Reader Comments and Questions 6th Edition
What underwear to wear in the heat of summer...trunks that fit great but don't break the bank and some readers share what's in their underwear drawers.

Well, clearly I didn't get to my next Reader edition until now unlike what I had hoped for which was to publish last weekend. On the upside I was able to get quite a few reviews out which I'm happy for and they were positive ones as well!

There's so much new underwear to review and try out that I've recently gotten in-hand including the CK Active Tech hip brief and CK Micro Modal brief, Clever Dragon print foil boxer brief, Life Underwear bikinis, Artificial Flavor tie dye briefs, AussieBum Flash boxer brief, Undergear Thong (different from the Contour version) and the Jameswinston S-Brief. I will keep working away at the reviews to get you the latest hits and misses for men's underwear this season.

This Reader Edition had a lot of links and images to track down as well as a lot of additional research to find the best recommendations for Drew's question about what briefs would be good for the heat of summer so I hope you find the information useful. After the "heat" question I've answered Tony's request for advice regarding trunks that are affordable and finally some long overdue spotlight on reader's underwear drawer photo submissions.

If you've written in and haven't seen a response yet-keep reading. I'll work on answering more questions ASAP!

Thanks for reading!

Underwear Guy

Reader Drew has been feeling the heat and he was interested in some warm-weather brief options:

Hello,

I need a recommendation for underwear. I live and work in Florida...it gets very hot down here. I recently started wearing briefs (2xist Varsity) and love them. As it gets hotter though it seems like these may not be good for hot weather. I work in hot attics and on roofs all day...so it’s hot. What underwear do you recommend for this? I used to wear boxers but when you sweat and move a lot they ride up. Is there a nice breathing brief out there I can try?

Thanks, Drew

Hello Drew,

Thanks for writing with your question. The season is finally changing where I live as well and as warmer temperatures arrive it’s a good idea to have some different underwear options that help keep things cool and comfortable. I have often read conflicting advice on fabrics e.g. cotton vs. new-age synthetics and my opinion is that the effectiveness of the material has a lot more to do with overall weight and type of weave rather than the specific source fiber. For example cotton can be great with the right amount of stretch but if it’s a low quality cotton you’ll be much happier with a synthetic and the reverse can be true as well. Although briefer styles like sport briefs and bikinis can be beneficial since there’s less material to trap heat, I’m going to limit what I recommend here to briefs since that seems to be your preferred style.

Top Recommendations
Mesh fabrics are often a good choice when it comes to allowing for as much cooling as possible while still providing support and coverage. C-In2 Underwear offers a couple of good options in mesh including the Kinetic Mesh brief which is a light cotton mesh that is stretchable but supportive and available in some nice, masculine colors including the newly released olive and blue. The other mesh option from C-In2 is the Bamboo line which uses a very lightweight and airy material and is great for warmer weather. I have tried both of these lines in brief cuts and can recommend them for fit, comfort, construction and even package enhancement although I realize that’s more of a side benefit than your primary concern. Right now to the best of my knowledge 2Xist does’t seem to be offering a good mesh fabric option within their collections so unfortunately I don’t have any good recommendations for the other big-name in designer men’s underwear in a brief cut.

C-In2 Bamboo Mesh Racer Brief Price: $19.50 Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: Where To Buy: InternationalJock.com: Product Page Skiviez.com: Product Page FreshPair.com: Product Page MensunderwearStore.com: Product Page	C-In2 Cotton Kinetic Mesh Brief Price: $13.50 Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: Where To Buy: MalestromOnline.com: Product Page InternationalJock.com: Product Page Skiviez.com: Product Page

Calvin Klein has recently released 2 new mesh lines of underwear that are specially designed for active wear and warm temperatures so they seem like very good options for your situation. I reviewed the new Calvin Klein Tech Active Mesh jock recently and yesterday I just bought the brief version. I was surprised that the pouch of the brief is a lot more shaping and supportive than the jockstrap both of which fit true-to-size. The Tech Active line is made from a synthetic mesh material which is designed to help absorb moisture and improve airflow. The Tech Cool brief is the same cut as the Tech Active but in a cotton mesh fabric which is also good for keeping things cool.

Calvin Klein Tech Active Hip Brief Price: $22.00 Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: Where To Buy: CKU.com: Product Page BareNecessities.com: Product Page FigLeaves.com: Product Page InternationalJock.com: Product Page Skiviez.com: Product Page FreshPair.com: Product Page MensunderwearStore.com: Product Page	Calvin Klein Tech Cool Hip Brief Price: $22.00 Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: Where To Buy: CKU.com: Product Page Macys.com: Product Page BareNecessities.com: Product Page FigLeaves.com: Product Page FreshPair.com: Product Page

Play Mini Mesh Brief Price: $21.00 Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: Where To Buy: Intimo.com: Product Page InternationalJock.com: Product Page FreshPair.com: Product Page	DKNY Sport Mesh Brief Price: $19.50 Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: (Based on other similar DKNY items I would say the pouch is not necessarily extra-roomy but it does have more room than 2Xist or C-In2 underwear.) Where To Buy: BareNecessities.com: Product Page FigLeaves.com: Product Page HisRoom.com: Product Page FreshPair.com: Product Page MensunderwearStore.com: Product Page	Baskit Cool Mesh Brief Price: $18.50 Sizing: Unknown at this time Pouch Fit: Unknown at this time Where To Buy: Skiviez.com: Product Page

Baskit Cool Mesh Pouch Brief Price: $18.00 Sizing: Unknown at this time Pouch Fit: Unknown at this time Where To Buy: InternationalJock.com: Product Page Skiviez.com: Product Page

Calvin Klein Micro Modal Brief Price: $20.00 Sizing: 1 size down recommended Pouch Fit: Where To Buy: CKU.com: Product Page BareNecessities.com: Product Page HisRoom.com: Product Page TopDrawers.com: Product Page	2Xist Luxe No Show Brief Price: $22.00 Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: (Assumption based on other similar 2Xist items.) Where To Buy: InternationalJock.com: Product Page FreshPair.com: Product Page MensunderwearStore.com: Product Page

Conclusion
There's clearly a lot of options currently available for cooling down in the summer. The great thing is that all these choices are fashionable and reasonably priced. I noticed that color is no longer lacking in even the performance ranges of men's underwear with the CK Tech lines offering red and blue colors as well as the C-In2, Play and Baskit briefs available in all sorts of colors from subdued blue to bright orange. Clearly we'll find summer can still be "cool" for fashion and function.

Tony wrote in for some tips for good trunks that don't break the bank:

Hey what’s up?

I’m looking for a recommendation on a good pair of boxer brief and/or trunk cut underwear. The main thing I am looking for is a material mix that does not end up being stretched out by the end of the day. My 100% cotton pairs end up being like regular boxers by the end of the day because they get all stretched out around my thighs. Recently I picked up some made by ‘PLAY’ and they are by far my favorite pair. What are the other comparable ones in the market? It would be nice to find some in the $10-$15 range rather than $20+. Please share your expertise.

Thanks

Hello Tony, thanks for the question. There’s absolutely no problem finding plenty of good boxer briefs and trunks on the market but what can definitely be a challenge is finding ones in the price range of $10-$15. With the US dollar continuing to have less purchasing power, imported goods including exotic fibers have become increasingly expensive. It probably doesn’t help that designer men’s underwear has been on an upwards pricing trend as well with the average high-end brief now tipping the $20+ range. Assuming we take list price and not opportunistic sales into account here are some recommendations for trunks that wear well but don't require a lot of money.

The American Eagle boxer brief is a solid option made from a stretch cotton with some great color options and a good fit. These are priced at a very reasonable 2 for $20 online and in American Eagle Stores. Click here for the original review where I found them to be an excellent all-day wear trunk that was fashionable and comfortable.

When looking for an affordable underwear choice the go-to brand is frequently Life Underwear by Jockey and they happen to offer a couple of good options including the fashionable Euro Trunk (originally reviewed here) and the Sculptured Pouch collection (review here) both of which are under $15 per pair. I should note that I found the microfiber version of the Sculptured Pouch collection better than the cotton version because the waistband was smooth. With the cotton sculptured pouch the waistband is quite rough on the inside and I didn't like it as much for all-day wear. Jockey Underwear can be hit or miss but I liked the sport brief from the seamless waistband collection (review here) and I think the boxer-brief version would also be a decent choice for you as well.

American Eagle Low Rise Trunk Price: 2 for $20.00 Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: Where To Buy: AE.com: Product Page	Life Underwear Sculptured Pouch Trunk Price: Under $10 per pair Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: Where To Buy: Wal-Mart Stores	Jockey Price: 2 for $19.50 Sizing: True To Size Pouch Fit: Where To Buy: Jockey.com: Product Page JCPenny.com: Product Page BareNecessities.com: Product Page

Readers share what's in their drawers:

A while ago I ran an article titled: A Peek Inside My Underwear...Drawers where I detailed some of my underwear collection via a few photos of my underwear drawers. Since then some readers have sent in their photos as well and I thought it was long overdue I share them here. Longtime reader William was kind enough to send his photos in which he said his underwear was "arranged mostly according to colors and type: briefs and boxers. " It looks as though William has a nice collection of very organized underwear including quite a few briefs from Report, C-In2 and Mundo Unico among others. Thanks for sharing William and happy underwear shopping!





AC from the BrfLines Blog and Website was kind enough to share a peek into his underwear drawer as well and explained a little more about his collection:

I try to match the color of my underwear with the shirt I'm wearing that day. Thus, rather than organize by brand like you have, I have them stacked by color. some of the colors that I don't have a lot of (like yellow) I include in color groups that they most closely fit in. I have all kinds of brands. Off the top of my head I have CK, 2xist, Jockey, C-In2, Diesel, Emporio Armani, A|X, Ben Sherman, Lonsdale, Bjorn Borg, Pierre Cardin, Eyelit, Zara, Sloggi, Hom, Mey, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Ginch Gonch, Punto Blanco, and I'm sure others I've forgotten! I hope you like the pic!

Thanks AC for sharing, you have quite a broad collection including many of the more exotic brands from Europe, way to go! Your organization by color is a nice way to keep things easy to pick out as well.