A modern icon, subtly refined over half a century of surf and sun. Medium length.

The original “Birdies” were born in 1961, when surf mom Carrie Birdwell Mann sewed the first pairs for her sons in her Southern California living room. Hoping to replace the canvas shorts popular with surfers at the time with something safer and more functional, she found inspiration in the sails of the boats docked at nearby Newport Beach. Originally working with off-the-shelf spinnaker cloth, she soon commissioned Birdwell’s signature nylon fabric, SurfNyl™️, and replicated the two-layer construction and triple seams of the most durable sails, and an American icon was born.

The 311 board short is a medium-length version of Ms. Birdwell’s original design — lightly modernized and improved over more than 50 years of field testing by lifeguards and surfers who depend on their Birdies to last a lifetime of waves. Each pair of our 311 board shorts is hand cut from our proprietary SurfNyl™️ and sewn by expert craftspeople in Santa Ana, California. With a simple button fly, a tab closure for an adjustable fit, and a timelessly appealing contrast stitch, these mid-length shorts strike the perfect balance between the past and present.