You need to maintain your temperature, reduce friction, as well as prevent rubbing and chafing. To do all of that, you need the right type of fabrics for your hiking underwear.

Manufacturers combine synthetic blends like nylon and polyester to give your hiking underwear the right characteristics. Here are some of the materials most commonly used and how they affect your overall hiking experience.

Merino
This fabric has many excellent features. It is lightweight, breathable, and has natural antimicrobial properties. An advantage merino wool has over many other treated synthetic fabric is that its antimicrobial attribute persevers regardless of the number of wash cycles. However, this material is pricey compared to synthetic types, and it dries out slowly when washed.

Synthetic
Synthetic materials are inexpensive, durable, good at moisture-wicking, and dry quickly. However, the odor control mechanism is weak and they may irritate some wearers.

Cotton
This material is the go-to for most people. Cotton is comfortable and doesn’t irritate sensitive areas. However, it retains moisture, promoting chafing, rubbing, friction, and increasing the potential for infections. Moreover, it takes ages to dry out. For these reasons, you should avoid cotton, because you are prone to sweating on a long, strenuous trek. Even if you could continuously switch up your cotton base layer, you’d have to carry many of them, further adding to your luggage.

Each material for hiking underwear has its pros and cons. It all boils down to ensuring that the fabric is breathable, quick-drying and that it wicks moisture well. Synthetic fibers and merino wool do an excellent job at that.

If you’re not comfortable in your undergarments, then change them up. Any issue is increased tenfold when on a trail compared to an average day in your life. On a long trek, you will feel any potential chafing, elastic digging, the irritating fabric, or pants riding up even more. A good pair of hiking underwear is comfortable by being unnoticeable.

Hiking underwear should have a comfortable cut because of the persistent activity on a trail. Moreover, your undergarments should be close fitting to promote breathability while preventing chafing. There are numerous styles in underwear on the market, but boxer brief designs are efficient for hiking underwear.

For women, being minimalistic with something like a thong is ill-advised, because your outer garments don’t provide sufficient properties on areas not covered by the hiking underwear. Briefs increase the skin surface area covered, keep you dry, fresh, and comfortable since chafing is reduced. Nevertheless, there are some low cut styles, which still give of a modern type of look.

Look out for flat-lock seams, which cover a smaller surface area and, as a result, reduce irritation from chafing. Vertical seams stand out by rubbing on your skin. You could withstand loose seams on you, if you are not as mobile, but not while you’re taking long walks. If you’re using multiple layers, then the rubbing and chafing will be noticeable because of the added compression on protruding seams.

Other than selecting a style you are comfortable in, you need to have the right size. Your hiking underwear should be close-fitting. If your underwear is loose, then some creases might form, persistently rubbing a particular region.

Fortunately, the brands in this list have a wide range of sizes, and all you need to know is your waist size to get the right pair. Hiking underwear must also be light at all times, and not weigh you down.

If your undergarments lose their properties, they will be of no help and may even make things worse for you. It is okay to spend more than usual for something that will last much longer. It’s okay to spend two times more for something that will last three times longer. Sewing quality matters a lot in hiking underwear, besides the fabric.

Synthetic fibers withstand rough and extensive use much better than other fabrics. However, you need to maintain them properly, especially the treated type.

Merino wool needs special care too, for you to get the best and extensive use out of it. Merino wool is softer than standard wool, but it isn’t cheap.

On a hike, you need to carry as light as possible, and that includes your hiking underwear. You won’t have the privilege of tossing your undies into a washing machine in some of the more remote places you visit. Note that you can still wash most of the undergarments in this review with a washing machine. However, you have to follow the directions on how to maintain them because the treated fabrics might lose their properties with some cleaning agents.

Other than that, the materials used in hiking underwear only need a good old hand wash. Besides, they dry out fast, so you can wash them late in the evening and have them ready to wear the following day, making them suitable for long trips.

If you take proper care of your undergarments, then they should serve you well for a long spell. Hiking underwear in this list uses synthetic fibers, merino wool, or a combination of both. They have thick waistbands that don’t wear quickly, and the sewing is of high quality.

Breathability is essential for your skin, more so when on a hiking expedition. On the trail, you will do vigorous physical activities, making you sweat even more. Add the fact that you may need to pile thicker clothing on you, the sweating increases even more. That’s why you also need breathable hiking underwear.

If air passes through, your undergarments will dry faster. When your skin is soaked, that creates an uncomfortable feeling and gives rise to many risky health problems.

Merino wool beats all other variations in breathability, and synthetic fibers win over cotton in the same scope. Some brands have designs with ventilation holes in them to promote breathability.

No one appreciates being drenched in his or her sweat, and thus you should definitely look out for designs which are more breathable than others, and which make proper ventilation a priority.

What makes a hike fascinating is the thrill of not knowing what to expect. However, you can be sure of sweating a lot, making your undies soggy. This moisture creates many problems, which these products try to counter in various ways. Below is how some of the different attributes and properties affect your experience in your chosen hiking underwear.

Odor Control
A prerequisite for hiking underwear is for it to be antimicrobial. This feature prevents the buildup of bacteria that might cause itchiness and bad odor. Germs thrive in moist conditions, and countering this will keep you fresher for longer.

Merino wool is naturally antimicrobial, so it doesn’t need treatment like other fibers. Even though wool eventually takes up the scent of what it’s covering, the smell doesn’t build up fast. Additionally, this smell dissipates when the fabric is dried out and disappears when washed. Merino wool is covered with lanolin, an antimicrobial substance, and it’s rough on a microscopic level, making conditions inapt for bacteria to breed.

Synthetic fibers lose antimicrobial properties after many cycles of washing. Nonetheless, you can improve the duration of these properties by cleaning the treated synthetics as per the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Drying Time
While on a trek, it’s best to be agile. In this case, you could do with only two pairs of hiking underwear. Because of this, you need each pair to dry quickly after washing them after use. You should remain dry around your nether regions to prevent chafing or nappy rash.

Moreover, a pair that dries quickly will dry up comparatively fast even when on your body. However, synthetic fibers are usually uncomfortable on you when moist. Merino wool dries slower when compared to synthetic fabrics. Synthetics also wick moisture efficiently and are the fastest drying fabric when used for hiking underwear.

When in tropical environments, rain can be unpredictable. Moreover, humidity is high in the tropics, and this affects the dampness in your undies. Merino wool handles moisture much better but takes ages to dry when exceedingly wet. You need to clean synthetics after use, but take solace in the fact that they dry up very fast.

Moisture Wicking
As mentioned so many times in this review, you should try to be dry in your nether regions while on a hike. Moisture-wicking is whereby the chosen fabric pulls sweat from your body towards the outer surface of the cloth. On hot walks, this can do you a lot of good. The synthetics and merino wool fabrics used typically promote this flow of moisture.