Chaffing

Boxer briefs. 9" inseam. That's the only long term solution other than being so skinny your inner thighs don't touch.

Washing, cleanliness and drying powders if you are overweight and/or a heavy sweater. I'm both. I can shower thoroughly, crank the air conditioning, stand in front of a fan for an hour to dry out down there, and drop half a bottle of powder down there and go out into a SoCal winter and be chafed within 2 blocks. The slippery products like BodyGlide delay chafing a little longer, but that's not much at all.

The briefs work despite being fat, sweaty, dirty, day after day of hiking. You may not need a 9" inseam, but the 6" inseam rides up on me.

I can't say for sure but I Was recently boxed into a situation with a choice of New Merrill Moab Ventilator's from REI vs. a copy of Rocksports which I had worn for hundreds of miles across China. The Moab's purchased at REI were great for the big toes for a day. After that I felt pressure on the upper parts of my big toes at the joint.Big rivets on the Men's at the bases on the inside.Screwed up design. Weird. I controlled all pressure for the next week using Tincture of Benzoin on calloused areas and Glide Hydropel all over. Even after a heavy shower I could still feel the Glide.It makes a real difference.A rare find.The Rocksports handled many miles. The Moab's are town shoes until otherwise and may be back to REI.

I prefer Chamois Butter over Body Glide. The Body Glide is a mess in hot weather. I have had the body glide which comes in stick form like deodorant melt and turn into a nasty and messy goo when the mercury spikes. Imagine leaving a stick of deodorant in a car on a 100 degree day. Chamois butter which is a cream is easier for me to handle and use in the heat. Chamois butter is popular amongst cyclists and should be available at any cycling shop worth it's salt.

I too am an overweight hiker and heavy sweater. I find the body glide does nothing really.

Tight fiting, moisture wicking, compression style boxers seem to work best for me.

A couple of summers ago I started using Vaseline Intensive care lotion (after recommendation from my father in law, who works in his yard a lot). I no longer have chaffing, jock itch, etc. It has worked wonders for me. Give it a try. Powders did nothing but make matters worse for me.

Thanks guys. I have been wearing boxers and that seems to NOT work. I am not overweight….just a little bit of a beer gut. I have hiked in tight fitting briefs, but it has been a long time since. I might look into those again and give it a shot. Well, after my back heals. Thanks again for the replies

For me, and I think this is the big difference-

Ken, you said you have tried boxers. But what the earlier poster, and I use is boxer-BRIEFS, not just plain boxers. The boxer briefs hold to the thigh a lot better. Good for anti-chafe and anti-wedgie:)

never tried hydropel, but hear it rocks. I use Bodyglide for the quarter-sized spot we all know and love.

Taint nuthin' nice;)

You've pretty much turned off the hikers that go commando.

–B.G.–

Actually that is what I meant. Boxer Briefs

http://www.rei.com/product/694431

I am a woman with generous thighs. I've been surprised at how well a skirt works. The air flow keeps me dry. There are nice kilts for men out there. Could work depending on what exactly is chafing you.

Had major chaffing problems on very high mileage days until:
1) Boxer Briefs
2) Medicated powder.
3) Wipes twice a day.

Did a four day trip last weekend including two 40 mile days. Happy to report no chaffing at all. The new problem is now "nipple chaffing." Haven't seen this since my marathon days.

Shouldn't you do your chaffing somewhere off-trail? ;)

Anyway… boxer briefs cured my issues with chafing. On long hikes on hot, humid days I still feel a bit of chafing in the inner thighs (I have rather muscular thighs due to my obsession with leg strength after annihilating my ACL), which is probably due to the salt in the sweat. I think that rinsing them out would probably cure that.

I bought a set of 4 boxer briefs at Target for $7 today. Will be giving this a try. Thanks to all for your comments, I appreciate it.

Most often what we call chaffing or jock itch is actually fungus resulting from too much moisture. So the trick is to keep the body parts as dry as possible. The ExOfficio Boxer briefs are designed to wick moisture and dry quickly. For those with a severe problem; washing, drying and applying anti-fungal (jock itch) medication should do the trick.

I suppose the term “inner thigh chaffing” can have multiple meanings. I am definitely not talking about jock itch. My chaffing is definitely caused by the area of my thighs below my balls rubbing directly against each other and affecting no other areas. Taping also handles this problem, although the first time I taped poorly and created new areas that chaffed even worse. ExOfficio boxer briefs didn’t work well for me because the fabric lacks enough elasticity to prevent them from riding up, and I lack the patience to pull them back down every ten yards.

The best thing I've ever tried is Desitin Cream in conjunction with boxer briefs. The Desitin is initially messy but can be partially rubbed in. I am also overweight & sweat profusely ( hence my trail name SweaT-rex: sweating, carnivore, short arms ;) ) One application prior to hitting the trail has worked for up to 5 days which is the longest trip I've ever done.

You know maybe my sweating is causing this. I do sweat alot while hikng in the summer. I just hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweating & friction are the major contributors. The medical term is "maceration". The Desitin acts as a moisture barrier & lubricant so it addresses both issues. Boxer briefs also prevent the physical contact of "skin on skin" of the upper thighs. Briefs alone or boxers alone will not prevent the skin to skin rubbing.

I've heard Desitin is good, too. Anyone try Bag Balm? I recently tried it in 80+ degree heat and thought it worked pretty good and not nearly as messy as Desitin, but you would have to reapply more often.

I'm suprised no one has mentioned spandex. Boxer briefs ride up on me no matter the brand. Spandex shorts stay put no matter what. If they had pockets it's all I would hike in, right now I just slip some shorts over top so I have pockets and don't scare the women and children.

I also just realized that my name will forever be connected on the internet with an article about chaffing.

"I also just realized that my name will forever be connected on the internet with an article about chaffing."

On the bright side, you could have been forever connected to an article about chafing. :)

Shouldn't chaffing be posted under the Chaff branch? :)

On that note, does "chaff" even have a verb form? Maybe we should pester someone in aviation and find out what they say when the drop chaff ;)