Best Hiking Underwear of 2026

Thigh rub is usually solved by length, and this is the longest leg in this group. The Boxerjock's leg runs well down the thigh with a smooth outer surface, so shorts slide over it instead of catching, and this is the pair we keep coming back to for big-mileage days.

Coverage like that can turn into a heat trap, and it doesn't here. The knit is thin enough to move sweat, the waistband sits wide and flat instead of rolling, and the cut stays close through the seat without a compression-short squeeze. Length also keeps the hem from creeping up on a climb, which is where a shorter brief usually starts to bunch.

The cost is the cost. This sits in the priciest tier here, and the money goes into the length and the seam work rather than into extras. Buy two and rotate them and you've covered a week of walking; buy one and you'll spend the trip deciding whether the coverage was worth it.

Order up a size. These run small — the waist is the tight part and the legs follow — and the gap between your usual letter and one size up is the gap between a waistband you forget about and one you're aware of on every climb.

Get the size right and this is the pair we reach for in real heat. The knit is 150 GSM, thin enough that it disappears under shorts, and the stretch runs in every direction so a long stride doesn't tug at the seat. The 6-inch leg lands above the knee: high enough to stay out of the way, long enough to keep the hem off the spot where thighs meet.

There's more thought in the construction than the price suggests. A contoured pouch and gusset hold everything without a compression feel, the wide jacquard waistband stays flat instead of folding over, and the fly is one of those details you only appreciate at a roadside stop.

Four pairs for roughly the price of one premium pair is the argument, and it's a strong one if you want a rotation rather than a single good set. Two pairs ride in the pack and two stay clean and drying, which is a week of hiking without a laundry crisis.

The fabric is the light, cool kind: it feels cool against the skin when you pull it on and moves sweat instead of holding it. We were also impressed by the waistband — wide, flat, and not inclined to roll — which is the part that usually gives away a cheap multipack. They pack down small enough that a spare disappears into a daypack.

Sizing runs a touch generous, so if you're between sizes take the smaller one; a waistband that's too loose is the one thing that turns a good cheap pair into a nuisance. Otherwise the value here is in the number of pairs, not in any single one of them.

No fly and a 5-inch leg: that's the whole personality of this pair, and it's worth knowing which side of that you're on before you commit to four of them. The short hem sits high on the thigh, which is what you want under loose hiking shorts and what you don't want if your thighs touch.

The mesh knit is the other reason they're here. It's soft in a way that doesn't read as technical — smooth rather than slick — and it breathes well enough for a hot climb. Four pairs at the lowest price in this group is how a drawer gets rebuilt in a single order.

Fit runs large, so order down if you're between sizes. For the money, this is the multipack we point to when someone wants four pairs to rotate through a hiking week without thinking about them again — and the no-fly cut is a real preference, not an oversight.

The pouch is the pitch. Hanes builds a divided front panel into these so fabric stays off skin where you sweat most, and on a hot climb that separation is the difference between a brief you forget about and one you keep adjusting.

Support is where these surprised us: the pouch holds without feeling tight, the fabric is silky rather than clingy, and everything stays where you put it through a full day of walking. Three pairs for less than the priciest two-pack here makes them a low-risk way to find out whether the design works for you.

The rest is ordinary in a useful way — a wide waistband, a soft hand, and enough stretch that the size on the label isn't a knife edge. They're an everyday pair that handles a hike; if you're counting grams and drying times, the specialist picks above suit that job better.

Bamboo makes a different kind of underwear. Where synthetics feel slick and technical, this fabric is silky and cool the moment you put it on, closer to the feel of a well-worn T-shirt than to athletic kit.

That feel isn't cosmetic. The knit breathes, it handles sweat without turning clammy, and it keeps odor down on a warm day — the pair you'd choose for a humid hike or a night in a hut where you'd rather not be the person everyone can smell.

The cut is where it gets complicated. The legs are short and the fabric is smooth, so on a long climb they can creep up, and thicker thighs make that worse. If that's your shape, the 5-inch New Balance pair holds its place more reliably.

What keeps these in the also-consider tier is longevity: the fabric can tear below the waistband before the rest of the pair shows wear, so we treat them as a comfort pair rather than a workhorse. For camp, for sleeping, and for hot low-mileage days, nothing here feels better against the skin.

You choose a three-pack or a five-pack, and that's the first real decision with these. If you're still working out the fit, take the smaller pack; if you already know the microfiber works, the five is the sensible order.

The fabric is thin microfiber with a quick dry — the kind of pair you can rinse in a sink and hang off a pack strap — and the waistband doesn't dig or bunch under a belt. Breathability is good for a synthetic, and the cut stays put without a compression feel.

Where they land is travel and gym bags as much as the trail: quick to dry, small to pack, and comfortable enough for a long travel day. For a trip where you're rinsing a pair in a basin and living out of a duffel, that's plenty.