a brief question

[beardless]

Enjoying all the information and tips on this site. I want to be prepared for a overland trip hike next year. Everyone says don't have cotton clothing as it is no good if it rains and gets wet and the weather is cold. My dilemma is that all my most comfortable briefs (undies) are cotton. Do people use or recommend an alternative. Merino undies? Down briefs? Speedos? G T Jocks?

[tasadam]

To be honest when it comes to jocks I haven't gone to any great lengths to change from the norm.
Shirts & trousers are a completely different ball of wax however.
That's my take anyway.

[Moondog55]

And since I found the ultra lite stretch bikinis from patagonia they have become my favourite jox

[Moondog55]

PS Love the pun

[Julies]

Merino undies will dry overnight in all but the worst conditions, and then they will dry during the day. This allows you to only carry two pairs and still have fresh undies every day. I doubt that cotton would dry in cold but humid conditions that you are likely to find on the Overland. But if you are not a princess about having clean undies each day, or you are up for carrying 7 pairs it won't make that much difference. (I, am totally a princess about such things)

[radson]

Ex-officio or Patagonia

[Son of a Beach]

I was nearly going to post that generic topic titles are really annoying and this one should be changed. Then I read the post. Perfect!

Cotton undies are fine. That's all I ever use. Just don't use cotton for anything that covers large areas of torso, arms, legs, etc.

[Pongo]

The time of year you hike is really important too. If you're going in summer you're likely to get a few sunny days where you can dry your frillies out whilst walking (carry at least two pairs so you can clean and rotate them through). If you're hiking in the shoulder and it looks like rain all week you may only get a chance to dry them out over the heaters of a night. You may struggle to dry cotton in these situations. So study the weather as you approach and make note of the historical weather data available at www.bom.gov.au.

Personally, God made me special, and as a result I must walk in bike shorts of some variety. They're often loaded with eslatine etc... and are only okay at drying out. If I didn't have to combat chafing I would probably go with a merino brief.

All of that said, I agree with the above posters in that it doesn't matter too much. The only times I've wished I'd been in more thermally efficient underwear is when I've been river walking, which you shouldn't be doing on the overland.

See this thread for more ideas: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12903

[Snowzone]

I think undies are more about the fit than the fabric, unless your into synthetics that don't breath well. I find cotton briefs dry just as quickly as merino and neither are really that comfortable if your putting them on cold and wet. So my first thought is to wear what is comfortable for you, tried and tested and take one or two spare pairs for rotating. I was always told you should be able to get four days out of a pair by doing this.

[beardless]

Thanks for these tips. I think I will go with the advice of comfort first and stick with cotton. It might be different if I was heading to base camp but it will probably be overland track in early autumn.

[beardless]

And I assume no one goes commando these days

[matagi]

Commando is fine as long as your shorts/pants don't have seams in the wrong place and cause chafe.

Hubby and I both prefer merino undies.

[stepbystep]

Merino briefs. I used 2 pairs on a hard 12 day walk in summer, could have blown my nose with them on day 12 they smelled so good

[peter-robinson]

Agreed, merino. I just did the overland and took 4 pair in case the weather was bad but I really only needed 2.

[beardless]

I am starting to change my mind. I think I will try some merino undies over the coming months.

[madmacca]

For a potentially wet track like OLT, cotton can get really uncomfortable.

Some synthetics are also an option - I use some Katmandu quick dry underwear (94% nylon, 6% elastane).

[Moondog55]

Well I can tell you all ( guys that is) to avoid the Mountain Designs short trunks/ boxers/
Wonderful fabric, warm and comfortable, breathes very well but the person who designed them must have been short changed in the trouser department. I almost emasculated myself tonite when I used the fly for its designed function. Not only is the opening far too small { and NO I'm not boasting} but the edge isn't very well finished and is quite sharp, I was lucky not to draw blood, I don't know whether to return them or have the designer charged with distribution of a weapon of Myth destruction.
I have reasonably sized hands and I could only get three fingers into the opening also after wearing them for a few hours I think my voice started to raise in pitch and octave or two. Thang is I bought the right size, i shudder to think what may have happened if I had bought a medium pair, probably have needed a seance to get out of them or a pair of scissors
Avoid them.

[Orion]

To each their own but it's cotton for me unless I know I'll be wet all the time. Some people sweat a lot and cotton gets wet even when the sun is shining. I dislike synthetics against my skin. In the unlikely event that my undies get soaked by rain or falling into a creek I'll just take them off and go without. Come to think of it, I slipped and fell into Junction Ck on the way to the Western Arthurs and my cotton briefs dried out pretty quickly without drama.

I often walk in a cotton t-shirt as well.

[beardless]

Purchased a couple of pairs of macpac Merino briefs. So comfortable for everyday use. I am now a convert to wool.

[Happy Pirate]

Enjoying all the information and tips on this site. I want to be prepared for a overland trip hike next year. Everyone says don't have cotton clothing as it is no good if it rains and gets wet and the weather is cold. My dilemma is that all my most comfortable briefs (undies) are cotton. Do people use or recommend an alternative. Merino undies? Down briefs? Speedos? G T Jocks?

The issue with cotton is that it is absorbent and so can hold cold moisture near your skin and maker you colder.
Major Supermarkets (Big * or *ool*orths) sell lycra based undies. I bought a big batch from Big * recently because of their lycra/elastine content.
Check Labels but eventually be prepared if necessary to re-wear dry gear... and remember - a fresh pair of undies is only about 100 grams.

And seriously - don't confuse issues of undies (specifically) with that of thermal under-wear (generally)!

Cheers
Steve

[GPSGuided]

Merino briefs.

Once upon a time, bushwalking was low budget recreation. With merino briefs and 850 down everything, investment has just shot through the roof, no less than elite cycling or 18-holes at the Royal Sydney Golf Club!

[Mark F]

I have found the ExOfficio ones from Paddys work well. Good elastic that doesn't curl and comfortable fit. Dry faster than merino but don't remain pong free for the same lenght of time. While I am happy to wear the same shirt or pants (synthetic or merino) for several days, I do find that undies need to be rinsed out more frequently to stop salt build up which is often the cause of chaffing.

[GPSGuided]

Yes, salt in combination with bacterial accumulation/growth that cause problems during extended wears. Skin rash and infections are no fun.

[DannyS]

I'm not sure what commando means? is that brief less? If that's the case, I'm a commando never had a problem with chafing and love the feeling of being much more in contact with nature .

[DannyS]

Oh! and a little bit less to have to think about.

[Happy Pirate]

Merino briefs.

Once upon a time, bushwalking was low budget recreation. With merino briefs and 850 down everything, investment has just shot through the roof, no less than elite cycling or 18-holes at the Royal Sydney Golf Club!

Too true!
Do you think that means we are getting softer? Hi tech gear, GPS, EPIRP, freeze-dried food, marked tracks, 4WDs. You read about the early walkers in Tas; now THEY knew how to walk! Hobnail boots, packs like plywood cupboards, no trails - or even road approaches sometimes... I mean I read once of a guy who carried an escritoire up Federation Peak so he could comfortably document the trip.

[GPSGuided]

Do you think that means we are getting softer? Hi tech gear, GPS, EPIRP, freeze-dried food, marked tracks, 4WDs. You read about the early walkers in Tas; now THEY knew how to walk! Hobnail boots, packs like plywood cupboards, no trails - or even road approaches sometimes... I mean I read once of a guy who carried an escritoire up Federation Peak so he could comfortably document the trip.

What I think? I think we, bushwalkers/climbers/outdoor lovers as a group has been helping the global and domestic economies through our chase of technology and personal comfort, thereby creating a $646B economy (in the US) out of thin air and 6.1M jobs. Global impact would be even greater with similar benefits within Australia. We should be thanked!

Once upon a time, walkers carried heavy and bulky Daguerreotype wet plate cameras onto mountain peaks for that blurry grey scale image, now we carry palm sized GoPro for HD vision on Youtube. Who is more "pro"?

[metastable]

I find these Ex-Officio Give and Go Boxers http://www.exofficio.com/products/detai ... n-go-boxer perfect for everything (including hiking). They have a bit more length than standard jocks, and fit snug around the legs (even though some of the photos don't give that impression), so the poster above who was wearing bike shorts, I used to do the same until I found these. Don't have to wear bike shorts at all when walking.

They're also make from a quick dry fabric 94% Nylon / 6% Lycra® Spandex, which I find really dries very quickly. They are also treated to stop bacteria growth. I highly recommend them.

[Happy Pirate]

Do you think that means we are getting softer? Hi tech gear, GPS, EPIRP, freeze-dried food, marked tracks, 4WDs. You read about the early walkers in Tas; now THEY knew how to walk! Hobnail boots, packs like plywood cupboards, no trails - or even road approaches sometimes... I mean I read once of a guy who carried an escritoire up Federation Peak so he could comfortably document the trip.

What I think? I think we, bushwalkers/climbers/outdoor lovers as a group has been helping the global and domestic economies through our chase of technology and personal comfort, thereby creating a $646B economy (in the US) out of thin air and 6.1M jobs. Global impact would be even greater with similar benefits within Australia. We should be thanked!

Once upon a time, walkers carried heavy and bulky Daguerreotype wet plate cameras onto mountain peaks for that blurry grey scale image, now we carry palm sized GoPro for HD vision on Youtube. Who is more "pro"?

*Ahem*
I still "carry a heavy and bulky ....'plate' camera onto mountain peaks for that blurry grey scale image" As did Peter Dombrovskis, Ansel Adams etc.
Not Daguerrotype... nor blurry but I still carry unnecessary amounts of camera gear up gratuitously uncomfortably tracks in order to create photos no-one will see.

http://stevehallphoto.photoshelter.com/

But I don't think you answered my question. In fact I think your reply dodged it completely using economic jargon as a smoke screen and then setting up a strawman to be demolished. In fact sounding dangerously like a political reply (avoid the question but bring up the economy!)
Are you a politician or campaign organiser?

[Happy Pirate]

I'll carry this on in a new thread