While we give plenty of thought to hiking base layers, very little attention is given to hiking underwear, even though we need to be equally picky.
Some might say we’re being fatuous and that it doesn’t matter what underwear you wear on a hike. But pick an inappropriate pair and you’ll be inviting walking discomfort to pay you a visit.
Related: Best Walking Accessories
Underwear for hiking, and sports use in general, needs to possess a number of key characteristics in order to provide all-day comfort in demanding, sweaty conditions. These include breathability, chafe-free construction, and temperature regulation. Other properties like odour control are also very useful. Really, it's the same sort of approach one takes with hiking socks.
Best hiking underwear at a glance:
Best for winter: Aclima WarmWool Boxer Shorts – View on Aclima
Best for summer: BAM Regular Fitted Air Bamboo Boxers – View on BAM
Best bra for hiking: Runderwear Balance Sports Bra – View on Runderwear
This guide recommends the best hiking underwear for men and women, plus the important things you need to know when buying underwear for hiking.
Best hiking underwear for men
Best for men's comfort
www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
The main goal of Saxx boxer shorts is to make men as comfortable as possible, whatever they might be doing. The BallPark Pouch cradles a gent’s valuables, improving support and reducing chafing, aided by Flat Out Seams and Three-D Fit construction.
In the close-fitting Quest boxer shorts, this is combined with breathable, quick wicking, fast drying, and odour-resistant fabric with four-way stretch for improved performance during more intense activities.
Pros
- Most comfortable men's underwear
- Anti-odour treatment
- Large size and colour range
Cons
- Could do better on sustainability
Best for winter
shop.aclima.com
Wool might sound like an improbable choice of fabric for comfortable underwear, but the properties of merino make it ideal, particularly in cooler conditions.
In addition to being naturally wicking and odour-resistant, merino wool has the added advantage of retaining its insulating properties even when wet. The WarmWool’s Total Easy Care (TEC) treatment makes the wool even softer next to the skin and allows these boxers to be tumble-dried.
Being made from superfine merino with a weight of 200g/m2, the WarmWool Boxer Shorts are snug, warm, and ideal for winter use.
Pros
- Temperature regulating
- Naturally anti-odour
- Good breathability
- Women's version also
Cons
- A bit warm for summer
Best for summer
bambooclothing.co.uk
There are three primary benefits you get from this underwear: comfort, sustainability, and value.
Comfort, because the bamboo-cotton blend is incredibly soft and breathable; sustainability because bamboo needs no irrigation or pesticides, absorbs more CO2 than hardwood trees, and requires less land than cotton; and value because it’s less expensive than many high-performance underwear.
We’ve found these great for warmer weather but the use of heat-sapping cotton makes these a no-go for winter.
Pros
- Highly breathable
- Excellent comfort
- Sustainable
Cons
- Not suitable for winter
Best hiking underwear for women
Best for fast drying
alpkit.com
Designed for high-activity outdoor adventures, including hiking, running, climbing and more, these boxer shorts are made from a blend of soft polyester and rayon (a semi-synthetic material made from cellulose fibres), making them highly wicking and fast drying.
This rapid drying makes them ideal for backpacking trips, where they can be washed, dried and re-worn day after day. Anatomical stitching, low profile seams and a wicking waistband boost comfort. A brief version of the FKT is also available, and also a men's boxer version.
Pros
- Great value
- Quick drying
- Highly breathable
- Men's version also available
Cons
- Would be good to see recycled polyester used
Best bra for hiking
www.runderwear.co.uk
Born for running, the factors and features that make Runderwear a popular choice for fast movers makes its kit equally suited to hiking.
Its underwear, including this lightweight compression-fit sports bra, is created on a 360° seamless machine from a single piece of fabric, which means no side seams or labels to chafe or irritate. The wicking technical fabric provides four-way stretch, enabling an ergonomic design for maximum comfort and support.
Pros
- Supportive compression fit
- Suitable for hiking and running
- Moisture-wicking
Cons
- Sometimes patchy availability due to high demand
- Could have better eco credentials
Best for hipster-style underwear for hiking
www.smartwool.co.uk
Using a blended mix of natural and synthetic fibres, these hipster pants offer the perfect combination of merino wool’s temperature regulation and odour resistance with the softness and cooling properties of Tencel Lyocell.
The slim fit enables maximum fabric-to-skin contact for improved wicking performance, while the seamless knit means this close-fit can be achieved without any loss of comfort.
Pros
- Naturally anti-odour
- Moisture-wicking
- Soft fabric
Cons
- Not especially fast drying
What to look for in hiking underwear
Style: This is entirely subjective. Having said that, we’ve found boxer brief-style to offer the best comfort for long or intense walking days than Y-fronts and briefs or bikini/thong-style underwear. But as we said, this is subjective. Know what you like.
Material: Underwear for hiking and sports use materials that are breathable and have good moisture control, such as merino, bamboo, nylon and polyester. Merino provides temperature regulation and anti-odour properties, and continues to perform when wet, but is more expensive than other materials. Bamboo is breathable, soft, and a low-impact crop. Polyester is moisture-wicking, fast drying, and often inexpensive.
Winter: When hiking in cold and often wet conditions, you want your underwear to be breathable, have temperature regulation, and ideally still perform when wet. As a result, merino is a great fabric for winter underwear.
Summer: In warm conditions, comfortable underwear needs to be highly breathable, moisture-wicking, and ideally fast drying. Therefore, bamboo and nylon or polyester are good materials for summer hiking underwear.
Going commando: While some hikers proudly do away with underwear, it’s not something we recommend. One of the major benefits of wearing tighter or slim-fitting underwear while hiking is preventing chafing.
How we test
Although the most invisible, underwear, along with socks, arguably get the most thorough testing of all the outdoor gear we thrash. We never go commando and are always wearing some form of underwear on our tests and can therefore report back with the upmost confidence how they perform in demanding, real-world conditions.
The underwear recommended in this buying guide has been tested by a range of our gear testers - meet the Live For The Outdoors team here.