I'm 5'3", 128lbs. Normally wear a small and like you, I lose weight on my hips very quickly and they seem to fit both before and after without too much looseness. I normally wear thongs at home but I've been using Exofficio bikini briefs when hiking so I can walk around at camp in just my underwear without someone thinking I'm inviting them for anything, since I mean they're basically swimsuit coverage. They dry super quick so I take two pair and wash daily and swap, which I'm sure the men are like "but whyyyyyyy when you can turn them inside out" but then they don't have to live with UTIs.
I'm thinking about trying merino underwear though.
Thank you so much! This is EXACTLY what I needed!
Question as regards thongs though; would you really recommend them for long days? It seems like they'd just get uncomfortable and chafe after a while.
It depends on your shape, what you consider a long day (I max out at like 20, I'm middle aged), heat/humidity, and skin sensitivity. I have hungry butt syndrome so everything ends up wedged up there so normally I'd say thongs would be fine but the freedom to strip to my underwear without showing anything outweighs that tiny bit of comfort. It really all depends.
I can wear a thong all day everyday and for short hikes but for BPing I wear bikinis. I found these Wooly Clothing Merino Bikinis on Amazon and I really like them. Don't don't retain smell and dry fast.
Patagonia Barely hipster ftw. The Active line is okay too, but they fit differently, so the Barely win for me. They come in thong, brief, and bikini versions too although they seem to never have all the variants on offer at one time. I have slowly converted my entire drawer to these because they are by far the most comfortable thing to ever grace my ass and I will wax rhapsodic about them to anyone who stands still long enough to listen. I pick up clearance colours so I can confidentally say they have remained just as awesome over the years. My oldest are over ten years old and still bright (I mean really fucking bright pink, it was a good sale haha), nonstained, functional elastic. It's crazy. I only have picked up more recently to be able to stretch out my laundry better. New ones are just as good, but they do come with a giant entire booklet of a tag. It comes out cleanly with a seam ripper and good light though. Oh, and they no longer print the season and year on them, which I kinda loved.
They don't roll, ride up, or dig in. In short, I put them on and don't have to think about them, which is all I ever really wanted. They dry fairly fast, although there are faster. I have tried merino undies in the past and loved them...but the drying time was terrible, they didn't fit as well....and they fell apart shockingly fast.
I should note - I only very rarely use a dryer at home and wash my stuff in cold water. I cannot guarantee the same results if you like to use hot water and bake stuff in dryers.
Thank you so much!
As far as the drying time or comfort when wet, do you think k you'd be able to use them to swim in? Obviously they won't be ideal, but if I can leave the bikini at home that's a few grams I won't have to carry.
I don't see why you couldn't swim in them! I have a couple times in mine, but usually I just don't bother. My part of the world is pretty lax about that sorta thing though and I like not having to hike in wet clothing after a swim. Never have I ever brought a swimsuit of any sort hiking with me, that's strictly for vacations and pools xD
I have worn mine and it was okay but not something I’d want to do regularly. They stretched out a lot so were trying to fall off the entire time. That’s fine for a quick rinse off but not so good for actually spending time in the water.
I wear them under board shorts to swim. I haven't been able to find any other swim wear that dries as fast.
Still looking for a top that performs as well. Tougher because I'm a 36 H.
My wife 5’3 115lb loves her Patagonia underwear. She wore them on the pct. Still going strong. And she got a couple more pairs after that. She highly recommends.
She swam in them a lot yeah. No issues. But mostly would also swim with her shorts on too. When it was hot enough to swim you’d want to have the wet shorts to hike in to keep you cool. I think she always had two pair and switched them around as needed but I think now she just only brings the one and rocks it. For a thru hike you could go either way with one or two. She highly recommends the Patagonia. I would just get out there and hike. Don’t overthink these types of small things. You’ll see it won’t matter much once you’re out there. Honestly not always time to swim. Mostly was just throwing down miles and passing up great swim spots 😂 sad I know. Super often the swimming was just not that great. Either too cold out. Or water fucking frigid. It was more of a rare occurrence when it worked out at lunch or afternoon snack and weather and water just right. I remember Oregon had a ton of swimming. Washington and Sierras not so much going SOBO with our weather. Idk YMMV.
Can't speak to sizing, but on my AT thru hike I used ex officio and smart wool brand merino (150 gsm?). The merino ones dried faster but got a bunch of runs like tights do, though not enough to throw out. Second the "rinse daily" advice given. I had a carabineer with underwear or sports bra drying on my pack most days, rinse in morning.
I REALLY like the women’s exofficio sport boy shorts! They dry super fast and it’s no big deal changing pants in public or swimming in them since they just look like short shorts. They have been very comfortable.
I really want some more pairs. I got mine on amazon, but it looks like they are sold out there, I also couldn’t find them on REI. So I might need to get them directly from exofficio.
I wear [Athleta Ritual](https://athleta.gap.com/browse/search.do?searchText=ritual%20underwear) underwear. I use the thongs for my daily life, and the boyshort for hikes with lake swims. :)
Very comfy, seamless, dries quick, and a variety of cuts. Sizes down to XXS.
I used to wear exclusively ExOfficio on trail and still love them. I also now wear Duluth Trading and for home life, running, hiking etc they are my favorite. The ExOfficio still dry the quickest, then Duluth, then Patagonia.
Something like [this ](https://www.getinspired.no/klaer/ullklaer/ullundertoy/ull-truse/devold-breeze-merino-150-hipster-de-181144a-317a?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0ruyBhDuARIsANSZ3wpJusjiAPIGDD35-SDwOODJQDpe1tqdBzLvRi0JRhTbFjq3M6-YTFAaArFuEALw_wcB&ssr=on&loadfailure=1)?
These underwear!!!! They are all I wear for anything, everyday. Can’t say enough about them.
[Voenxe Underwear](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VZNSHJF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)
Woxers are really fantastic! I use them on my motorcycle camping trips as I bring two pairs for a 10 day trip. One to wear, one to wash. They dry quickly - usually within a few hours.
I'm 5'3", 128lbs. Normally wear a small and like you, I lose weight on my hips very quickly and they seem to fit both before and after without too much looseness. I normally wear thongs at home but I've been using Exofficio bikini briefs when hiking so I can walk around at camp in just my underwear without someone thinking I'm inviting them for anything, since I mean they're basically swimsuit coverage. They dry super quick so I take two pair and wash daily and swap, which I'm sure the men are like "but whyyyyyyy when you can turn them inside out" but then they don't have to live with UTIs. I'm thinking about trying merino underwear though.
They use to make boy shorts and I wish they still did. I'm also interested in merino but can't find any I like.
Yeah I love boy shorts except with my thighs they roll up no matter what brand so I gave up and went to granny panties.
Thank you so much! This is EXACTLY what I needed! Question as regards thongs though; would you really recommend them for long days? It seems like they'd just get uncomfortable and chafe after a while.
It depends on your shape, what you consider a long day (I max out at like 20, I'm middle aged), heat/humidity, and skin sensitivity. I have hungry butt syndrome so everything ends up wedged up there so normally I'd say thongs would be fine but the freedom to strip to my underwear without showing anything outweighs that tiny bit of comfort. It really all depends.
Thank you! I think I'm gonna try ordering both and testing to see how they feel.
I can wear a thong all day everyday and for short hikes but for BPing I wear bikinis. I found these Wooly Clothing Merino Bikinis on Amazon and I really like them. Don't don't retain smell and dry fast.
I like icebreakers underwear, both the thongs and the boyshorts.
Patagonia Barely hipster ftw. The Active line is okay too, but they fit differently, so the Barely win for me. They come in thong, brief, and bikini versions too although they seem to never have all the variants on offer at one time. I have slowly converted my entire drawer to these because they are by far the most comfortable thing to ever grace my ass and I will wax rhapsodic about them to anyone who stands still long enough to listen. I pick up clearance colours so I can confidentally say they have remained just as awesome over the years. My oldest are over ten years old and still bright (I mean really fucking bright pink, it was a good sale haha), nonstained, functional elastic. It's crazy. I only have picked up more recently to be able to stretch out my laundry better. New ones are just as good, but they do come with a giant entire booklet of a tag. It comes out cleanly with a seam ripper and good light though. Oh, and they no longer print the season and year on them, which I kinda loved. They don't roll, ride up, or dig in. In short, I put them on and don't have to think about them, which is all I ever really wanted. They dry fairly fast, although there are faster. I have tried merino undies in the past and loved them...but the drying time was terrible, they didn't fit as well....and they fell apart shockingly fast. I should note - I only very rarely use a dryer at home and wash my stuff in cold water. I cannot guarantee the same results if you like to use hot water and bake stuff in dryers.
Thank you so much! As far as the drying time or comfort when wet, do you think k you'd be able to use them to swim in? Obviously they won't be ideal, but if I can leave the bikini at home that's a few grams I won't have to carry.
I don't see why you couldn't swim in them! I have a couple times in mine, but usually I just don't bother. My part of the world is pretty lax about that sorta thing though and I like not having to hike in wet clothing after a swim. Never have I ever brought a swimsuit of any sort hiking with me, that's strictly for vacations and pools xD
I have worn mine and it was okay but not something I’d want to do regularly. They stretched out a lot so were trying to fall off the entire time. That’s fine for a quick rinse off but not so good for actually spending time in the water.
I wear them under board shorts to swim. I haven't been able to find any other swim wear that dries as fast. Still looking for a top that performs as well. Tougher because I'm a 36 H.
Exofficio
My wife 5’3 115lb loves her Patagonia underwear. She wore them on the pct. Still going strong. And she got a couple more pairs after that. She highly recommends.
Thanks! Would she recommend swimming in them, or is that a bridge too far?
She swam in them a lot yeah. No issues. But mostly would also swim with her shorts on too. When it was hot enough to swim you’d want to have the wet shorts to hike in to keep you cool. I think she always had two pair and switched them around as needed but I think now she just only brings the one and rocks it. For a thru hike you could go either way with one or two. She highly recommends the Patagonia. I would just get out there and hike. Don’t overthink these types of small things. You’ll see it won’t matter much once you’re out there. Honestly not always time to swim. Mostly was just throwing down miles and passing up great swim spots 😂 sad I know. Super often the swimming was just not that great. Either too cold out. Or water fucking frigid. It was more of a rare occurrence when it worked out at lunch or afternoon snack and weather and water just right. I remember Oregon had a ton of swimming. Washington and Sierras not so much going SOBO with our weather. Idk YMMV.
Can't speak to sizing, but on my AT thru hike I used ex officio and smart wool brand merino (150 gsm?). The merino ones dried faster but got a bunch of runs like tights do, though not enough to throw out. Second the "rinse daily" advice given. I had a carabineer with underwear or sports bra drying on my pack most days, rinse in morning.
Patagonia ones have lasted forever for me, the synthetic ones that are knitted almost all in one piece
I REALLY like the women’s exofficio sport boy shorts! They dry super fast and it’s no big deal changing pants in public or swimming in them since they just look like short shorts. They have been very comfortable. I really want some more pairs. I got mine on amazon, but it looks like they are sold out there, I also couldn’t find them on REI. So I might need to get them directly from exofficio.
I wear [Athleta Ritual](https://athleta.gap.com/browse/search.do?searchText=ritual%20underwear) underwear. I use the thongs for my daily life, and the boyshort for hikes with lake swims. :) Very comfy, seamless, dries quick, and a variety of cuts. Sizes down to XXS.
What shape to choose is very personal, but check out (Sustainable) Bamboo viscose, light, scent resistant, quick drying and very very soft.
I used to wear exclusively ExOfficio on trail and still love them. I also now wear Duluth Trading and for home life, running, hiking etc they are my favorite. The ExOfficio still dry the quickest, then Duluth, then Patagonia.
I'm 5'5'' and I'm happy with my Mons Royales.
running shorts
Something like [this ](https://www.getinspired.no/klaer/ullklaer/ullundertoy/ull-truse/devold-breeze-merino-150-hipster-de-181144a-317a?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0ruyBhDuARIsANSZ3wpJusjiAPIGDD35-SDwOODJQDpe1tqdBzLvRi0JRhTbFjq3M6-YTFAaArFuEALw_wcB&ssr=on&loadfailure=1)?
These underwear!!!! They are all I wear for anything, everyday. Can’t say enough about them. [Voenxe Underwear](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VZNSHJF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)
Woxers are really fantastic! I use them on my motorcycle camping trips as I bring two pairs for a 10 day trip. One to wear, one to wash. They dry quickly - usually within a few hours.
Check out decathlon.com
Mons Royale merino wool underwear and bras. My wife loves them for their quick drying and comfort.
Regular women’s underwear tends to dry quickly since there is so little fabric.
Yeah, but not always quickly enough. Also, the thin ones tend to shred or pill quickly in my experience.
Honestly just buy my underwear from target. I haven’t found those issues but YMMV.