Chafing Control
This is a question that comes up quite often - how do you prevent inner thigh chafing? And what is Chafing? A quick Google search gives the AI-generated answer:
So, let's see..... friction between skin and clothing, sweat/moisture, heat and humidity. Yup. We get all of that backpacking, especially if it's a hot humid day.
The solution I've found: Exofficio Sport Mesh 9" boxer briefs, sized 1-2 sizes smaller than you would normally wear. For example, I have a 32-34" waist, but I have chosen a size small, and think the fit is perfect. (Exofficio's webwsite lists the size small as for a 30" waist.) The material these are made out of stretches. And you want it to. You want it to stretch so that it stays firmly planted against your skin, and doesn't move. This prevents the motion/friction cause. You want all of the motion/friction to occur between the underwear and the shorts or pants that you are wearing over them, not between your skin and the underwear. That's why you want it tight.
Exofficio offers this product in various inseam lengths: brief, 3", 6" and 9". I perfer 9" inseam to cover as much of my inner thigh as possible, but have also used the 3" and 6".
There are other manufacturers of synthetic boxer briefs (Saxx, Duluth, etc.) that make similar products. I haven't used/tried any of those, so I can't compare or comment on them. I only know about Exofficio. Various YouTubers recommended it, so that's what I tried and found a working solution. However, as a testimonial endorsing this manufacturer, I'll offer up this: Tooth of Time Traders at Philmont Scout Ranch sells everything that scouts need to attend Philmont in case an emergency arises and something needs to be replaced last minute. And by everything, I mean everything. When I was there in 2023 I took particular note that they only sold one brand and model of men's underwear, and that was exactly what I recommend: Exofficio sport mesh 9" boxer briefs.
Within Exofficio, however, more needs to be said. Exofficio makes several lines of products. You specifically want the "sport" or "sport mesh" product, NOT the base "give and go" product. Unfortunately, the sport is usually listed with the words "Give-N-Go" immediately preceding it - i.e. "ExOfficio Men's Give-N-Go Sport 2.0 Boxer Brief 9." The sport mesh is the ungodly expensive stuff: 9" boxer briefs are usually $34 on Amazon, while the "Give and Go" were significantly less expensive, and often offered in 2 or 3 packs, appearing to be a bargain. Don't get the wrong stuff - you specifically need to see it say "sport" or "sport mesh" in the listing. It is a different material and different construction. It is absolutely worth the extra money. Trust me.
Testimonials, oddities, and true stories.
As further evidence supporting my claim that "this is the way" consider the following:
1) One of the youth on a Scout 50 miler I attended in November 2022 was walking bow-legged and clearly in discomfort. When I asked, he confirmed he was hurting from chafing. I literally gave him my (clean) second pair of underwear out of my pack. It changed his whole trip. He was grateful, and to my knowledge, has bought multiple more pairs since that time.
2) On a hot and humid Memorial Day weekend trip around Lake Georgetown in Georgetown Texas, my wife was having significant chafing. I gave her my spare pair (like I said, they stretch). It was so hot and uncomfortable, she ended up stripping off her sorts and hiking solely in this underwear. Not long after she bought her own. She wrote her experience up here.
3) Before I had figured out the "1-2 sizes too small" caveat, I had purchased both the sport mesh and give-n-go pairs in a size that seemed appropriate (i.e. too big.) When I figured out that what I really wanted was a smaller size, I then had a bunch of it (like 8-10 pairs between the two styles/constructions) that were no longer useful to me. GenXer Chris Spears and I had done a couple of road trips to Colorado - reported on here, here and here. Chris is larger than I am. I literally paid him gas money in underwear!
4) I am never, ever, EVER going to try to cut weight (again) by going with anything other than my 9" Sport Mesh underwear. I made that mistake on my 2023 Appalachian Trail section hike and paid the price. If you want the whole gruesome store (to laugh at me or to learn) it is contained within my (rather lengthy) tale of that trip here.
I love my Exofficio so much that I gave up normal underwear about 4 years ago, and have worn Exofficio exclusively ever since. I can say from experience that they last far longer than traditional cotton underwear, which I used to have to replace regularly due to holes. I have yet to develop any holes in any of my Exofficio underwear. So, while they are expensive, I think in the long run they will pay for themselves simply through durability.
Keep hiking my friends
