Travel Underwear
 

I've never worn travel underwear for men, but after lost luggage, I'm thinking it's time to get some for the carry-on. Does anybody have experience with fabrics like Cool-Max, or nylon? They all seem to wash & dry quickly, but how do they feel? I truly don't want to be wearing my own personal hothouse while trying to enjoy my trip.

Why don't you just pack a couple pair of your own normal underwear in your carry-on bag? Tuck it into a ziplock bag to keep them compact and tidy.

What in the world is travel underwear?

Cool Max is great. I bought the DH briefs and undershirts. They do dry in about half the time as all cotton ones.

When we got back from the first trip using them, he threw away all his cotton undershirts and now only wears the CoolMax. He says it's much softer on his skin than the others and his shirts glide over them better than the cotton ones.

ok, I don't think women need travel underwear -- but I have a quasi-boyfriend who travels a lot in some third world countries as a cinematographer on documentaries, and he buys some of his undies at REI for easy wash/dry. He's had to stay in some really bad places in Afghanistan etc where you have to travel light and do your own laundry.

I don't know how they feel, but try a sporting/camping store.

A lot of women's underwear is this way normally -- at least mine is (thin, silky thin stuff or some synthetic that washes and dries quickly).

Love the 'quasi-boyfriend' tag -
so long as he isn't Quasimoto!

Why not experiment...buy some and wear it now. I suggest nylon may not be a comfortable choice. Check REI and Patagonia. I have sets of Patagonia long underwear in three weights plus shorts I brought to Polska ten years ago and they are still like new! Try regular cotton boxers or briefs under the long underwear. Surprise...EU Supermarkets carry inexpensive underwear...

I have had horrible luck with Coolmax myself. What the heck, buy some and try them out before your trip, see what you think.

Just because we like a certain kind of underwear doesn't mean you will.
:-)

I just had a flash when I read this thread. That guy that tried to light his shoe bomb on a plane now has us all taking off our shoes at the security checkpoint. What if he had been trying to light his underwear?

Take Christina's advise and buy yourself some ladies underwear.

Or go commando. . . :)

Before one of our trips a few years ago, I found some men's underwear at JC Penny that was made of Cotton and Polyester. It's their Towncraft brand.

My husband liked it so much that he wears it everyday now. They also have tee shirts and athletic tees made of the same material. It wears well, is very soft and dries quickly. Also, it breathes so is not hot.

Another plus is the cost. Much cheaper than "travel" underwear from REI, Travelsmith, etc.

I made the mistake of buying a couple pair of the (I think) 'spandex' type of underwear -- Ex Officio brand, as I recall.

They did wash easily and dry quickly.

But it drove me crazy to wear them. First of all, they seemed to be infinitely stretchy, and I continually had the feeling they were falling off. Also, the material was *hot* (and I don't mean that in a good way), so that after a few hours walking around on a warm, humid day I felt like I had a wet plastic sandwich bag wrapped around my middle.

Next trip, I just took along a couple of lightweight cotton briefs -- which washed equally easily and dried equally quickly.

That's my Coolmax complaint, it does not "breathe"... I don't care what the advertisements say.

One thing I should add about the JCPenny Towncraft brand, because they are NOT 100% cotton, they don't shrink like cotton so you don't need to figure that into buying the "right" size.

bettyk, I read your post a few years ago and bought some for my husband. I had previously bought him some nylon stuff that he HATED!!

He loved the towncraft and ,like your husband, that is the only brand he wants now, He needed some new tees a week or so ago and I couldn't find any at JCP. I finally asked a clerk to help me locate them. It seems they have changed the name fron TOWNCRAFT TO Stafford Ease.

They dry almost as quickly as my microfiber bras and panties.

And compared to the price of 1 set of the "travel" stuff, I can get 6 pairs.

Dri-Duke makes moisture wicking tees that are very comfortable and ultra quick drying. Like most of this type, you can ruin these qualities by using a fabric softener - best to drip dry.

You can also buy briefs and socks meant for wearing once and tossing. They are a very light cotton, roll up quite small and weigh next to nothing. You can wash them a few times if you like too before they fall apart. They run about a dollar/pair.

One time a friend neglected to wear her travel underwear and wore one of her regular ones instead, that damn airport security pass-through screen-gate didn't stop ringing.

She had to discard the non-travel ones right there and then, and just went commando for the flight.

Thanks, avalon, for that info. It's about time for me to buy him some new ones. I don't know what he'll do if they ever discontinue those. We had tried all the travel kind from the usual places and he also hated them. I was just lucky with these I guess.

Thanks, you guys. Your replies were just what I needed...and pretty funny sometimes, too. I knew I was coming to the right place.