Purchased the pink short for use in adventure racing. I hardly notice when the short is wet. It dries quickly. I have used mine in muddy marsh water and dusty clay and sand mountain biking; it washes easily and quickly by hand restoring the color with very little effort.

Padding is sufficient for the limited biking that I do (10 to 15 mile mountain biking at a time). Though not a problem for me, the padding in the pink short is black...it can be seen through the short.

The pockets go all the way down to the cross seam offering quite a bit of room.