The short answer: buy Chubbies from the official site if you want a specific print or the shortest inseam, and from Dick’s Sporting Goods, Scheels, or a Chubbies store if you want to try a length on first. The brand sells mostly direct, and wholesale partners carry only a trimmed slice of the catalog, so a pair you spotted online may not exist on any rack near you. In mid-October, summer prints are in clearance online while store floors have already turned over to fall. Here is how each channel compares on selection, inseam, price, and returns.
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What Chubbies Is, and Why the Channel Changes the Catalog
Chubbies is a direct-to-consumer men’s apparel brand built around short-inseam shorts and swim trunks. Four Stanford friends started the company in San Francisco in 2011 on a single premise: men’s shorts had gotten too long. Their marketing called it the shorts revolution, and proper length became the whole product identity.
Solo Brands, the parent company of Solo Stove, bought the label in 2021 and still owns it. Solo Brands reported that Chubbies brought in 40.6 million USD of its 88.5 million USD in second-quarter 2026 net sales, so the label is far from a side project. The catalog now runs well past shorts: a swimsuit range, a polo, tank tops, tees, a lounge collection, and licensed collaborations sold under an “x Chubbies” naming convention, including NFL team prints and a George Kittle line from the San Francisco 49ers tight end. The tone leans fun rather than serious, and the “Friday at 5PM” slogan is the brand’s clock-out joke, not a weekly sale.
Pick Your Inseam Before You Pick a Store
Inseam is the first decision and the one most buyers get wrong. Fabric, liner, and product line follow from it.
Inseam length. The catalog is built around a 5.5-inch inseam, with a 7-inch option on most casual and water styles and shorter cuts concentrated on the originals shorts line. Inseam, not waist size, is what people send back.
One detail almost nobody mentions: the inseam grows with the waist size. The Chubbies men’s size chart published by Scheels lists the 4-inch stretch casual short at 4 inches through size L, 4.5 inches at XL, and 5 inches at 2XL and 3XL. The 5.5-inch style runs 6 to 7.5 inches at XL and 6.5 to 8 inches at 2XL and 3XL. If you wear an XL or bigger, the “short” option is already longer than its label, so size down on length with that in mind.
- Measure a pair you own. Lay it flat, measure the inner seam from crotch to hem. That is your baseline.
- Subtract an inch or two. Most first-timers overshoot. If your favorite is 7 inches, try 5.5.
- Read the size guide for waist. The relaxed cut runs differently from slim-fit labels, so check the size guide on their site first.
- Buy where you can return. If you are unsure on length, that rules out final-sale clearance.
Lined or unlined. Swim trunks include a built-in liner. Casual shorts generally do not. Buy the wrong one for the pool and you get a heavy pair that dries slowly.
Which product line. The names are not interchangeable, and a wholesale account usually stocks only two or three of them.
| Line | Built for | Liner |
|---|---|---|
| Originals Stretch Shorts | Everyday casual, shortest cuts | No |
| Everywear Performance Shorts | All-day wear, light activity | No |
| Ultimate Training Shorts | Gym and running | Yes |
| Classic Swim Trunks | Water | Yes |
Fabric, print, and color. Current styles use a stretch woven rather than rigid cotton twill, and the blend varies by line. Solid navy, blue chambray tones, and khaki sit beside loud tropical designs. Only the brand’s own site carries the full print run. Our guide to where to buy sunglasses covers the same weekend territory if you are assembling the rest of the outfit.
Where to Buy Chubbies Online
Chubbies shorts turn up on a dozen sites, but chubbiesshorts.com has the deepest catalog by a wide margin. Everywhere else stocks a subset, so selection rather than price is the real difference.
| Where | Selection | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| Official site | Full catalog, every inseam, new drops | Published window on unworn items, confirm at checkout |
| Amazon | Core originals shorts and trunk styles | Standard Amazon apparel policy |
| Macy’s, Dillard’s, Zappos | Department-store edit, safer colors | Varies, check the policy page |
| Walmart | Narrow, seller-dependent | Varies by seller |
| eBay, Poshmark | Discontinued and past-season prints | Seller-set, often final |
Policies change, so read the terms in your cart before you pay.
The official Chubbies site
The main site is the only place with the complete catalog: new arrivals, limited prints, collaborations, and the shortest inseams wholesale rarely stocks. Free shipping currently applies to Chubbies Collective members on US orders of 50 USD or more, so joining the free membership before a first order is worth the extra minute. Joining the email list is how you hear about a sale before the good sizes disappear.
Amazon
Browse their storefront on Amazon for core originals shorts and trunk styles. This is the brand’s own storefront rather than a reseller, which matters on a label that attracts knockoffs. Depth is the tradeoff: fewer prints, fewer inseams, none of the limited drops.
Macy’s, Zappos, Walmart, and Nordstrom
Department stores stock a curated edit, mostly solid colors and mid-length cuts. Macy’s lists the line on their online brand page, and Zappos carries a small rotating set. Selection on the Walmart marketplace is thinner and listings can come from third parties, so confirm who is shipping. We could not find a current Nordstrom listing in October 2026, so do not plan a trip around it.
eBay and Poshmark
For a discontinued print, search the listings on eBay and check seller feedback and real photos, not stock images. Poshmark covers the same secondhand ground with a lighter pool, and neither has a return safety net.
Buying in Person: Brand Stores and Retail Partners
Physical retail is where you can hold two inseams against each other before committing. Availability is uneven store to store, so call ahead.
Chubbies company stores
The company runs its own retail locations in a handful of states, not nationwide. When we checked the brand’s store locator in October 2026, it listed ten stores: Miramar Beach and Tampa in Florida, Mall of America in Minnesota, Raleigh in North Carolina, Charleston in South Carolina, and five in Texas (Houston, Southlake, The Woodlands, Frisco’s Stonebriar Centre, and an outlet in Allen). Older roundups still mention Atlanta and Las Vegas, and neither appears on the current list, so trust the brand’s locator over any third-party directory. The store experience is the easiest way to compare the 5.5-inch and 7-inch cuts side by side.
Dick’s Sporting Goods and Scheels
Both sporting goods chains carry the line and list it online, so confirm your local store has it before you drive over. Dick’s lists Classic swim trunks in 5.5-inch and 7-inch lengths; check men’s shorts and activewear too, since these chains skew toward the athletic and performance styles. Our roundup of where to buy running shoes pairs with that trip.
Academy, Dillard’s, and regional stores
Academy Sports and Dillard’s have both listed the line, and Palmetto Moon, a Southeast lifestyle chain, is the strongest regional option in the Carolinas and Texas. REI, Dunham’s Sports, Sun and Ski, and Glik’s fill in the rest. Costco has carried the occasional apparel drop, though not dependably.
Timing tip: by mid-October most store floors have flipped to fall, and the flannel shirts take over the same rack where the shorts hung in summer. Online sales run year-round. Know your inseam? Shop clearance now. Unsure? Wait for spring stock.
What a Pair Should Cost, and When to Wait
Full-price shorts and trunks on chubbiesshorts.com generally list in the $60 to $80 range. Benchmark every other channel against that.
- Full price. A current-season print in your exact inseam, in stock and returnable.
- Clearance. Past-season prints and leftover sizes, discounted steeply and usually final sale, so length has to be right the first time.
- Resale. eBay and Poshmark are where discontinued prints live, at whatever the seller decides to ask.
Where paying more is not worth it: a full-price solid color late in the season. Basic shades get discounted deepest and soonest once end-of-summer markdowns start, because nobody hoards a plain navy pair.
Returns, Final Sale, and Other Traps
Third-party policy summaries put the brand’s return window at 90 days, with final-sale items and swim or gym pieces with the tags removed excluded, and only one exchange per order. We could not load the returns page itself during our October check, so confirm the terms in the Returns and Exchanges link at checkout. Five traps cost buyers the most.
Buying clearance in an untested length. Clearance is almost always final sale. An inseam you have never worn is the single costliest mistake.
Assuming the size chart matches your other shorts. The cut is relaxed through the thigh and seat, and the waistband is often elastic. Check against a measurement you took yourself.
Pulling the tags on trunks before you are sure. Try swim and training pieces on with the tags in place. Once they are cut, the return option is gone.
Marketplace listings with no seller history. An unusually cheap listing with stock photos and a new seller account deserves scrutiny; counterfeit apparel follows popular prints. Stick to authorized channels or a seller with real feedback.
Sitting on the box. Return clocks do not wait for the first warm weekend. Try a pair the week it arrives. Our list of stores with the best return policies helps if you are choosing between two retailers for the same pair.
Best Chubbies Styles Right Now
Picks are organized by product line and use case, since prints turn over every season.
Best overall: Everywear Performance Shorts, 5.5-inch. Stretch fabric, no liner, a length that works for errands and dinner alike. Roughly $60 to $80 at full price. Check price on Amazon
Best for the water: Classic Trunks, 5.5-inch. Lined, quick-drying, and available in the loudest prints they make. The 7-inch version is the safer first order. See it on Amazon
Best statement pair: Originals Stretch Shorts. The cut that built the label, in the boldest colorways. Buy it once you know a 5.5 fits you. Check price on Amazon
Best for the gym: Ultimate Training Shorts. Built-in liner and moisture-moving fabric, the one style competing on function rather than personality. See it on Amazon
Best for game day: NFL x Chubbies prints. Team-licensed shorts and trunks are a fun alternative to a jersey for tailgates. If you want the real thing instead, see where to buy official NFL and team jerseys.
Best budget route: clearance and resale. Past-season prints get cut hard once the season turns, and secondhand goes lower still. Flexibility on color is the price of admission, and returns are off the table.
Start by measuring a pair you already own, then order one 5.5-inch pair of Chubbies from a channel with a real return window. If you already know your length, fall clearance online is the cheapest moment of the year; if not, wait for spring stock at a brand store or Dick’s and try two lengths on. For the weekday half of the closet, our work clothes buying guide picks up where this one stops, and the lululemon buying guide covers the gym side.
Chubbies Questions, Answered
What stores carry Chubbies?
Ten company-owned stores in Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, plus wholesale accounts at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Scheels, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Academy, Palmetto Moon, REI, Dunham’s Sports, and Sun and Ski. Wholesale carries a curated subset, mid-length inseams and safer colors, so the shortest cuts stay effectively direct-only.
Do they run true to size?
Waist sizing is conventional, but the fit is relaxed through the thigh and seat, so shoppers used to slim-fit labels often find them roomier than expected. Inseam also lengthens in larger sizes, so an XL in a 5.5-inch style can measure 6 inches or more.
Is there a women’s line?
The main catalog is men’s. Women’s swimwear moved to Cheekies, a sister label under the same parent company. Plenty of women buy the men’s shorts and size down, which works on the casual lines but changes how a liner sits.
Why are Chubbies so expensive?
Full retail sits in the $60 to $80 range because the model is direct-to-consumer, so the price absorbs marketing and returns instead of a wholesaler’s margin. Price is the recurring complaint across third-party review pools, where buyers compare the fabric against sub-$20 big-box shorts. Comfort and liner quality are the counterweight.
Who owns Chubbies, and is it going out of business?
Solo Brands has owned the label since 2021, and it is operating normally; Chubbies grew revenue across 2025. The confusion traces to news about Solo Brands, whose shares moved off the New York Stock Exchange to over-the-counter trading in 2026. That is a listing change at the parent level, not a shutdown.
About This Guide
In October 2026, our editorial team re-checked the store locator, shipping terms, retailer availability, and product picks for this guide. Prices move fast at the seasonal turn, so treat the ranges above as a snapshot. Whether you order direct or find a pair in store, the right pair is worth the trouble of sizing correctly the first time.