Neve Dyno Thermal Briefs
Weight - 73 g, cost - $10, fabric - Polartec Power Dry
Advantages: dry quickly, cheap, comfortable
Disadvantages: they begin to smell quickly, the elastic band stretches
Almost perfect hiking briefs
Why do you need special hiking pants at all? Due to false chastity, this topic is rarely discussed in articles and reviews. And for some reason I am sure that most tourists have not thought at all about using underwear on hikes that is different from what they wear in the city. But the question is actually relevant. At least for men. After all, girls in most cases already use fairly minimalistic underwear with a high content of synthetics (at least elastane). But guys are often accustomed to bulkier underwear with a high cotton content. This is very practical in the city, but not on a hike. If you happen to get wet in such underwear, it will be very difficult to dry it ON YOURSELF. This means the risk of getting a cold in the lower back increases. Yes, first of all, you are risking your lower back and kidneys, and not your reproductive organs. And the right hiking shorts should keep you from getting too cold. Thermal underpants are no less useful in extreme heat, when a tourist sweats profusely and cotton underwear that does not wick away and accumulates moisture can cause severe chafing.
Let's return to our sheep. Neve Dyno briefs are sewn in Ukraine (Commandor - remember this manufacturer?) from high-quality imported fabric. I have been using this particular model for more than 10 years (since 2009, if I’m not mistaken). I have already demolished at least 6 units and, in principle, I am absolutely satisfied with them.
The only significant drawback of this underwear is that even in combination with a freshly washed tourist, these underpants begin to smell after only 5-6 hours of use. Therefore, if possible, I wash them every day. And here the main advantage of the Power Dry fabric clearly manifests itself - the panties dry incredibly quickly. At least much faster than any other piece of my hiking clothing. If there is a breeze, they dry in just an hour. The elastic of the panties also dries quickly, which is extremely important in cold climates. After all, on hikes there are often situations when you sweat under your backpack, arrive at the parking lot in wet clothes... and stop actively moving. If the environment around you is not a comfortable campsite with a shower, but a harsh tundra with rain, then after that you would like to be able to quickly dry your clothes directly on yourself. And the Neve Dyno briefs do this job perfectly.
Of course, I always want more and I’m thinking of testing in practice the widely promoted superpowers of merino wool underwear. Supposedly it does not smell much longer than synthetics. But I haven’t come across such panties at a normal price in our stores yet, and I don’t want to order sizes at random. I already have a merino thermal jacket and have already walked a lot in it, but have not yet drawn any conclusions about the accumulation of odors. Perhaps the fact is that synthetic sweaters behave quite well on me.
Let's get back to the panties. Thanks to flat seams and compact elastic, they do not rub anywhere. Even when wet. True, I immediately cut off all the sewn-in tags on the belt.
For any clothing (and especially for underwear), the factor of presentability is important. Wouldn't it be embarrassing to appear in public wearing this? It's a difficult question. In my opinion, when dry, these panties look quite tolerable. These are not tight swimming trunks (Polartec Power Dry is weakly elastic) and not spacious “family suits”, but rather a kind of middle option. But when wet (if you use them instead of swimming trunks), these panties sag and lose their presentation. And the elastic band holds it rather weakly - jumping into the water with a “pike” you can inadvertently expose yourself.
Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about the women’s version of this underwear - Neve Solei tremoshorts. I haven’t seen them in person, and I couldn’t even see them well in the photos. I just know that they exist and cost the same (as men’s). I can only suggest that girls will be more critical of the lack of elasticity and aesthetics of this product.
From personal experience, I usually take three pairs of these thermal shorts on long trips. Some are on me, some are drying after washing (hanging on my backpack), another (dry and clean) are in the seal just in case.
Kirill Yasko, November 2, 2020