Random, unrelated thought: I really wish advertisers would use more normal sized women and not skinny models. Sorry, I couldn’t find a photo of an average sized woman for this post.
Thank you readers for patiently awaiting my return. I just finished my Pacific Coast bike ride from Canada to Mexico (more on that later) and I’m happy to be back and blogging. I hope you all bought a copy of my new ebook, and if you didn’t then you should.
While I’m usually adamant about not wearing underwear while hiking (it contributes to chafing and they don’t stay clean), for my bike trip I decided to give the ExOfficio Give-N-Go Bikini a try. The ExOfficio website boasts that “Give-N-Go underwear are packable, odor resistant, moisture wicking, durable, lightweight, quick drying, and above all comfortable.” I thought that was a steep promise to live up to, but I went ahead and spent the $18 on a teal pair.
To my surprise, the underwear were actually pretty great. I didn’t wear them everyday, but I probably wore them 3 days out of the week. I preferred biking commando, but I wanted to give these underwear a fair assessment nonetheless.
Pros:
- They are lightweight and packable, indeed. They hardly took up any space in my clothes bag. It’s like they weren’t even there.
- They are comfortable. They come up high enough on my hips that they don’t slip down and need readjusted. They don’t bunch up or give me wedgies. I always hate wearing underwear under spandex or yoga pants, but these were not bulky at all. They also have a silky feel to them.
- They wash out easily. A few drops of Dr. Bronners and some water is all you need to clean them.
- They sometimes dry quickly. They dry fastest if you lay them out in direct sunlight. They dry quickly if you leave them outside overnight. I think the breeze helps. You do have to take care to lie them down flat so they’ll dry quickly.
- They come in a variety of colors to choose from.
Cons:
- They seemed to have trouble drying indoors. I had a few occasions when I washed them at night, and they were still damp in the morning. Also, if they are laying in a heap and not flat, they don’t dry.
- It’s $18 for a pair of underwear.
Overall, I’d say this is a solid pair of underwear for outdoor activities. You could probably go without if you wanted to, but if you do want a pair of underwear then THIS IS THE PAIR.
Appalachian Trail Girl 
Do you think these would be good for running? I’m in desperate need for some better underwear for training, and these look like they might work. There is also this brand called Dear Kate I’ve been watching lately that is about to start selling commando-friendly yoga pants. I’m so ready to buy a pair.
I didn’t try running in them, but they seem like they would work well. They fit under spandex well and they don’t really move around while exercising.
Biking,hiking or running, I tend to have my thighs rub together and am prone to chafing. I like to use 9 inch boxer brief style poly/spandex. they come down the thighs a long ways to prevent sweaty thighs from sticking and they dry out quickly.
I like to use a BodyGlide runner’s stick to prevent chafing, or Gold Bond if I already have it!