View Full Version : Undies - what's a girl to do
I've been thinking for some about what the best type/material for underware would be.
It seems that a fair a few of the guys hike sans undergarments. I was wondering what the other women out there do. Hiking logic tells you that cotton is bad since it takes forever to dry when wet; but in "real life" you always here that you should be wearing breathable cotton (non-synthetic) underware. I've been thinking about it for a while but can't come up with the obvious answer. I was thinking of trying out wearing a skirt instead of shorts; so no underware isn't a good option.
Anyone have any thoughts??? :confused:
Lumberjack
12-08-2003, 06:03
Well for the ladies Id think commando is just fine most of the time. There is of course the issue of your friends visit to consider....
Not all of us guys can do the commando thing. I chaff too much. Tried several options but most seem to lose the ability to control after being soaked in sweat for a few hours and some made things worse. I did find UNDERARMOR recently and they seem to work well. A bit hot and pricey but no chaffing. I dont know how well they would work for you tho.
MadAussieInLondon
12-08-2003, 08:50
there is a womens hiking group on yahoo, theyd have all the answers you need.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WomenHikers/
poison_ivy
12-08-2003, 10:10
I bring two pairs of the nylon undies so that I can wash one out at the end of the day and it will be dry by morning. The quick drying is the real advantage -- especially on those hot summer days when you just have to jump into a swimming hole... with cotton, you'd be walking around with wet undies all day, but the nylon ones dry pretty quick.
Hope that helps!
-Ivy
gravityman
12-08-2003, 11:41
My wife wears none while hiking, other than the liner in the running shorts. At camp she puts on her luxury item, a pair of cotton undies.
She likes that combo a lot. You will not really be able to answer this question before you head out. Make you best guess at what will work for you, and change it up on trail. Experimenting is the name of the game.
Gravity Man
smokymtnsteve
12-08-2003, 12:49
I agree gravity man..if your goingto wear undies..changing them on the trail is a great idea :jump
icemanat95
12-09-2003, 10:43
Just in general theory the breathability of cotton is HIGHLY over-rated. Once cotton sops up a pile of water it stops being all that breatheable and actually becomes the problem you are trying to avoid, a warm, moist environment for growing bacteria, fungus and yeasts.
The best performance polyesters out there (capilene and the like) breathe as well as cotton, dry MUCH faster and are designed to transport moisture away from the skin.
A women's forum will address all these issues better, but I figured I'd toss in my two cents here.
Hammock Hanger
12-10-2003, 11:16
I hiked w/o 95% of the time. As I hiked in a skirt if I was hiking an area that had a lot of climbing and I was with a group I didn't know well I wore them. Mostly they were just for town stops or when the need did arise for a little modesty. :bse Hammock Hanger
backpacker.com does have a womans forum. you could probably get some tested feedback there.
Kerosene
12-14-2003, 18:27
Just ran across these lightweight (1 oz) synthetic, and expensive ($17.50) panties: http://www.mountainhardware.com/www/action/catalog/DisplayStyle?id=981
hey there I'm an actual girl, and as for backpacking, I find body by victoria panties by victoria's secret to be the best. There are some pretty good backpacking panties by brands like ex offico, etc., but they usually cost about $12+ each! They're not pretty (in my opinion) which all panties (except the once-a -month ones) should be, and they're usually high cut and baggy in the butt. Victoria's Secret Body By Victoria are made out of quick-drying, sweat-wicking, breathable, extremely comfortable, Tactel. They come in a variety of different cuts too so you can bring along a thong, a sting bikini, and a low rise hipster if you want, and they come in cute colors. They are pretty durable, seamless.. and a few dollars cheaper than the alternative ($9 ea). I picked up a bunch of them during the semi-annual sale, but they usually have xmas colored ones on clearance at the web site year round. They do run extremely small! A size x-small would fit a cabbage patch doll. Size 8/10 pants= size Large BBV panties.
The other option is swimwear bottoms, which I've heard many women use.
Good Luck, see you on the trail!
Texas Dreamer
04-03-2004, 10:14
Thanks lorac! I have been contemplating this same issue, but didn't have the guts to bring it up with all these fellers around. Those are the ones I wear all the time, and I didn't think of them as "hikers", but now that you mention it--they do have all the right features. I guess with all this gear research and buying, I forgot to just look at regular stuff.
Take along some panty liners. Very lightweight and you change them nightly, keeping your panties clean. A whole package doesn't weigh more than a few ounces. Just pack them out, don't put them in the privies. Worked well for me on my section hike.
My daughters (both in early twenties) wear boxer-style undies, capilene-type fabric. For example: Patagonia seamless women's shorts (underwear) or Patagonia Men's boxers. c. $22.
eyahiker
04-10-2004, 22:54
----------------------------------------:)
geoffrey morris
04-27-2004, 06:37
:-? HI everyone,adding my 2 cents again,I coach high school football and my players swear by UNDERARMOR.They love the stuff.There are different types for different conditions.If it works for athlete's it should work for hikers.Let me know what you think???
charlottebronte
04-27-2004, 22:52
I just bought a new scales.......3 Carefree pantiliners, including packaging, weigh less than 0.2 ounces. Kinda solves the underwear problem!
Mountain Dew
04-28-2004, 02:16
I'm sure Baltimore Jack would be able to give you advice on the best brand/type of pantyhose to wear. hahahaaaa Quick story.....onetime while at a parking area me and Baltimore Jack were talking to some day hikers and they were asking him a few questions about the local trails. So Jack bends over to get something out of his pack and his pantyhose are ...well....showing a great deal....the peoples faces lit up as their eyes "bugged" out. It was hilarious and I had to just start walking out of fear that I would start laughing.
MedicineMan
04-28-2004, 07:09
there is a goo that road bikers swear by, dont know the name but it eliminates chaffing....also female bikers do well to shave the area in question...works for bike seat rash- dont know about that and hiking....
I wear a brand of Walmart thongs--they are microfiber --very breathable for the trail. Since there's not a lot of material to a thong, I don't get any friction between these and my hipbelt. I like them a lot.
This year I too am going to try the hiking in a skirt idea for the warmer weather hiking--I think it will be a lot easier.
Hammock Hanger
04-29-2004, 08:43
I wear a brand of Walmart thongs--they are microfiber --very breathable for the trail. Since there's not a lot of material to a thong, I don't get any friction between these and my hipbelt. I like them a lot.
This year I too am going to try the hiking in a skirt idea for the warmer weather hiking--I think it will be a lot easier.
Skirts are wonderful on the trail. But not for the real modest, especially now that the world knows you'll be wearing a thong...:p
Sue/HH
Kozmic Zian
04-29-2004, 20:53
Yea.....girls thingies. Capilene! KZ@:cool:
Photofanatic
04-29-2004, 21:38
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