When you’re layering up for a hike, whether it’s in the heat of summer or in the frosty depths of winter, what you do start with? Your underwear right?! Some may not think that picking the Best Hiking Underwear For Men makes a difference but when you have worn a pair of briefs that constantly ride up and chafe on a hike, it’s all that is on your mind.
Not all underwear is made equal and hiking underwear is very different from everyday underwear. It has design elements within it that reduce chafe, wick-moisture, keep you cool and sweat-free, and of course, don’t ride up with every step you take.
At A Glance: Our Top 3 Best Hiking Underwear For Men
Join us as we take a look at the best hiking underwear for men, review each pair in detail with pros and cons, so you find the best men’s hiking underwear for your next adventure.
Best Allrounder
| SEE ON REI →SEE ON AMAZON → | |
Best On A Budget
| SEE ON REI →SEE ON AMAZON → | |
Best Of The Best
| SEE ON REI →SEE ON AMAZON → | |
| SEE ON REI →SEE ON AMAZON → | |
| SEE ON AMAZON → | |
| SEE ON AMAZON → | |
| SEE ON AMAZON → | |
| SEE ON AMAZON → | |
| SEE ON AMAZON → | |
| SEE ON AMAZON → |
The Icebreaker Men’s Anatomica Boxer Underwear is some of the best hiking underwear for men you can find.
Their blend of 96% Merino Wool, 4% Lycra Spandex used in the hiking underwear make them soft on the skin while ensuring a snug fit.
This means the boxers do not ride up while you’re hiking and the flat seam design ensures minimal chafing for those long days on the trail.
The use of merino wool as the main fabric ensures you’ll be warm and never overheat. Merino breathes naturally letting any excess heat out, it’s moisture-wicking too to reduce sweat build-up, plus it has natural anti-odor qualities to boot.
These boxers might be a little expensive but there are worth it and their durable build means they’ll last many a year filled with hiking adventures.
The ExOfficio Men’s Give-n-Go Sport Mesh 2.0 Boxer is the best hiking underwear for men if you’re on a budget.
The boxers are made with synthetic fabrics, 92% nylon, 8% lycra spandex, not only to bring the costs down but to ensure excellent performance too.
The boxers are durable, super light, breathable, and have anti-odor treatment built-in to keep them fresh on the trail.
The inclusion of lycra spandex ensures a snug fit with some stretch for comfort. This allows great mobility while keeping the boxers in place so they don’t ride up while you’re hiking.
This underwear also features flat seams to reduce chafing and is by far one of the best hiking underwear for men for the price. They won’t feel as nice as merino wool on your skin, but that’s part of the affordability factor.
The Smartwool Merino 150 Boxer Brief is the best hiking underwear for men you’re likely to find.
This underwear is made from the highest quality merino wool with a dash of nylon for durability. The merino wool is soft on your skin, breathes well, wicks moisture, drys quickly, and blocks odors too.
They have even added merino wool to the waistband on these boxer briefs for the ultimate comfort.
The boxers fit well and high your body to ensure the legs don’t ride up plus the flat seams make sure that there is minimal chafing so you can hike for days in comfort.
These boxer briefs are expensive but they are so well put together and will last years of hiking abuse without dropping the ball when it comes to performance.
If you’re looking for some lightweight boxers that can handle serious activities, then the Arc’teryx Phase SL Boxer might be the best hiking underwear for you.
These boxers are made from 100% polyester, are soft against your skin, and are super lightweight. They won’t take up extra weight in your pack and they wick moisture like no other.
This means, no matter how hard you’re pushing yourself, these boxers will keep you cool and get rid of sweat as quickly as it arrives.
The underwear has a tight but stretchy fit to ensure it doesn’t feel uncomfortable and stretches naturally with whatever movements you’re doing. This stops them from riding up and also ensures that chafing is pretty much out of the picture.
They are a little expensive and a little thin, so they may wear out quite quickly.
Another of the best hiking underwear for men is the Adidas Men’s Sport Performance Boxer.
These are made for all activities from running and lifting weights to hiking up mountains.
They’re durably made from polyester and spandex and come with a no-ride-up leg design so they stay put no matter what you’re doing.
The underwear is soft and stretchy for comfort and freedom of movement plus it’s also breathable and quick-drying to keep you cool and sweat-free while hiking.
They do feature flat seams that reduce chafing but they aren’t quite flat enough to stop chafing when hiking long distances, so bear that in mind before you buy.
Overall they’re great quality for the price but should be avoided by serious adventurers who hike for days at a time.
The MERIWOOL Men’s Boxer Briefs are also one of the best hiking underwear for men around.
Like some of the others featured, these are also made from merino wool, but unlike the others, that’s all they are made of.
This makes them extremely soft on your skin but it does create a problem with durability as there is no material like spandex or nylon to add some toughness to them. Holes can form quickly so they might only last you a year.
Luckily, they come with a 90-day moneyback guarantee so if you do have any holey issues, you can get a refund.
Outside of the durability issue, they perform well on the trail keeping you warm on cold days and cool on hot ones. They breathe well, wick moisture, dry fast, plus the slim fit ensures no riding up or chafing.
The New Balance Men’s Dry Fresh Boxer is one of the best underwear for men for hiking that are made solely from synthetic materials.
Built from polyester and spandex, these boxers are tough, durable, and keep you comfy even if you’re running on the trail instead of hiking.
They are designed with no-ride inseams to eliminate chafing and bunching while you’re hiking. The materials are also breathable and wick-moisture to stop any sweat build-up or overheating.
They do have an issue with the hip seam though. It can dig in and get a bit uncomfy on a long hike plus some men find they are too tight, so bear that in mind when it comes to picking the right size for you.
The DANISH ENDURANCE Boxers are some of the best hiking underwear for men that are made from cotton.
Cotton is not the best performance material out there but it is soft on your skin, naturally breathable, and far more affordable.
It makes these boxers comfy to wear but if you’re out on a long hike, the lack of moisture-wicking qualities will result in some sweat build-up.
Outside of sweat build-up, these boxers will keep you cool and are designed to eliminate chafe, so much so, they are tested and recommended by ironman athletes.
In practice though, they can ride up easily which makes them better for short day hikes and everyday wear, but not for big adventures.
Another great pair of underwear to consider while looking for the best hiking underwear for men is the DAVID ARCHY Sports Underwear.
This underwear is made from 91% Polyamide and 9% Spandex making them soft on your skin and adding an element of stretch to the fit.
They fit snugly but allow for great freedom of movement while you’re hiking and have a 3D pouch for excellent support.<
The material is breathable and moisture-wicking to keep you cool and dry while hiking and feature longer legs that do not ride up plus they are seamless for zero chafing.
The long legs do seem to cause an issue though if you have thick thighs and will ride up from the start.
BALEAF’s Men’s Active Underwear is another contender for the best hiking underwear for men but unfortunately drops the ball a bit in the summertime when it comes to heat.
Made from polyester and spandex, they are soft and have a great fit allowing freedom of movement but with no ride-up or bunching.
The materials do a good job when it comes to breathing and wicking moisture in winter, spring, and autumn, but when it comes to a hot summer’s day, they can’t quite handle it and you will most likely overheat.
The stitching can also run on your inner thigh but this doesn’t happen to most men, only those with thicker thighs.
When it comes to materials and the best hiking underwear for men, there are two main choices – natural and synthetic. The materials the underwear is made from end up dictating how well they perform on the trail in terms of breathability, moisture-wicking, quick-drying, and comfort.
As you might have noticed, the majority of hiking underwear for men featured above made from natural fibers use merino wool.
Merino wool is an awesome material and is used in all top-quality baselayers for hiking and other outdoor pursuits.
It has qualities such as breathability and anti-odor plus it wicks moisture and dry’s super fast. It’s also extremely comfortable and soft on your skin and keeps you warm/cool depending on the weather. You can see why it’s so popular in hiking clothing.
The only downsides to merino wool are that it’s expensive and not as durable as synthetic fibers. So you’re getting great performance and comfort for a price and a shorter shelf life, but if you can afford it, it’s worth it.
All the synthetic underwear featured uses either polyester or nylon as their base material. These two materials have similar properties when it comes to durability and beat merino wool in that contest hands down.
They are not, however, anywhere near as soft as merino wool on the skin, and even though they dry a bit fast than merino, are even less soft when wet.
They are breathable though, and they do wick moisture too but any kind of anti-odor qualities will have to be added to the fabric and do not occur naturally.
Some of the underwear featured uses a mix of merino and nylon/polyester to give you the best of both worlds. With this kind of underwear so get all the soft and breathable qualities of merino wool along with the durability of polyester/nylon. Underwear made like this is highly recommend and beats the others by a long shot in our eyes.
We touched on this above when we discussed the material but it’s so important that it’s worth mentioning again. You will not be comfortable hiking in boxers that make you overheat and stay sweaty, you want ones that keep you cool and take the sweat away.
That’s why it’s imperative to pick a pair of hiking underwear that both wicks moisture and breaths, you right have to pay a bit more but it’ll be worth it, we promise!
Flatlock seams are a must when it comes to underwear for hiking. They remove any seams that might cause rubbing and chafing while you’re on the trail. This also applies to the waistband as your backpack will most likely be rubbing on it as you hike.
When it comes to hiking gear, including underwear, you get what you pay for and this relates back to the material discussion we had above. The best hiking underwear for men will be made of a blend of merino wool and nylon/polyester but these will also be the most expensive as well.
If you’re on a budget, you will probably have to settle for synthetic underwear, just make sure that you pick some with great breathability and moisture-wicking features.
If you choose merino wool underwear, then you need to be careful when washing them. Putting them in at 30 and on a medium spin is fine, so keeping them clean isn’t that arduous of a task. the great thing about merino wool is that it is naturally odor eliminating so you won’t have to wash them so often, which is also handy if you’re going off the grid for a week or two.
Synthetic underwear will need to be washed more regularly but you can throw most of them into the machine with your other clothing.
The all-around best hiking underwear for men is the Icebreaker Men’s Anatomica Boxer Underwear. Made predominantly from merino wool with a slim fit, these boxers are super comfy, don’t chafe or ride up, plus they breathe and wick sweat to ensure you’re always comfortable down there, even on the longest hikes.
The best hiking underwear for men, if you’re on a budget, is the ExOfficio Men’s Give-n-Go Sport Mesh 2.0 Boxer. These boxers are affordable, lightweight, and super comfy. They hug your body to stop any riding up, breathe well for comfort, and have flat seams so chafing is a thing of the past. You can’t beat them when it comes to performance vs price.
The best hiking underwear for men featured in the article is the Smartwool Merino 150 Boxer Brief. This underwear is made of top-quality merino wool with a dash of nylon for durability. The last years while maintaining their fit, breathability, anti-odor, and quick-drying qualities. If you’re a serious adventurer who spends weeks at a time hiking in the backcountry, these are the boxers you want with you on the trail.