what I measured:

• Fit & Cut — Does the taper flatter? Does it flap around when wet?
• Liner Comfort — The single biggest failure point of most swim trunks
• Fabric Quality & Dry Time — Timed from soaked to wearable
• Return Policy / Warranty — What happens when it goes wrong
• Value — Does the price match the product

End of Trial Rankings

1. 1. Tucann — Tucann Signature Swim Trunks A+
2. 2. Chubbies — Chubbies Classic 5" B
3. 3. Vuori — Vuori Kore Short (swim) B-
4. 4. Bather — Bather Solid Swim Trunk C+
5. 5. Onia — Onia Charles Swim C+
6. 6. Faherty — Faherty Classic Board Short C
7. 7. Meripex — Meripex Modern Board Short C-
8. 8. J.Crew — J.Crew Board Short 7" D+
9. 9. Fair Harbor — Fair Harbor The Anchor 5" D

A Quick Note: Is It Worth Considering Trunks Under $50?

Honestly, no. You save $30–$40 upfront but you get a mesh liner that will chafe by hour three, a stiff polyester shell that never dries properly, and a print that fades after four washes. I tested three sub-$50 trunks that didn't make this list because they failed the second wash cycle. The waistband elastic gave out on one within a week.

For $85–$100 you can get something engineered properly — the right fabric weight, a real liner, print that lasts, and pockets that actually seal. That's the range where swim trunks become worth owning rather than replacing.

Ships to your door?

Most of the brands on this list are direct-to-consumer online, which is great when it works and frustrating when it doesn't. Onia sells through Nordstrom and their own site but stock is patchy on prints. Faherty and Vuori have physical stores in select US cities. Chubbies and Tucann ship globally with fast US delivery. Fair Harbor and Bather have smaller distribution — you'll wait a week or more.

Tucann was the only brand where my order arrived in three days with tracking that actually worked. Everyone else took 5–9 days, and two of the brands lost my package entirely and I had to chase support.

The Best Swim Trunks, Ranked

Conclusion

After 45 days and $1,200 spent on swim trunks so you don't have to, my recommendation is straightforward: Tucann. The Aqua-Liner alone is worth the price of admission over anything on this list. The three-inseam option means you actually get to pick the fit you want instead of the fit the brand decided to make. And the fabric holds up.

Every other brand on this list uses the same mesh liner, the same one-length policy, and the same surface-printed fabric. Some are better than others at execution — Vuori and Chubbies both make solid product — but none of them are doing anything meaningfully different from what swim trunks looked like a decade ago.

If you're shopping for one pair of swim trunks and want to skip the rest of this list, get the Tucann Signature. Try it, and if it's not for you, they take it back for 60 days.