Hey, this question is for the ladies. When you hike, what kind of underwear do you wear? I don’t mean to get personal, but cotton doesn’t seem like it would be a good choice, with all the sweating I expect to do…I know they make nylon undies, are they too hot?
Jonna
I wore coolmax fabric jogging shorts with built in undies. They were very lightweight and since it was one piece I had less stuff to keep track of. These shorts are sold under different brand names at all kinds of sporting/athletic type stores. They look like regular hiking shorts & are polyester. I don’t know if that’s a good description but hope it helps.
Jitterbug
what about bras? Something supportive that won’t sweat you to death. Any suggestions?
Kyle and Lisa
I wore both on my trip. I didn’t have any trouble at all with any bras–both normal or sports bras. As far as undies, I switched on and off–some days I wore them and some days I didn’t. It’s nice to have the option–but when they’re wet, it’s a sad sad day! I think the built-in thing is a great idea…maybe that is the best option.
Tina
I wear coolmax-type bra (synthetic, moisture-wicking, quick-drying) and underwear that I’ve ordered from travel catalogues and from Title IX. Campmor also has them listed sometime. Mine are in dark colors so they can double as swimwear.
Annie K
Hope this isn’t a doofus question, but what is Title IX? I couldn’t find anything clothing-related when I did a Google search.
Jonna
Not sure how this would work for the ladies, but I wear light nylon swimming trunks for underwear on the trail-- the ones with the mesh underwear sewn in. quite comfortable and dries quickly, and they are inexpensive and available pretty much anywhere when ready to replace. Perhaps a light and comfortable female swimming suit bottom would work. Maybe the top could serve as a bra…?
Cobra Commander
I have had very good luck with Barely There (brand) seamless microfiber briefs. They are very inexpensive and can often be found on sale, too. The seams on my old undies “dug holes” in my hip bones (ouch!) under the pack belt.
Lady Di
Nike long shorts with built in pant liner, one pair nylon undies, one Nike sport bra.
maggie
Thanks to all for the imput…I had no idea there were so many good options out there in this area of apparel! I checked out the Title9sports website posted above–good stuff, if a bit on the expensive side. :girl
Jonna
for me the best option is a nylon skirt (dries quickly), it does not have the “crotch” area to get skanky (i can’t think of a more polite way to say it) so stays cleaner and not smelly. i wear either a thong or these mesh nylon undies from wallmart that have a cotton crotch, but weigh NOTHING so i can take a bunch with me and change every day. they dry quickly. what is the use of the crotch area on shorts anyways, you get good air circulation with the skirt so it is cooler, if it is knee length there is no problem with exposure even when sitting or bending over. after lots of hikes i would not go without my skirt again, and i saw lots of people wearing them on the AT this year.
hy
i wear a black combo of a microfiber sportsbra from wally world (6 bucks- can’t beat it!) and black danskin polyester undies- they dry fast and the best part is they don’t budge! they’re made for dancers so they work great for hiking (lots of movin’ and no wedgies! :lol )
LarsyParsy
I took two pairs of undies from Title IX, nylon, on my hike last year. They’re not cheap, but their stuff is good and holds up. I hiked in a dress through the hottest part of the summer, dried much faster than shorts and was very cool. I’m not going to discuss specifics here due to past problems with immature posts on this forum. Email me off list if you have other questions Jonna. btw, I ditched the bra quickly, it never dried, in fact nothing really wicks and dries in the humidity of summer on the AT, in my experience.
Bluebearee
I do Danskin arobic shorts for the no chaffe hike…and on occasion put on the wife’s jog-o-bra when its cold in the am to warm it up for her. Score some style points that way too. FabV look out! Although I can’t fit into her size to well.:tongue
Bushwhack
I wear Body by Victoria’s Secret undies when I hike, and they seem to work well. I can’t remember what they are made of, all I know is it’s not cotton.
My sports bras are cheap-o things I got on sale at Wal-Mart. They’re not too bad.
Rachel