Looking for a Wool Underwear Product Tester

Max is your man . . .

I ride my bike in normal street clothes 20 miles every weekday so I'd be guaranteed to give the underwear a good workout.

I have strong preferences for a blend that produces durability. I have worn out Icebreaker's wool boxer-briefs in the same time it takes Ex-Officios and Patagonias to look less than brand-new.

Yeah, the wool underwear I have tried never seems to hold up that long so I usually just use Ex Officios.

We're using a 210 gsm 96% merino, 4% spandex fabric when most other wool underwear products are 150 gsm. We've noticed an increase in durability and compression.

Send me new underwear (none of Max's) and I'll try them. I have some wool ones already so I can give a decent comparison to ice breaker ones…

I used Ex Officio synthetic briefs for a long time but never really liked them: they were hot and damp, and got smelly pretty quick. Then I got a couple pairs of Icebreaker boxers. They're nice, but pretty tight, and I found they didn't wear very well. Then last winter my wife got me the really heavy Ibex boxers, and I've been using them ever since; much heavier and more durable but surprisingly not any hotter. In fact they're the coolest I've ever worn and maybe even cooler than commando with a kilt! I'm anxious to see what you come up with… Ibex is going to be tough to eat, but I looking forward to it! Good luck with your project-

I'd give 'em a try in XL. I have been unhappy with the durability of Smartwool and been driven to Ex Officio. I usually wear an Ice Breaker zip-neck short-sleeve tee (any time of the year) and have worn wool long johns for thirty years. I like wool and I use boxer briefs at home and on the trail. I live and do my travel in Maine, if that makes any difference to you.

I'd be happy to test them out. Just about all of my hiking is done in Southern California, so cooling and wicking are the most important things to me. I'd be interested to see how a heavier-weight wool does in that respect.

To answer your questions, I prefer a lightweight (or loose-woven) fabric. I tend to use synthetic for my day hikes because it does a better job in the heat, but I use wool on multi-day treks for odor control. This bit might be useful to you: I like boxer-briefs, but only if they're long enough. Otherwise they just bunch up and are impossible to fix. My favorites have a 9" inseam, so they're almost like compression shorts but without the compression.

I would like to test pair. I have used Smartwool boxers twice and they didn't hold up well- very short life span. I agree thicker would be better. If you send a pair of large 33-34" waist I will give them a good work out and feed back.

I build hiking trails for a living in hot Utah! I camp 8 days straight for work and then hike and climb on free time. I'd say I'd give it a pretty good test!

Actually what I like about the Ex Officio boxers is that if you get black you can pretty much use them as a pair of shorts also because the black and the loose fit tends to hide the contours a bit. Personally I don't want compression in underwear because it just feels uncomfortable. Things dry pretty well on their own and if you do a bit of shaving the stink goes way down also.

Mac my wife and I would be glad to test. Is this meant as an all temps brief?

Have you written a job description? Wonder what the qualifications are…

How is it possible that there isn't a dozen responses from Max yet all saying "ME!"

Max will only try on used merino underwear.

I would give a pair a try. Just to be honest though, I wouldn't wear them hiking. I love wool for a lot of things, but hiking is not one of them. I would rather wear wool underwear every day to the office, after my gym workout, playing with the kids, etc. The rigors of everyday life.

Ryan

I bet there's a chance Max is behind this thread and laughing his ass off at everyone (especially those who poked fun at his FS underwear thread)falling all over themselves to que up for free (presumably unworn) undees!! I remember he mentioned or 'reviewed' a pullover he loves from the same company earlier this spring.

Hahaha. If only my speculation were true…. priceless

Has the OP replied to anyone?

I'd be interested in testing as well. I do a lot of running so that would be very active in testing there. I would also take them backpacking though.

-Jordan

If you want anyone to test in Europe, I'd be happy to give a pair a test for you :)

I am a religious user of the exofficio boxer briefs. Essentially the only underwear I own. I don't change them often and have had most of them for years. Eventually the elastic waistband wears out.

I don't use merino often cause I see how fragile it is in thinner weights and can't justify the expense of something that may not last. To me durability trumps other factors.

BUT I've been following yalls clothing and it seems that the product is pretty durable and comfortable. Is be interested in seeing what you can do with undies.

Boxer briefs. All the other details don't matter

Another person that's tried merino wool underpants and is not a fan.

Biggest problems i had are

1/ Merino wool doesn't wick very well, so once you start sweating rather than that moisture spreading over a larger surface area it stay localised.
This means it takes ages to dry and you end up very very sweaty in the areas you really don't want to be sweaty.

2/ Other problem i experienced is that the fabric loses it's stretch after a day or 2, so you start with nice stretchy pants that hold everything in place, but end up with lose baggy fabric that doesn't hold anything.

3/ Takes ages to dry

I have Merino wool tops and they're great in certain conditions, but IMO using wool for underpants is the wrong material for that area.

I personally wouldn't buy wool underpants again and i wouldn't recommend them, if you are approaching this from a different angle than say Icebreaker or Smartwool, with a better solution and mix of materials then i would be willing to try them.
So if need any hot weather testing i am in Greece.

Joke's on you guys! I'm already a tester!

I thought of you when I first saw this post. You're a good sport and your original post contributed some quality bonding between forum members! Especially the one who purchased your briefs!

I don't know if I'm thrilled or deeply saddened at being "that wool underwear guy" forever…

But yeah, Mac and I worked together on testing their wool tees and oxfords all of the past year, so I am already testing a pair of these new briefs. Mac is a righteous dude for coming to BPL to help get feedback on W&P's stuff.

Gotta say I entirely agree with Mark on the unsuitability of wool for underwear.

Remember, "back-in-the-day" all cycling pants were woolen. Than came nylon & spandex and now you will never see cyclists in wool pants for very good reasons.