We tend to think of hiking as an innocent activity that doesn’t require much thought or expertise, but actually, hiking trips can go south at the drop of a dime if the excursion is not properly prepped for beforehand, which is why it’s important to prepare for all sorts of situations before a hiking trip.
With so much craziness surrounding the preparation, though, it’s easy to skip over some of the simplest, most important hiking essentials, like choosing the right kind of socks to wear or picking the appropriate pair of underwear. Wearing the wrong hiking underwear on a trip can ruin the experience severely, so we’ve put together a list of what to look for in your underwear for hiking before your next adventure.
How to Choose The Best Hiking Underwear
Hikers often get caught up in purchasing the latest gadgets and gizmos on the market to decrease the amount of labor they exude, but forget to allocate some of that money to the most important aspect of the hiking experience: comfort.
It is essential that hikers find a go-to pair or brand of underwear that they can trust because an unreliable pair of underwear can add a level of complication to an excursion that no one is ever prepared to tackle. Here are some things you need to consider to choose the best hiking underwear before your next trip to the mountain:
Fabric
Fabric is one of the most important aspects of underwear to take into consideration before embarking on a hike. Make sure to leave the mesh, cotton, and lace panties at home, and to pull out the synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon, spandex, or rayon. Synthetic fabrics are quick-drying, which means your risk of infections is greatly reduced when working out or moving around in a synthetic fabric over a cotton fabric. They are also incredibly durable and support mobility, making them a perfect material for hiking underwear for a day on the range!
Merino wool is also a great fabric for making hiking underwear. Thanks to its itch-free, ultrafine blend of other fabrics, merino wool underwear helps with quick-drying that can wick away moisture without retaining odor and can even cool you down when activated by releasing the moisture held within the core of the synthetic fibers. Not bad for merino wool underwear! Merino wool wrapped could be also a good option.
Antimicrobial
If you are a hiking enthusiast, the word “antimicrobial” should already be ingrained in your everyday vocabulary. The best hiking underwear has to be antimicrobial; antimicrobial underwear is built with resistance against sweat, bacteria, fungus, and microbes in mind. Excessive sweating can be a breeding ground for bacteria, but these synthetic fabric underwear contain natural antimicrobial properties that attack the pathogens on a cellular level, also feature quick-drying. Bottom line: if your hiking underwear isn’t antimicrobial, then we don’t want ‘em!
Moisture Wicking, Quick-Dry
As mentioned above, materials like mesh, cotton, and lace are not made with synthetics and therefore are not moisture-wicking hiking underwear. The fabrics mentioned previously (polyester, nylon, spandex), however, promote moisture-wicking and quick-drying to keep you feeling so fresh and so clean all throughout the trail.
Would it surprise you to know that merino wool also contains moisture-wicking properties? It shouldn’t, because merino underwear is made with the synthetic materials listed above for the most optimal hiking experience imaginable. Who knew you could stay cool in merino wool!
Odor Resistant
Odor-resistant underwear is also a must-have hiking essential. Though synthetic materials are ideal for movement, comfort, and moisture-wicking, they are not so great when it comes to odor resistance. Synthetic underwear tends to cling onto odors more than other fabrics, but luckily, merino wool underwear has all the benefits of synthetically made underwear with none of the odor retention! Merino wool is naturally resistant to odor, so your undies are guaranteed to stay odor-free even after several days of consecutive wear (though, you shouldn’t be wearing your underwear for more than one day, to begin with).
Comfort
Comfort can mean all sorts of things and can be measured differently by everybody. The most important things to keep in mind when picking comfortable women’s hiking underwear are: will these panties prevent chafing? Can I move freely in these panties? Will they keep me dry? Are they the style I usually reach for? Do I feel comfortable in my inner thighs?
Of course, answers will vary depending on the style and brand of the underwear. Looking for a brand that will always be comfortable, no matter the size, style, or activity? Why not try EBY! EBY offers a wide range of high-end seamless panties made of nylon and spandex for breathability and moisture-wicking featuring a one-of-a-kind no-slip grip that keeps your undies from slipping and sliding all day long! Interested in learning more? Click here.
Breathability
Another aspect of synthetic fabrics that makes them so ideal for hiking is their breathable design. The moisture-wicking underwear attributes of these fabrics make them feel easy and breezy in your private areas, even when you’re in the middle of a hike up the mountain. Though cotton is a beloved fabric for a reason, it does not have the same breathable qualities as polyester or nylon — something to keep in mind for your next hiking trip!
Durability
Can your panties withstand a day of walking, hiking, and climbing, or will the seams give out by the third mile? Durability is a key factor to consider when choosing hiking underwear that is often overlooked. Once again, synthetic materials and merino wool should play an important role in your decision-making, because they happen to be the most durable and flexible materials on the market when it comes to underwear.
Cut and Design/Style
The last thing on your hiking underwear checklist should be cut and design. To the ladies: there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to choosing the best hiking underwear style because everyone’s personal preferences are different.
The best piece of advice we can give, though, is to opt for the style you most frequently reach for. If you prefer a cut that provides coverage, a brief or bikini is your best bet. If you rely on thong underwear to keep you protected most days of the week, stick to what you know.
To the fellas: boxer briefs. The best men’s hiking underwear option is probably going to be boxer briefs. Boxer briefs offer a best-of-both-worlds solution in that they are snug enough that you don’t have to worry about them catching on anything, while also remaining loose enough to move around in comfortably. Boxer briefs also provide enough coverage to prevent chafing and will keep you supported all throughout your journey, so make sure your backpack is stacked with boxer briefs to have the right underwear for hiking before your next hiking excursion.
Conclusion
If it wasn’t already clear, the best women’s hiking underwear are the ones made with moisture-wicking synthetic materials like merino wool, polyester, or nylon, and for the best men’s hiking underwear are boxer briefs. A durable pair of synthetic underwear are sure to keep you cool, calm, and collected all the way up the mountain, thanks to their breathable mesh fabric nature and stretchy material.
Not to mention, the natural antimicrobial properties featured in synthetic hiking underwear are essential in maintaining vaginal health so that you can spend more time doing the things you love with the people you love.
Choosing the proper pair of underwear for hiking should never be overlooked. Put your best-hiking shoe forward and stop by the EBY website for your new favorite pair of the best hiking underwear!
