Dress Like a Man: Underwear 3.0

We are back with our 3rd installment of Men’s underwear! Who knew?!  You can click here to see my first post, and here for the more recent 2nd post – which includes some background on multiple undergarment companies – each with unique styles, cuts, fits, and colors . But, there are still more companies to delve into, and this post will seek to highlight those!

Brand: Andiamo!
Style: Men’s Sports Brief and Unisex Skins
Cost: Approximately $13 for Men’s Sports Brief and $15 for Unisex Skins
Specs: Sports Brief = 96% wicking polyester fibers spun with 4% lycra
Unisex Skins = 94% wicking polyester fibers spun with 6% lycra
Description: “In 1986, in response to our own athletic needs, we created the world’s first underwear specifically for cycling. Andiamo! Skins™with the unique, one piece crotch virtually eliminated the chafing and saddle sores which had plagued cyclists.

A cycling staple was established overnight. We were in 2000 independent bike stores and most of the large sporting goods chains after one year in business. We made an undergarment of a fine, stretchy fabric which could be laundered fiercely, saving wear on expensive padded cycling shorts (Yes, they were expensive, even back then) and keeping a layer of clean next to the skin.

Since the bodies we designed Skins and Padded Skins and Padded Briefs for remain the same, so do our products. Soon, Skins™were discovered by hikers. They eliminate chafing, wick perspiration, provide light compression, and wash and dry quickly. They have been worn by serious hikers to the ends of the earth, literally. Scuba divers found that wetsuits roll on and off easily over Skins. They are great for basketball, soccer, kayaking, horseback riding, skiing,  or any activity calling for dryness, support, and comfortable, seamless seating.

Impressions:

As you can see in their description, Andiamo was really geared towards cycling. Our blogger Teresa, as the triathlete of the blogging core, has received some padded women’s underwear and will be reviewing in a later post. I reviewed some of the unpadded versions that Andiamo has created over time.

Of all the underwear in this post, Andiamo is the simplest design of the bunch. There are no fancy colors or styles. It’s straight-up performance and functionality. In their collection, they have 3 men’s underwear products, 3 women’s products, and 1 unisex products. Their underwear comes in two versions – brief and Skins (think a longer boxer-brief), and those versions come in padded or unpadded. Simplicity at it’s finest.

I don’t have a whole lot of brief-style underwear in my arsenal, and the Sports Brief fit in well. I felt they performed more in line with an athletic briefs, as opposed to other more stylistically inclined briefs. They are not minimalistic, which means they haven’t sacrificed style for function. That really showed through by them staying in place when I was being active and keeping my “stuff” secure and in place. They stayed in place no matter which way I was moving, bending, or stretching – something that isn’t always the easiest for me to come by. For those who are used to a brief style, or who would like to be, I think this would be a fantastic option for workouts and runs.

The unpadded Skins provide a thin, and long, underlayer. As I generally run in compression shorts (when I’m not testing out underwear), these felt right at home. Initially, I had trouble determining which side was the front and which was the back (embarrassing I know). The crotch is made from one piece (with seams happily facing away from the undercarriage to limit chafing. I was expecting not to care for these, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was actually dealing with some minor chafing when I first got these and a few days of wearing the Skins (in between washes of course) really kept the irritation away. I could definitely see the padded version being wonderful for cyclists.

While these products are probably nothing to write home about in looks, they really make up for that with functionality and price. Also great about these products is that every pair is made one at a time, by hand…AND features a lifetime warranty. Yes, I said lifetime! Andiamo also has a couple of other underwear tops in their catalog – a women’s bra and bra tank, as well as a unisex tank and sport tee.

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MyPakage

Brand: MyPakage
Style: Pro Series Boxer Brief and Pro Series First Layer
Cost: Approximately $40 for boxer brief and $60 for firstlayer
Specs: 100% hydrophobic wicking polyester
Description: The Pro Series is made with our MyDRY fabric which wicks away moisture to keep you dry and comfortable at all times. With high-stretch and a lightweight, no-roll waistband, they are designed for athletes of all levels that are looking for the ultimate experience in performance and comfort.

Impressions:

MyPakage makes use of the “newest” thing in men’s underwear – the pouch. I have tried a bunch of pouches out, from ones that were a single hole, to ones that are adjustable. The Pro Series Boxer Brief has what they are calling a “KeyHole” – a 3 dimensional pouch that supports and eliminates the need to rearrange or adjust. I found the pouch to be simple – something that is my preference. It was also not uncomfortable and I never felt preoccupied like my stuff was “in a pouch”.

I also found the comfort itself to be relatively top-notch. There was no sagging in the back when I crouched – a big positive for me. It was definitely a little more compression-feeling, then everyday boxer briefs, but could be worn as both.

The Pro Series First Layer also features many of the components that MyPakage’s Pro Series offers – the same fabrics, keyhole, and waistband. However, it extends into a full length pant – a baselayer of sorts. I loved these, and found them perfect for running in cool temperatures. While I have generally been a shorts-wearing runner only, this year has forced me to invest in some running pants (I’m getting soft in my old age). While my pants are great – ideally I have kept wanting something to put under a pair of shorts instead. These are now my go-to in this department. They provide great comfort, doesn’t necessitate me wearing another pair of briefs under them (like my previous crappy baselayers), and look really normal under a pair of shorts. They have stuck through a few rainy runs and held up well and dried quickly.