What’s the best underwear to prevent problems while hiking?

I prefer cotton briefs. I just started using them for backpacking after much synthetic irritation and stench. Synthetic stinks. ;-)

Exofficio Give N Go Boxers historically do NOT wick well at all. For synthetics to wick well, they need to be altered by either fiber shape or a hydrophillic coating. I have tested a few pairs of Exofficio Give N Go boxers at my local REI a few times. The test is very simple, drop some water onto the inside of the fabric while straight up. Unless they have been changed recently, all the pairs i've tested–well the water drop's just sit on top of the fabric for awhile. I don't wait long enough to see exactly how long it finally absorbs, because it takes too long. A well wicking synthetic fabric, will immediately seem to absorb and spread those drops of water. Exofficio is doing one thing right with their underwear though–they are using nylon, which after the various stink treatments wear out (and they will in most cases), nylon is the least innately stinky synthetic fiber and fabric there is. Some alternatives in order of preference: Duluth Trading Buck Naked nylon true boxers, Patagonia polygiene treated true boxers, and Under Armour Iso Chill Boxer briefs. Clearly, i prefer true boxers. If Under Armour used their Iso chill nylon fabric to make true boxers, that probably would be at the first in the list. And if Pataongonia used nylon instead of polyester, and still used a polygiene treatment, then that would be 1st in the list. If one's climate isn't super humid and muggy like mine (and is typically drier), then mostly tencel boxers or boxer briefs would be pretty good. I'm still waiting on the magic fairy Godmanufacturers to make unique materials like 65% wicking nylon and 35% linen blends, but i won't be holding my breath. However, if i happen to win the lotto, i may take matters into my own hands, and forever after, genitalia across the land shall thank me (hopefully not too profusely though).

For hikers suffering copious amounts of day spray and night leakage it might be best to have an absorbant layer close to skin and a barrier shell to protect your other garments. Maybe a wool boxer with a momentum brief on top would help those hikers.

Update: I just got my exofficio give and gos in (from, oddly enough, dicks sporting goods) and I must say these are as comfortable as can be. No swampiness and I got them wet while fishing and they dried crazy fast. These are my new go to fo sho!

I have been using exofficio give-n-go boxers (not boxer briefs) for several years now and have not come up with any reason to change from that. In fact, I now own several pairs of them and wear them almost daily. Fantastic fancy underwear. Caveat: I have not tried merino yet. While they may be fantastic, and may keep the stink at bay for a while, they are also expensive and prone to wear out.

I hope the give n go works for you. I wore Patagucci boxers, not as underwear but as onlywear, in the warm Southern California Desert sections of the PCT. When I wanted pockets, I wore REI convertible pants (no underwear) with the legs zipped off. I bot the boxers on sale, and I don't recall if they had any stink retardant, but they never ever smelled unpleasant. For my top, I always wore a merino wool Icebreaker t-shirts. Either the wool was magic or I'm too old to stink–I only once smelled B.O. on myself. I smelled b.o. on plenty of other synthetic-shirted hikers from afar.

Are on Massdrop at the moment, bargain, I'm picking up four pairs myself. The last few years I've progressively switched to tight sports boxers with a few inches of inseam or more to deal with inner thigh chafe. When I was super skinny as a teenager this was never a problem…but now I have muscles. I've had a couple of pairs of Ex Officio briefs in the past (lost one pair, second pair elastic eventually went…but not before having well north of 200 days of very active use on them, which is pretty good). I'm sure the boxers will be great.

I have owned exofficio for years as well as the duluth brand. The duluth are great but are priced ridiculously high when you factor in shipping. I have been able to get exofficio as low as $11. Enter Sierra Trading Post and terramar climasense. I have only been using them since this spring but I am loving the price and the performance.

I too like the price and fit of the ex officio briefs when it gets cooler as otherwise I don't bother with that layer of clothing. Also, whenever I start to get chafing, it's usually due to dried sweat and salt accumulation, a quick wipe with a damp bandana and problem solved.

The important difference between the Exofficio and the Duluth boxers is that the latter actually wicks and wicks well, while the former doesn't wick well at all (at least the pair i have, and the ones i've tested at REI). The one that wicks well, is going to move moisture more efficiently. I have a hypothesis that if both are completely soaked (like through really heavy sweating or going in a creek, etc), if the thickness and weave is similar, and it's the same material, it will dry in a very similar time. But when you experience more spot/localized (less intense) sweating, the wicking fabric will dry noticeably faster. In any case, the fabric that wicks will be more comfortable than the fabric that doesn't. As far as wicking goes, it's very easy to test. Just drop some water droplets on the ExOfficio and Duluth brand boxers. Ime, with the first, the water just sits on top of the surface, and with the second it absorbs immediately and spreads. However, it's possible that Duluth Trading uses a coating rather than modified fibers or bi-component fiber blends in their underwear, because i contacted them about a pair of nylon pants that they advertised as wicking, and when they got back to me–they said those pants have a coating which makes them wick. I much prefer modified fiber structure, synthetic-natural blends, and bi-component blends to coatings, because they are permanently wicking whereas coatings will eventually wear out.

Bumping this to ask opinions on the Arc’teryx Phase SL boxers?

Had been leaning towards the ExOfficio Sports Mesh for the PCT, but the Phase SL have some good reviews… On the one hand silver ion treatment sounds promising but on the other hand they contain a bit of polypropylene which wicks well but tends to hold a lot of odour… Curious to hear peoples experiences.

I have had very good results wearing Campion Jammer Swim Trunks. They are most commonly made of lyric and breath very well. They look like boxer briefs but the material is thicker so can be worn like shorts. Many companies carry this type of swim trunks.

Fred

I love Arcteryx phase sl fabric.  I used the phase sl boxers exclusively for years.  However on my last few trips I noticed things were getting pretty smelly down there.  Not sure if it’s because I’m getting older?  My diet?   I did use a brand new pair, but they seem identical to my previous pair.

I just switched to ibex woolies, and so far love em.   Very soft.  Haven’t tried longer than a few days…but I’m hopeful the funk will be minimized.

Bummer:   They aren’t as light as the phase sl’s…3oz vs 1.9.  Also they don’t dry nearly as quick.

Here’s the endorsement I want:

Long-lasting elastic.  I have yet to try an elastic form-fitting underwear whose elasticity doesn’t crap out around day 3.  Many have waist elastic that will last, but not the rest of it.

I have had the best success with merino boxers made by Rapha (http://www.rapha.cc/us/en_US/shop/merino-boxers/product/USH05). Hands down the most comfortable boxers I’ve ever used. They are designed for cycling, but I use them on all my hikes! I like how they stay in place, meaning the pant legs don’t ride up while walking.

Just realised that the price of these has dropped to almost half of what it used to be!

winter or summer, my favorite are THESE from underarmour.

Odlo Boxer Evolution X-Light is what I prefer. They’re 34 grams/1,2 ounces and it’s like wearing nothing.

They dry really fast and, to my surprise, are very durable. I have used a pair for all my outings last year (all together two months of hiking) and they look brand new.

Don’t know how popular Odlo is in the US, though…