Most comfortable least odiferous synthetic briefs/T’s

Well, I have never worn the EcoSpeed T as underwear…

j/k

I've used mine twice now… the stink was more than I expected. (Although these hikes were in S.Utah, with temps hovering around 95-100, walking up long, steep, sand dunes). We were literally soaking with sweat. I suppose if it handled that much sweat with keeping the odor somewhat suppressed it did a great job.

I use the REI mesh boxers and they hold odor pretty bad. I also have a pair of Terramars that aren't bad. I have used Duofold T's before and they seem to perform fair as far as odor goes but the material pills after several washes so I stopped using them. My favorite T is now NF Vaporwick. I don't notice siginificant odor retention.

[…]

Another vote here for Ex-Officio briefs; they work extremely well for me – two to three days and still OK(ish): I took one pair on the GR20 this summer (a 14 day walk) and they did well, washing every couple of days and drying very rapidly. If only you could buy them in the UK.

Others tried and tested:

Paramo
Cambia briefs – runners up to the Ex-Officio, can turn inside out to make them warmer/cooler apparently but I have never noticed any difference. Heavy.

Patagonia
Silkweight boxers. Comfortable but too baggy for me. OK on the odour factor.

Gladiodor Capilene tops. Comfortable fabrics – nowhere near Merino in terms of odour reduction. Wore one of these 14 days straight in Corsica (GR20) too – rinsing in just water it stayed pretty good, but the mankiness did build up – albeit slowly.

MEC
I think these are duofold copies. Not comfortable for me so I have no real opinion of them.

REI
Some sort of quite snug brief (cannot remember the name); really comfortable – but do not do well in the smell dept.

Smartwool
Various weights from 200 to 260, briefs, Ts. Brilliant. The 200 skin-weight SS shirt I wore all summer in the Alps – for a month and it resisted odour well; obviously I did wash it every now and then.

My unscientific analysis ;-)

I’ll join the slew of others who vouch for the odor resistance of Ex-Officio. I sweat alot and I can get funky with the best of them. I have a tshirt that has been through hell and it still holds up pretty well. This fabric also wicks better and is lighter than many of the synthetics that I have tried.

Does the Ex-Officio fabric loose odor resistance?
-I will say yes, I started noticing ~20-30 washes or so.

I have also used their lightweight skivvies, I’ll recommend those as well.

One thing I’ve been meaning to try on smelly cloths is a enzymatic/microbial cleaner often used on neoprene such as Mirazyme. I have two pairs of “swamp” boots that I’d love to wear if they didn’t reek.

Speaking of briefs….have you guys ever considered goin bare……down there? ;) Nothing for the stink to hold on to….kind of. Very breezy. I won't ever go back to those restricting briefs.

Also, in regard to Duofold. I know its a blend of cotton, and I could have sworn that Cotton was the devil in the backcountry…am I wrong? I do indeed need a stink free T, but just not ready to go wool yet….

I have done both. Bare is fine but chafing can be an issue for some people. You end up in a very bad and painful place if you do get chafing. I have been whereing MTS boxers that I purchased at REI. They are the best I have warn. If you are too cheap, som of the guys in the Army used cut off panty hose. They swore by it.

I say try the MTS, they are a synthetic.

Lots of folks like to categorize things either "1" or "0" — black or white. We've all heard the mantra "cotton kills". To me, much more often, things differ by degrees.

I am not a fabrics expert, so all I can do is describe my experience as a user. To me, the Duofold blend (85% poly and 15% cotton) gives me the best of both worlds. The overwhelming component is poly — so I get the wicking, quick-drying properties. I have worn them in cold places — such as hiking up Mt. Whitney — working up a royal sweat — and the tees dry quickly when I am at rest. And yet, the entire garment gives me a genuine cotton feel. Some of my hiking friends actually thought I was wearing "all cotton" when they felt the fabric. Finally, I've worn my tees for four years now and sometimes 5-6 days straight at times — but I haven't exprienced the funk factor at all that so many have described about their 100% poly's. I suspect the bits of cotton — being much more absorbent to water and suds — allow for a more thorough wash than pure poly.

The real question is bro or manzierre?

Bros or manzierre? What the heck for?

You've got women risking jail time trying to get rid of theirs, and here you are wanting some. Weird. :)

>>The real question is bro or manzierre?

I burned my bro back in the sixties.

As to briefs, I'm also partial to Ex Officio. They are very comfortable, fairly odor resistant, and dry quickly.

I have been wearing ExOfficio's everyday for about three years (bought a few pairs here and there when they went on sale), and I obviously love them. They don't give me any problems when backpacking, but I have been any longer than four days.

If I were going to try anything else it would be the Icebreaker wool ones. When I first trasititioned to wool I tried the Ibex, but it wasn't as comfortable against my skin as I was hoping for. Switched to Icebreaker and I'm lovin' it! Great stuff with absolutely no discomfort. Haven't tried their underwear (yet), but I'm sure I will someday.

Anybody have any experience with it?

I've stayed away from the synthetic stuff. I like the feel natural fibers. Lately though, I've been having a huge problem with the durability of Merino. Every pair of Smartwool boxers I use just does not hold up to EDC use.
Case in point:

http://img15.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=42819_Imported_Photos_00001_122_645lo.jpg

I just wish I could find a pair that doesn't rip under the crack area. Smartwool has said that the boxers aren't made for hard use but I think tht they are just designed poorly. I've been killing a pair every 2-3 months. Ibex doesn't really thrill my heart for an alternative..

If you want to eliminate the odor from synthetic clothing on a trip, try carrying a small bit of baking soda and sprinkling it on the reverse side of the affected area and then rub it in. I learned this tip from "Sports Afield" magazine a few years ago during its brief departure from being a hunting magazine. It sure works for me regardless of brand, so if it won't work for you, maybe the genes theory…! Be sure and not sprinkle too much on at a time or it may be a bit irritating to the skin. You don't need much anyway and the smell will instantly be gone. As for washing any odor out of synthetic garments, just use a generous bit of vinegar in the wash. This tip was recommended by a Patagonia rep some years ago. Hope this helps.

Re the synthetic treatments, as far as I can tell the 'Cocona' treatment in Capilene does absolutely _nothing_, my Cap 2 top absolutely stinks within a day, while I can barely tell I've been wearing my icebreaker top – even after 8 days of night+day use.

Might try and track down a Powerdry+xstatic top to see if they're better – anyone have any reports on these?

edit: turns out the Cap 2 uses 'Gladiodor' not Cocona. Whatever it was, it didn't help.

I use "C-9 by Champion" antimicrobial boxer-briefs from Target. $6 or $8- they always seem to have two different types. They also have other models that appear the same but without the "Antimicrobial" hang tag. Leg length is about 3" which is what I need to keep from chafing. No funk in the 2 pair I bought last Spring.

They also have some running shirts in the same line with antimicrobial treatment.

Golite DriMove T shirts do not retain sweaty odors.

I have a lot of brands and have narrowed my favorites in summer to two pairs. The Icebreaker is wool so you don't want that, but I have been very impressed with the Terramar Sports boxer briefs. This model:

http://www.terramarsports.com/men/body-sensors/essentials/silkweight.html

I really should sit down and write a review of them. I have one year of 3-season use with them and they are still in good shape. They dry very fast in the field when rinsing them out. The odor control is almost as good as my wool.