Guide to Finding the Best Men’s Underwear
Link for the Bahasa Indonesia version
Do you have difficulty finding underwear that works for you? That is understandable, most underwear out there are terribly designed. Most men settle for the cheapest ones because they have not found the right fit. It does not help that there is a very limited selection in Indonesia when it comes to proper men’s underwear.
Everyone wants underwear that is comfortable. But what really is comfortable underwear? Some say they want to be supported; while others want to feel like they are not wearing any. Well, not really… you don’t want something that just has good support – being lifted up is not really comfortable, is it? Underwear that feels like wearing nothing? Might as well going commando and save the yearly cost on underwear.
After countless hours of research including trying hundreds of pairs of underwear, we can tell you definitively that underwear that is truly comfortable should make you feel surrounded AND contained. The goal is to surround you like being hugged and contain your junk so that it does not move around. It should keep them secured – but in its natural position. It is important to get a properly designed underwear if you want to experience this kind of liberating comfort.
Five issues typically found in men’s underwear
1) Flat front
Wearing underwear with a flat front is like intentionally torturing yourself. Are you flat in front? Even though most fabric can stretch, they are still mostly flat and will still squish your junk. Plus, usually it does not properly contain you so you end up shifting from the front pouch altogether.
You want underwear with a properly-designed 3D front pouch. The 3D pouch should form walls around your junk essentially containing them and keeping them in place. With a proper pouch, you can move anyway you want and your junk would still be where it should be. No need to readjust every minute.
Comparison of flat-front boxer briefs (left) vs Unwear (right)
2) Too short/too long front pouch
The height of the front panel actually plays a major role in the formation of the above-mentioned pouch. If it is too short, the bottom seam will press against your balls instead of “cupping” them and interferes with the formation of the walls around your junk – basically means the pouch would be pretty much useless as it does not contain anything. If it is too long, the bottom seam would be so low that it presses against your leg and move everything in the pouch with every single step – why men readjust by doing the awkward sidestep. You can see an example of too long front pouch in the left picture above.
3) Legs ride-up
This is the most popular problem of boxer brief encountered by men. Most often, it is because the leg opening is too loose or not tight enough. Admittedly there is no perfect solution since the circumferences of the thighs varies from person to person. One solution is to make the legs longer so that it goes past the widest point of your thighs – however, that extra fabric generally traps more heat which really does not work for Indonesia’s tropical climate. Or you can make the legs really short (“trunk style”) but it usually leads to bunching up of the fabric in the groin area. The only solution is to make the opening tighter so that the chance of climbing-up is substantially reduced (not eliminated entirely though).
4) Too tight waistband
This is an area that manufacturers like to cheap out on. They use low quality rubber that does not have good expansion properties. As a result, they dig into your waist making it feels like you are wearing a tight belt that leaves a mark. In other case, the rubber does not have good “snap back” properties – when it expands, it does not snap back to its original length. It will loosen and gets longer as you wear them until eventually it resembles a loose rope rather than a close-fitting waistband.
5) Synthetic fabric
A lot of underwear in the market are made from synthetic plastic fabric due to its low cost, lightweight, smooth feel and durability. However, as you probably know, plastics do not breathe. Underwear made from polyester and nylon usually traps heat and moisture – that is why you feel hot and easily sweats when you wear them.
There are modern chemical treatments for plastic fabrics that allowed the fabric to absorb moisture making it feels cooler. But the absorbed moisture stays in the fabric even after you wash them. The underwear accumulates sweat with each use including odors that you probably don’t want to smell. Don’t believe us? Find your favorite workout clothes, which are usually made of polyester, and give them a sniff.
In summary, how should the best underwear fit?
Properly-designed pouch which keeps your asset contained and have enough room so it feels both roomy and secure at the same time without any squishing.
Compression, body-hugging fit which make you feel surrounded and like being hugged. You want it a little bit tight when you put it on as it should stretch to your form which will help keep everything in place.
Minimal leg ride-up so they stay on your legs instead of bunching up in your groin area
Soft waistband that sits on your waist and does not dig into the skin
Silky-smooth (not synthetic) fabric so there is minimal friction in your pants which helps keep everything in place
What underwear brands do we recommend in Indonesia?
Well obviously we recommend Unwear. We have tried hundreds of pairs to narrow down the factors that makes the best underwear. So, when we craft our underwear, we make sure we craft something that provides comfort few men have experienced from a pair of underwear. Our boxer brief packs all the features you need for liberating comfort without any adjustment needed.
But if you don’t trust us and/or are looking for something a little more basic, albeit with limitations, we suggest getting Uniqlo’s supima cotton boxer briefs. They do a decent enough job providing adequate comfort with a good fit. However, their pouch construction is not the best – it is quite constricting due to the limited room provided. The legs tend to ride-up considerably as well. We do not recommend Uniqlo’s Airism line – they are made from synthetic plastic fabric which is prone to the issue mentioned above. And their pouch construction is still not that good.