What Makes the Best Boxer Briefs for Men?
Are your boxer briefs starting to loosen in the waist? Is that hole in the side of your favorite pair of underwear getting too big? It’s probably time for an upgrade. But what features make the best boxer briefs for men? You’ve come to the right place, my friend.
Today, we’ll be diving into the fit, fabric, fun, construction, and other things that will help you find your next favorite pair of boxer briefs.
Better Fits
When looking into the perfect pair of men’s boxer briefs, one of the most important things to look at is the fit. Having the right fit can make or break your comfort. The first thing to look at is your waist size, which should fall in line with your regular pants size. If you wear size XS or above 2XL, look for brands that offer inclusive sizing.
One measurement that’s often overlooked is your thigh circumference. All Citizens is the only brand that offers extended fits: our Standard fit fits average thigh widths (which most guys have), whereas our Athletic Fit was custom built for guys with larger thighs. The combination of a tailored thigh fit and our signature Grip Thighs ensures that the legs fit perfectly (not too loose or too tight) without riding up or bunching.
A less obvious thing that affects the fit is whether the underwear fabric stretches. Look for high-performance fabrics with 360° stretch since they conform to your body while offering a complete range of motion.
If you look at All Citizen’s fit guide, we’ll show you the right way to measure yourself to find that perfect fit.
High-Performance Fabric
Our products are made with a high-performance microfiber that’s 90% recycled polyester and 10% spandex. “Why should I care,” you may ask? “Why not an organic cotton-blend, merino wool, Supima cotton, or rayon? What about elastane, viscose, lyocell, or some other micro modal fabric I’m not familiar with?”
It all comes down to the performance features each type of fabric has. Almost all performance apparel is made with either polyester or nylon because of their incredible material characteristics:
- They’re extremely durable and long-lasting, so they don’t develop holes easily.
- They have natural moisture-wicking and quick-drying properties.
- They have incredible 360° stretch and recovery when they’re combined with spandex.
- They are ultra-soft when made well.
- They are lightweight and breathable, so they’re great against your skin.
- And they have better color retention so that they look new and don’t fade for years.
These performance properties make polyester a better fabric for workout gear, outdoor apparel, and everyday wear than something like cotton stretch since they move with your body, handle all weather and climates and help you seamlessly transition between work, play, and everything in between. Bonus points if you can find more eco-friendly boxer briefs made with post-consumer recycled bottles.
Packed With Tons of Smart Features
Do you want standard-issue garments that barely get the job done or something that has more advanced features for unparalleled comfort and functionality? Well-thought-out performance boxer briefs will be packed with tons of smart designs that adapt to your body and move with you. Some examples of key features to look for in the best men’s underwear are:
- A ball pouch (also known as a hammock pouch, ball pouch or ball pocket) that separates your “goods” from your thighs to prevent unwanted skin-on-skin contact, friction, and awkward re-adjustments. We call ours the Paradise Pocket — it’s made with breathable mesh to cradle your giggle berries and send them to… (you guessed it) paradise.
- Mesh Breathe Zones that are strategically located where guys sweat the most (AKA, the lower back and between the legs). The mesh fabric provides more airflow and ventilation to cool you down and keep you from sweating down there — kiss swamp butt goodbye.
- Grip Thighs that stay put on your legs and don’t ride up. A lot of brands say their stretch boxer briefs’ legs don’t ride up, but very few actually work as promised — make sure to read the reviews. The best way to actually keep the legs from riding up is to have a gripping band on the thighs (which is why All Citizens created our Grip Thighs with a gripper band).
- A horizontal fly that’s made for a quicker, more natural movement when nature calls. Vertical flies and no-fly skivvies just don’t work as well.
- A thick, no-roll waistband that stays put on your waist to prevent plumber’s crack.
- Seamless sides for a smooth feel all around. Fewer seams mean no chafe or itch.
- A contoured, double-layered pouch that’s spacious enough for the anatomy of men (not a Ken doll). The pouch should conform naturally around your nuggets to caress them gently instead of “mashing” them down — no more awkward re-adjustments.
- Major stress points should be reinforced with more stitching for durability and to stop rips from happening. This ensures that you will never be “that guy” who doles out wisdom with a hole in your underwear.
Quality Construction
When looking for your next great pair of classic boxer briefs, boxer shorts, or even tighty whities, always pay attention to the construction and overall design of the product. Tight-knit seams with clean lines are a telltale sign that something is well made. It takes more time and patience to make seams well; just look at the seams on fast fashion apparel vs. the seams on more premium menswear brands.
It’s a subtle thing to look for, but you’ll immediately see the difference in your undies — and you’ll definitely know the difference when the cheap seams from that bargain multipack unravel after a few washes. Don’t even get us started on fabric pilling. The question you should be asking yourself is, “Do I think these will last for a few years?”
Live a Little With Fun Patterns
If you work in an office or wear a uniform, add some fun to your wardrobe. This can come in the form of a bright tie or a pair of socks with dogs on skateboards or something a bit more subtle and only known by you.
Your boxer briefs can cater to your personality and change for the occasion. From Gotham Black for the more serious days where a bit of sophistication is needed to limited edition lazy pandas for the weekend. There are tons of fun patterns to make your balls less boring, and they just might give the next person who sees them a fun surprise.
Don’t Fight the Feeling
A very important factor to look for in your search for the best boxer briefs for men is how the product makes you feel when you wear it. You likely have that one special pair of low rise cotton boxer briefs that hug you the right way with the right amount of give-n-go and are broken in perfectly for daily wear — and it’s hard replicating that in a new pair.
You’ll need to find a pair that not only feels comfortable when you first put them on but also keeps feeling comfortable throughout the day. The best underwear should feel like a second skin and be incredibly soft, but then wicks moisture and dries quickly as you move about your day. And after several washes, the fabric should be even softer than when you first got them rather than getting stiffer and harder as time goes on.
Like a great-fitting t-shirt or perfectly broken-in jeans, your boxer briefs should make you feel like a king and let you be yourself and feel great doing any activity, whether you’re lounging at home or hiking through the Amazon. If you don’t feel great on the inside (of your pants), you’ll likely not look comfortable on the outside either.
Purpose Beyond Profit
We believe that comfort is a human right. Comfort is not just about the clothes we wear — It is also defined by physiological needs, state of mind, quality of living and a positive outlook on your future. By shopping mindfully, businesses and customers can make a greater impact and bring comfort to those in need.
All Citizens understands that comfort goes beyond finding the perfect pair of boxer briefs. That’s why we created our For All social mission — to provide holistic wellbeing to communities in need and to democratize comfort for all.
We’ve broken it down into four pillars of comfort: physiological, external, habitat, and future. These pillars each provide unique and actionable support to communities across the globe, from providing access to nutritious meals and clean drinking water to providing income stability and protecting our wildlife.
All Citizens has partnered with organizations that share our drive to spread comfort. These collaborations inspired a line of limited edition boxer briefs where a portion of each sale is donated to a comfort-driven cause.
Look good, feel good, and do good, too.
Getting the Support You Need
You need support. Maybe the emotional kind sometimes, but in this case, the physical kind that comes from wearing a good pair of boxer briefs.
As mentioned above, our Parade Pocket boxer brief is designed with a cradle to hold your goods in place and keep them from sticking to your thighs while keeping you ventilated and comfortable. We’ve even got options with longer and shorter inseams so that you can get the fit you love with the support you need. With briefs like these, you have a snug fit with a ton of support and can go about your day without having to re-adjust.
The Price Is Right
Last — but certainly not least — is price. Your wallet shouldn’t have to take a hit just to get quality boxer briefs, and nowadays, a high price doesn’t always mean quality.
Boxer briefs first came into the spotlight in the early 90s. Since then, it become one of the most popular underwear styles in the men’s underwear industry, earning Calvin Klein (one of the original brands pushing the boxer brief style) over $100 million in sales. Soon, other designers began to follow suit by launching their own boxer briefs, which inspired a flood of options in the market — most of which had a pretty high price tag.
Then, over the last decade, several online underwear brands came into the market with marginally improved products but still with designer underwear prices. But comfort shouldn’t have to be expensive.
Brands like All Citizens are creating a new category in men’s underwear: High-quality boxer briefs at an affordable price, because a price tag should never hinder someone from feeling comfortable. That’s why All Citizens boxer briefs are less than half the price of other premium brands.
This approach of democratizing comfort through investing in better products and reducing prices ensures that customers benefit the most instead of just the shareholders and investors of a brand.
Conclusion
Searching for the best boxer briefs for men can be a fun but long adventure, so make sure you look for qualities and factors like a better fit, fabric, construction, how it complements your lifestyle, and how it makes you feel. And don’t let the price tag fool you: You’re better than a high price tag, and you don’t have to pay a high price for quality — you just need to know where to look.
Sources:
Exploring The Decision-Making Process of Men’s Branded Underwear Consumer | UNCG
Polyester Fabric Guide: Explore the Look and Feel of Polyester | Master Class
