Best Men's Swim Trunks (2026)

#	Product	Best for	Length	Price
1	Top pick Speedo Men's Marina Volley Trunk A short quick-dry volley trunk built to swim in, with a liner and a pocket that drains.	Swimming, not lounging	Approx. 8 in inseam	Check price on Amazon #ad · Affiliate disclosure
2	Budget pick Kanu Surf Men's Swim Trunks Basic quick-dry trunks at the bottom of the price range, with a drawcord and pockets that work.	Cheapest pair worth owning	Various, mid to knee	Check price on Amazon #ad · Affiliate disclosure
3	Also good Speedo Boys' Marina Volley Short A plain quick-dry volley short with a real drawcord and a mesh liner — everything a boy's trunk needs.	Everyday swim trunks	Volley, above knee	Check price on Amazon #ad · Affiliate disclosure

Inseam is the spec that matters

Men's swimwear is sold on print and fit and almost never on the number that determines whether it works: inseam. Fabric below the knee fills with water and drags, and long board shorts pull their own waistband down while you swim. That is not a small effect — it is the difference between swimming and wading.

For a father who will actually be in the water with his children, 7 to 9 inches is the range to buy. It swims properly, it is not immodest, and it dries fast enough to wear for the rest of the afternoon.

1. Top pickSpeedo

Speedo Men's Marina Volley Trunk

A short quick-dry volley trunk built to swim in, with a liner and a pocket that drains.

Specifications

Length

Approx. 8 in inseam

Waist

Elastic with drawcord

Liner

Mesh

Pocket

Back, drainable

What works

• +Short enough to actually swim in — long board shorts fill with water and drag
• +Quick-dry fabric means you are not sitting in a wet trunk for an hour after
• +Drainable pocket does not hold a liter of lake water
• +Priced to own two

What doesn’t

• −Above-knee length is not to everyone's taste
• −Liner will irritate some wearers

Who it’s for

Anyone who swims rather than wades — laps, lake crossings, keeping up with children.

Bottom line

Buy by inseam, not by brand. Anything past the knee is a beach garment, not swimwear.

Check price on Amazon

#ad · Affiliate disclosure

2. Budget pickKanu Surf

Kanu Surf Men's Swim Trunks

Basic quick-dry trunks at the bottom of the price range, with a drawcord and pockets that work.

Specifications

Length

Various, mid to knee

Waist

Elastic with drawcord

Liner

Mesh on most models

Fabric

Quick-dry polyester

What works

• +Cheapest trunk here that still has a working drawcord and a mesh liner
• +Wide size range including big and tall
• +Dries acceptably fast
• +Cheap enough to buy three and stop thinking about it

What doesn’t

• −Fabric is thinner and fades over a season
• −Fit consistency varies between models

Who it’s for

Anyone needing trunks for occasional use, or several pairs for a family holiday.

Bottom line

The budget pick and honestly fine. The Speedo lasts longer and swims better if you are actually swimming.

Check price on Amazon

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3. Also goodSpeedo

Speedo Boys' Marina Volley Short

A plain quick-dry volley short with a real drawcord and a mesh liner — everything a boy's trunk needs.

Specifications

Length

Volley, above knee

Waist

Elastic with drawcord

Liner

Mesh

Fabric

Quick-dry polyester

What works

• +Drawcord plus elastic means it stays up on a thin child, which pull-on trunks do not
• +Above-knee length does not drag in the water the way board shorts do
• +Dries fast enough to put back on after lunch
• +Cheap and stocked everywhere

What doesn’t

• −Mesh liner irritates some children and cannot be removed
• −Plain styling

Who it’s for

Any boy who needs one pair of trunks that work for the pool, the lake and the beach.

Bottom line

The default. Check the drawcord actually ties — that single detail is why cheaper trunks end up abandoned.

Check price on Amazon

#ad · Affiliate disclosure

What to look for in men's swim trunks

• •A 7-9 inch inseam for general swimming, shorter if you swim laps.
• •Quick-dry polyester. The difference between changing after swimming and not bothering.
• •A drainable pocket — mesh-backed or eyeleted. A solid pocket holds a surprising volume of lake water and slaps against your leg.
• •A working drawcord, ideally with a flat internal tie rather than a bulky knot.
• •A liner you can live with. Mesh is standard; brief-style liners are more supportive; unlined exists for those who prefer it.
• •UPF fabric if you spend long days on the water, though the trunks only cover the legs.

When to buy a jammer instead

If you are swimming laps, a jammer — a close-fitting mid-thigh short in chlorine-resistant PBT — is a genuinely better garment. It creates almost no drag, it does not shift, and the fabric lasts several times longer in chlorine than nylon-elastane trunks.

It is also unmistakably swimwear rather than shorts, which puts a lot of people off. The practical resolution many men reach is a jammer for the pool and volley trunks for the lake, and the jammer earns its keep the moment you start swimming measured distances.

How much should you spend?

Little. Men's trunks at the bottom of the market have everything that matters — a drawcord, a liner, quick-dry fabric — and the main differences further up are print, brand and slightly better stitching. Buying two cheap pairs beats one expensive pair.

The one thing worth paying for is the right inseam, which is often a stocking rather than a pricing question: budget ranges skew long, and a genuine 7-inch volley short is more often found in swim brands than in general clothing brands.

Will they last a second summer?

Usually two or three, and the failure point is almost always the waistband elastic rather than the fabric. Heat is what kills it — so skip the tumble dryer, and do not leave trunks drying in direct sun on a hot surface.

Rinse after chlorine and after lake water, wash cool, and hang to dry in shade. If the drawcord frays at the tip, seal it with a lighter before it unravels back into the channel and disappears — which is a small thing that ends otherwise fine trunks.