Ex-Officio Give-N-Go Briefs Review

I've found Boxer briefs to be great for all the same advantages mentioned above.

But Champion brand has worked well for me at about half the cost.

They are light, fit well, are very breathable, the waist band stays flat and they dry quickly.

Last July in New Mexico I put them on wet after washing them (and myself) and they were dry less than an hour later. But I can't say I know that'd work as well in other climates.

Must weigh in here. I spend my summers doing research in the West Bank; I take a minimal amount of clothing and whatever goes needs to be comfortable and durable. Based on those two conditions, I decided on Ex Officio boxer briefs last year.

The smell, the mindbending eau-de-vagrant small-children-leave-the-room-and-animals-give-you-censorious-looks SMELL, after just two weeks, was so offensive that I stopped wearing underwear altogether. My colleagues eventually made a joke out of it, but given that in rural Arab culture bad smells are associated with bad omens, it was shaping up to be an actual impediment to my work.

This year, took Icebreaker 150 boxer briefs. No smell. Arguably less chafey. International incident averted. Your mileage may vary, but I am an ex-ex-officio user for life.

Hi William

Did you wash them?

I have worn my two pairs continuously for two to three months while walking in Europe, and the smell was never really noticeable. We washed them every 2 – 3 days.

Cheers

I've been using the Icebreaker 150 wt boxer briefs for two years and they honestly can't be beat. They never get the synthetic "wet" feeling, dry uber fast and stay cool when it's hot out. I wore the same pair continuously for two weeks on the CT in 2009 without any problems. I've tried all sorts of synthetics but I don't know how nylon compares. Unless there's something dramatically superior with nylon compared to other synthetics, merino wool is the way to go.

To respond to Matthew:

I have the Ex-Officio boxer briefs as well as some Smartwool boxer briefs. I like them both, but I have to lean towards the merino wool. I wore them for a week straight in August while hiking through Glacier NP, and they were always comfortable, dried quickly, and kept odors at bay. About every other day I would wash them in a creek, wring them out, and put them right back on. They were dry within a half hour.

However, while neither pair shows signs of wear yet, I'm anticipating the Ex-Officio to hold up better.

The XL fits me right and I wear Levi's 35 waist.

Note that the number – 35- on US pant sizes have little relation to any actual measurement.

Hi all

Ron (MLD) has asked me why didn't I give them a 'Highly Recommended' rating. It's a very good question. Can one give a pair of underpants a 'Highly Recommended' rating? Um …

Maybe I should have given them Highly Recommended instead? Does anyone have experiences which would mitigate against that?

Cheers

The Ex-Officio is a great brand and does everything they claim. I prefer the boxer style, One downside is that for home use; they tell you not to put them in the clothes dryer. Not a big deal, just a pain to sort and hang up.

I believe I donated my Ex-Officio Give-N-Go briefs to the local Goodwill, the waistband was awful on me. They chafed me like mad, rubbed me raw in the inner thigh region by days end. I wear a pair of Smartwool Boxer briefs when I wear pants on trips, these are the most comfortable I've found so far. They're swimming hole approved. Typically, I hike in New Balance split running shorts with wicking liners and have no issues.

Apparently the Smartwool underwear wears out quickly:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=8213

. . . unless they've changed the design/ formulation.

Any thoughts?

My quest: the search for the perfect underdrawers.

Stargazer

Ex-Officio boxer briefs are the best I've tried…don't leave home without them!

Highly recommended – yes, for me.

I have tried/worn/discarded/lent to friends (who aren't friends) a vast selection of shreddies in the past…

Paramo Cambia – so so…Mont Bell Silk – great but fragile (maybe it is me), North Face coolmax – dire, Helly Hansen – worse, North Face Seamless – OK, Odlo mesh – great if hard to find and durability an issue, Marks & Spencer microskins – excellent and cheap (eat your heart out Colonial Cousins :-)…

Ex-Officio – 5-6 years of wearing these now (not continually I hasten to add); great balance of 'don't know they are there' – 'easy to have a pee out off' – 'wash n wear' – all good – durable – they are great.

I even wear them to work most days; outside my suit ;-)

Roger, washed them every three days. It may be a matter of body chemistry… :)

> the waistband was awful on me.

I think the waistband is the weak link on the exo boxer briefs. They rise too high and seem a bit uncomfortable after a long day.

Thus, I fold the waistband down onto the brief. Problems solved, at least for me.

BTW, based on the discussions I ordered a $45.00 (gulp) pair of the Smartwool boxer briefs for experimental purposes. ;-)

I'll let ya'll know how things are hangin' after I wear them for a weekender this weekend.

Briefly yours,

Stargazer

I'm a boxers kind of guy but have to say I love wearing the ex-oficio boxer-briefs. I've since bought a pair of their boxers (accidental, thought it was boxer briefs) and another boxer-brief. I prefer the box-briefs to the regular boxers.

I don't have any smell issues with mine and generally wash them every other day or so. They feel great, protect against chafing (which actually has never been too much of problem) and are probably the coolest underwear next to cotton out here in the desert.

I'll also say the ladies seem to highly approve of them as well; they love seeing the glutes.

Just wanted to report on the Smartwool boxer briefs.

Oh, yeah. Sooo comfortable and equal to the EXO's on the stink issue. My only concern: their long-term sustainability. My EXO's are rock solid after many uses over many days. The Smartools seem fragile, but I won't be able to evaluate them fairly on that score until I've worn them a bit.

Briefly yours,

Stargazer

Hi Thomas

> The Smartwools seem fragile,
My experience with wool too.
Report back please!

cheers

I haven't worn the Smartwool boxer briefs, but have used them from Icebreaker & Minus33 quite a lot. In fact, I've found the things so comfortable I wear them daily as often as possible! I reckon each pair has a couple months of wear on them, & they all seem to be in like-new condition. Quite happy with comfort & durability! Of course, as I think about it, my boxer briefs aren't directly subjected to much brush bustin'…

Thomas, I hope your Smartwool boxer briefs last longer than mine did. In less than a year they became crotchless. Here’s a link to a thread in another forum discussing the issue.