Being in a colder part of the country, this winter I've started hiking in waterproof pants, after previously trucking through a lot of wet weather in running shorts.
I've found one of the main plusses is that it stops/slows my shorts underneath from wicking water up under my rain jacket to soak my torso.
I don't want to carry or wear rain pants all the time though.. the problem is that all shorts are deliberately designed to wick moisture, which forces you do put on rain pants (which I wouldn't normally bother carrying unless it's cold), or get wet from below.
Maybe some 80's nylon soccer/rugby league shorts would be better than the current crop of stretch/soft touch fabric in running shorts. eVent shorts would be nice… but buying a pair of eVent pants and cutting them up is a bit extravagant.
