Rather than hijack the "portaging in shorts" thread, I decided to start another.

For those uninitiated to the term, "commando" or "going commando" means not wearing underwear.

At least 10 years ago, probably longer, I decided to ditch underwear and just go commando in the BWCA. I found undies to be hot and another thing to carry. The occasional wedgie on a portage didn't help matters. I couldn't come up with a positive reason to wear them in the Bdub, other than maybe preventing chafing. But going commando hasn't resulted in any significant chafing. Undies got hot in the summer, but didn't offer enough heat retention on May trips to justify bringing them. If I get cold, I put on my rain pants.

Yes, I wear undies when I'm not in the woods.

What do others do?

Mike

I admit it, I wear underwear :)

Rather personal, but it was a common practice in tropical climates, aka RVN. Perhaps the name came from those times?

Because this forum discusses all kinds of topics and this came to mind reading the thread on wearing shorts on a portage. It matters because I'm always learning how other people approach things and make decisions in regard to canoe tripping. It's legitimate if not light-hearted question. A 15-second search found previous discussions on the topic of underwear, to include a February, 2009 thread and a more recent April, 2015 thread.

Mike

In the words of Kosmo Cramer, "The boys need a house!"

No commando for me.

All the time for weight savings-- especially on the Voyageurs Challenge. It seems to be a "glamour" option for me and prevents chaffing -- please don't tell my team mates on the challenge! Base camping - I do (bring) at least one set. Who is looking??

Nope

I've gone commando on both canoeing and backpacking trips with better results than wearing underwear. Rashes in that area, especially on backpacking trips, can be very uncomfortable. Cotton undies get wet from absorbing sweat, then the chafing and rash come next. Painful.

It kind of depends on the weather, but commando tends to be my routine more often than not.

Terramar

No. Way.

The fear of chafing is enough for me to not even consider it.
Also, just as there are good wicking layers of clothing, there are underwear brands that do the same - Terramar, various CoolMax stuff, etc..
Also, same as Kramer - can't stand things wigglin' & jigglin' down there! What do you commando guys do for that - duct tape the boys up to your....whatever? Nah. I need things not to be moving around when I'm portaging or doing anything athletic.

My brother in law was a Ranger in the Army and spent a few years training other Rangers. He said it was hard to convince the younger guys that commando was the way to go, but he was able to get through to them. He said in situations where you're deployed for an extended time with limited resources for doing laundry that commando results in much less crotch rot.

My parts don't jangle and dangle, but barring menstruation (and thank god for menopause), commando with loose fitting lightweight breathable pants is a million times better than having on cotton undies and a hundred times better than having on "fast dry" undies. I was concerned that commando would be stinky, but with good airflow it just isn't.

Funny, "weight savings". I find a good quality pair of technical-fabric underwear weighs almost nothing and takes up almost no space. And putting on a fresh pair regularly allows me to get by with one pair of canoe pants for the entire week, saving me huge amounts of weight over having to bring another pair of pants.

Also, one bad reaction to a freeze-dried meal and you'd be really wishing you could just change your underwear.

One word: ARMACHILLO'S
Don't leave home without them!

I like underwear but just not any goes on a trip. It must be capable of retaining a good dousing of gold bond powder. If it gets hot the shorts are what goes and I trip in my underwear, which in many respects, resemble shorts anyway. Very comfortable and nobody's the wiser. In fact my Indian name is "jolapstrata-mohata" which interpreted means "He who trips in underwear"

Duluth Trading Company Buck Naked Boxers. I bought a couple pair for my "re-introduction" to the BWCA back in 2015 and ended up buying 6 more pair. You really need to try them, it's like going commando but with a layer of protection. Very comfortable to sleep in, hang around camp in, and swim in. They dry pretty fast too. I also like the t-shirts made out of the same material. Charcoal color (or something like that).

Commando for years.

quote HowardSprague: "No. Way.


The fear of chafing is enough for me to not even consider it.
Also, just as there are good wicking layers of clothing, there are underwear brands that do the same - Terramar, various CoolMax stuff, etc..
Also, same as Kramer - can't stand things wigglin' & jigglin' down there! What do you commando guys do for that - duct tape the boys up to your....whatever? Nah. I need things not to be moving around when I'm portaging or doing anything athletic.
"

I recall when they couldn't move out of the way they would get pinched in the unusual positions I seem to get into climbing a steep rock wall or other portage maneuvers with pack or canoe. Now they slide nicely out of the way and stay nicely air dried rather than sweaty and stinky. It is personal, but at 70 I will get what pleasures I can. And the portage pants get plenty of washing so only take one pair anyway. Come winter and I will be outside an under-layer is desired just as I go thermal for the rest of me. I picked it up in '71 and have stuck with it.

I went to the Under Armour synthetic breathable 'active'-type briefs and couldn't be happier.
No chafing involved. Very comfortable.

+1 for commando you dry off quicker

Gotta try that Duluth butt naked stuff

Who the f really cares? Are you kidding me?

What's underwear?

Some days underwear is just one thing too many to deal with. When I'm camping, its always one thing too many. On the occasions when necessity demands it, I'm a fan of Buck Naked. I swear those things are made of angel wings and kitten fur!

Another reason to not go commando . . .

. . . Avoiding that dangerous tripping hazard on portages.

quote GreyOwl: "In the words of Kosmo Cramer, "The boys need a house!"


No commando for me."

+ 1 million

Commando,
I'm going to try it now after reading this thread.

What you guys call chafing, we in the wildland firefighter community call Jungle Butt.
I've had jungle butt a couple times in my fire career. (Hydrocortisone has saved my butt more than once) ;-)

The best man in my wedding is a Vietnam Vet. He always goes Commando to this day.
I will take his advice and the OP's advice on my next trip and try Commando.

Maybe my boys need to be set free.

TMI! But still pretty funny to read. I'm waiting for Ozarkpaddler's last campfire story.

quote LindenTree3: "Commando,
I'm going to try it now after reading this thread.

What you guys call chafing, we in the wildland firefighter community call Jungle Butt.
I've had jungle butt a couple times in my fire career. (Hydrocortisone has saved my butt more than once) ;-)

The best man in my wedding is a Vietnam Vet. He always goes Commando to this day.
I will take his advice and the OP's advice on my next trip and try Commando.

Maybe my boys need to be set free.
"

As the OP, give it a try!

I see a difference between chafing (irritation due to rubbing) and "Jungle Butt" (in the Army we called it Monkey Butt) which I think of as more of a jock itch. Anyway, I think air circulation is key. If one wears pants that cause chafing, then underwear must be worn.

I've never tried the technical undergarments as mentioned above. I'm sure they're much better than a traditional cotton tighty-whitey.

On a tangential note...when I was in my Infantry Officer Basic Course, we had a guy who advocated using nylons instead of long-johns for warmth. He was a SEAL badged, Ranger tabbed lieutenant (yes, he still had to go through the basic course)... and we thought it a funny idea....until we tried it. They're very light, take up almost no room, and can be cut off and discarded if need be, no taking off boots required. The only problem was finding the right size, as some of us were large guys.

Mike

I went commando for a couple years during my early 20's and quickly got used to it. Felt strange going back to underwear after that. I've thought about doing it for trips and it makes sense in more ways than not but I often find myself tripping in cooler weather and I'm afraid I'd miss that extra, albeit thin, layer of thermal protection when sitting on rocks. I usually don't take an extra pair of pants either so the underwear serves as a backup of sorts in case the crotch or bottom tears out of the pants.

It would be nice for drying out faster. Despite synthetic underwear that area always takes significantly longer to dry out. I do enough wading and lining in rapids that I often find myself wet from the waist down.

Alan

Since I left the marine corps in 1995 I just stopped wearing them all together. If it gets cold I put on rain gear or long johns.

Kilt.

Ultimately, this is a disgusting thread. Why the OP-or anyone else, for that matter-wants to know if dudes wear underwear while tripping is creepy, to say the least.

quote Frenchy19: "Ultimately, this is a disgusting thread. Why the OP-or anyone else, for that matter-wants to know if dudes wear underwear while tripping is creepy, to say the least. Sick f---s. "

Relax, Mark. I'm pretty sure that no one here cares or wants to know if a dude is wearing underwear or not. The entire thread focuses on the topic of chafing, rashes and comfort while on a canoe trip, not about what the guy they're passing on the portage trail is wearing (or not wearing) inside his pants. It's a good topic of discussion for those who have experienced the aforementioned issues and not considered going commando as a way of preventing the problems.

We've seen threads on the board about women wearing underwire or sports bras (or going braless) and women's panties and the type that is most comfortable in the backcountry. One man's opinion, but I see this topic as no different.

quote dbpmw3: "One word: ARMACHILLO'S
Don't leave home without them!"

+1

No way.

I bring quick-dry undies and change into a clean pair every 36 hours.

#TheMoreYouKnow

;)

quote Frenchy19: "Ultimately, this is a disgusting thread. Why the OP-or anyone else, for that matter-wants to know if dudes wear underwear while tripping is creepy, to say the least. "

I had the same reaction Mark...No one needs to know that I wear a thong!

quote Dances with Sheep: "

quote Frenchy19: "Ultimately, this is a disgusting thread. Why the OP-or anyone else, for that matter-wants to know if dudes wear underwear while tripping is creepy, to say the least. "

I had the same reaction Mark...No one needs to know that I wear a thong!"

Ha!

quote Jackfish: "

quote Frenchy19: "Ultimately, this is a disgusting thread. Why the OP-or anyone else, for that matter-wants to know if dudes wear underwear while tripping is creepy, to say the least. Sick f---s. "

Relax, Mark. I'm pretty sure that no one here cares or wants to know if a dude is wearing underwear or not. The entire thread focuses on the topic of chafing, rashes and comfort while on a canoe trip, not about what the guy they're passing on the portage trail is wearing (or not wearing) inside his pants. It's a good topic of discussion for those who have experienced the aforementioned issues and not considered going commando as a way of preventing the problems.


We've seen threads on the board about women wearing underwire or sports bras (or going braless) and women's panties and the type that is most comfortable in the backcountry. One man's opinion, but I see this topic as no different. "

Then we agree to disagree. I do not care to read about some guy's itchy balls any more than I want to read about someone who has the squirts. Call me a prude, but some things are better left figured out in private and not posted on a forum.

I have been back packing camping for well over 50 years unless I need underwear to keep warm no thanks.

Just another piece of clothing that one has to worry about and carry.

I always bring a set of hi tech long johns along they have saved me from being very cold several times over the years even in the summer.

The beauty of forums is that if you're uncomfortable with a certain discussion, you can keep scrolling and choose not to read it. You're uncomfortable with the thread, obviously don't like it. Yet you keep reading and commenting. Regardless of what's in your pants (or lack of pants) this thread seems to have value for many people on here. Chafing and heat build up can be a big problem and can make for an uncomfortable week in the wilderness. If this thread can provide some good info and advice to prevent that, then isn't that exactly what this whole site is for? A combination of great discussions on a sensitive subject, combined with a side of humor. I don't see the problem. If you do, find a different thread to follow and stop being a negative Nancy on this one.

Perhaps the OP or Jackfish could retitle this thread as "itchy balls" to safeguard against Frenchy from repeatedly revisiting this thread and experiencing a subject that is offensive to him?

quote fishANDchips: "Perhaps the OP or Jackfish could retitle this thread as "itchy balls" to safeguard against Frenchy from repeatedly revisiting this thread and experiencing a subject that is offensive to him?"

As easy as it is not to click on a thread I find it entertaining that people who don't like things keep coming back.

For someone new who hasn't had the time in the woods to figure this out, this could be very useful information.

"Negative Nancy"... have to remember this +1 :)

I'm an army vet, and I wear skivvies - cuz "stuff" happens.

NEVER cotton. Spend a few bucks on some good underwear that can be washed if and when needed (ex officio is the gold standard, but jockey and terremar are close seconds, and a lot cheaper). Chafing and swamp butt are just about a non-issue.

the invention and adoption of cheap and easy to clean undergarment is one of those aspects of human history that is so easy to overlook.

Last time I went commando video

Commando + gold bond= only way to travel.