Synthetic underwear and odor

[dave e]

You can buy synth underwear at Ross and whatever discount chain for 5$ or so.Since my synth baselayers stink up pretty good how do synth underwear fare???

[Ken Strayer]

they tend to smell like death

[M B]

mine smell more like rotten shrimp after a week of heavy sweating.

[Billy Ray]

I rinse mine out every day and don't notice a smell…

[Ken Thompson]

"Since my synth baselayers stink up pretty good how do synth underwear fare???"

Why would you think there would be a difference since they're basically the same thing?

Some of the newer fabrics stink way less then that polypro stuff from the 80's Phew! I like the Patagucci boxer briefs. Overnighters, still wear cotton a lot of the time.

[Max Dilthey]

Wool Wool Wool Wool.

Wool?

Wool Wool. Wool!

Worth the money. Seriously. I now have a closet full of the stuff, I trust nothing more. I hike in it, I bike in it, I sleep in it, I go to the bar in it, and removal of my Smartwool long johns is a significant stage of my foreplay.

[Ken Thompson]

Max…..

[Philip Tschersich]

Arcteryx Phase SL boxer-briefs do an admirable job keeping the funk at bay. Not quite wool-level odor control, but close, and they also dry in half the time. They use silver ions in the fabric as a permanent anti microbial treatment. If you are looking at $5 undies, I'm guessing these will be out of your price range though.

I used Smartwool base layers for a few years but then went back to synth for high-output activities because I was annoyed at how slowly the wool dried.

[Zorg Zumo]

The ones I buy at Target do pretty well if they are washed out once in a while. They don't hold the stink like some older poly tops used to.

Carry a little baking soda – works great for a number of de-stinking projects.

[John Holmes]

ExOfficio Give 'n Go Boxer Briefs!

I wear nothing else, day in, day out. After I bought my first 2 pair for hiking, I ended up replacing every pair of drawers I owned. after 3 years of being washed every week, those original 2 pair look exactly like the newest pair I own.

One pair, without daily rinsing, is good for 4-5 days on the trail. No stink. I stink…but the drawers do not. If you rinse each day, I doubt you'd ever need more than one pair on a trip no matter the duration. Can usually be found on sale for ~$17. Give them a try.

Also will give a shout out to wool (I've only experience with Smartwool), although has previously mentioned, they dry rather more slowly that the EOs, and generally do not last as long.

[Here There]

"ExOfficio Give 'n Go Boxer Briefs"

+1

Similar story for me, I started with one pair for hiking and use them almost exclusively now. I have a couple of pairs of cotton ones that I still like, and on overnights I usually just go out with whatever I happen to be wearing that day. For longer trips though the EO's are perfect.

[Dondo .]

If five dollars is your price point, they'll be fine, as long as you take the time to wash them out every day. Otherwise, they'll get pretty nasty pretty fast.

Wool doesn't have the odor problem but they are very pricey, and, in my experience, don't last too long. If you are a value shopper, I think you can rule these out.

My choice these days is a pair of Polarmax transdry cotton boxer briefs. Half of the fibers are given a hydrophobic treatment so the fabric wicks your sweat pretty well but not as well as a good pair of synth like my Ex Offico. A big plus is that they are very comfortable against your skin and like wool, they don't stink. At $30, they are not exactly cheap, but still less expensive than wool, and a lot more durable.

[Billy Ray]

all underwear stinks if you don't wash them out… all

it's basic hygiene: wash you crotch and you undies daily…

then you and your undies won't stink…

this is not rocket science, guys…

b

[John Holmes]

Well…Jeez…never really thought that needed to be discussed explicitly :)

Uh, yeah, gots to wash your boys daily.

No drawers are going to stand up to multiple days of neglect down there. That's why you pack a couple of baby wipes per day, right? Let's be honest, there's only so much one can expect from a pair of drawers.

[Dondo .]

We shall now all proceed to thread discussing the best way to wash your, um, boys.

[John Holmes]

I did mention baby wipes, right?

Plus I really think anyone interested in that discussion should start a new thread so the rest of us can ignore it :)

[Nick Gatel]

If you leave them at home in your backpacking chifferobe, they will smell as fresh as a daisy.

5" Patagonia Baggies with the mesh cut out provide pleasant ventilation.

[Dondo .]

Thanks for sharing, Nick. As our friend, Cosmo Kramer discovered, commando is always an option.

[Nick Gatel]

Dondo,

That was hilarious !!

[Nick Gatel]

on Colin Fletcher's Second Law of Thermodynamic Walking

[Max Dilthey]

Wool is definitely not as durable, although one year in, I have only managed to wear out one wool T-shirt and one pair of wool socks. I suspect most of my wool stuff will last many more years, but YMMV.

I have Ex-Officio briefs, and I find them a little constricting, if you catch my drift. Wool stretches out more so is usually more comfortable. However, the durability and stink-proofness are pretty good, better than under armour and the like. I bet Arcteryx is better, but at the price point, it sure as hell better be.

[chris smead]

+1 on the Arcteryx phase SL boxers. No stank, wick well, and dry super quick.
I think they are 1.7oz if my memory serves me right.
They are form fitting boxers though, so not like the comfy Hanes you might wear at home.

[James holden]

its synth … just wash it, squeeze out all the water you can and dry em out

;)

[Dondo .]

Though my copy of The Complete Walker disintegrated after many years of use, I think I remember the passage you're referring to. Something about giving your boys
some air? ;)

[Author]

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