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Travel Underwear: to dry fast

I am a bit concerned about the lack of laundry that we were told by our RS tour, to expect on the tour to Scandinavia at the end of July. Any suggestions for quick dry but not sweaty underwear, especially for men?

Posted by
11053 posts

TravelSmith dot com has choices that fit your description for both women and men. Outdoor stores like REI carry them too.
The tour doesn’t stay anywhere two nights where you get your laundry done?

Posted by
119 posts

I wore exofficio undies while on my Switzerland RS tour. When I did sink laundry in the evening, they were always dry by the morning.

Have a great time - that tour looks incredible!

Posted by
23177 posts

Anything that is synthetic or I prefer a cotton blend will be fine. !00% cotton can have problems drying over night. Some of the new synthetic blends are terrific.

Posted by
583 posts

You can shorten drying time considerably for sink-washed clothing by squeezing out every bit of water possible before hanging to dry. Here's how: after handwringing, place the clothes on a dry towel, roll the towel up tightly, place on floor, and stand on it. (if it's not late at night, you can even jump lightly on it for more force). When you unroll the towel you'll be amazed how much drier the clothes are for hanging up.

The downside is that now you've got a wet towel. Hoping you have a spare. If your hotel provides a terrycloth bath mat, use that instead of the towel because it absorbs more water and it doesn't matter if the mat is still damp for your bath/shower.

Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
786 posts

I wear nothing but Duluth Trading's Buck Naked underwear. You can wear it for several days stink-free unless it's totally sweat-soaked. Always dries overnight after sink-washing. From what I've seen it's pretty similar to Ex-Officio.

Posted by
2094 posts

Jockey has a “lightweight travel microfiber boxer brief” that works well, drys overnight. Very comfortable (according to BF). We always do sink laundry when traveling, no problem if you roll the clothing in a towel and step in it to get the moisture out (learned that from travelers on this site!).

Posted by
3514 posts

Surprised they told you there is a lack of laundry opportunities. When I took the tour, we used a laundromat on Ærø right across the street from the B&B. Was run down and expensive, but we all managed to get done what we needed. Ærø is approximately half way through the trip.

The rest of the hotels in the big cities had laundry service, at regular hotel prices, that could get things done.

As far as an answer to your question, sorry can't recommend any.

Posted by
3039 posts

We use travel undies from our local outdoor store, and wash them out as needed, drying them using the "roll-up-towel" approach described above. I also do socks and sometimes pants the same way.

Posted by
7010 posts

Any synthetic blend underwear will dry overnight after sink washing if you wring them out rolled in a towel to get most of the moisture out and hang them where there is air circulation around them (not in a closet). The same goes for lightweight synthetic shirts/tops. If you're in a hotel for 2 nights be sure to wash on the first night so you have plenty of time for things to dry. There is no need to buy expensive, name-brand, or travel specific clothing if you pick your clothes carefully.

Posted by
3387 posts

Again...ExOfficio...I found cheaper, last year, pairs on Amazon. I think I paid $15 or so per pair but they are entirely worth it from a comfort perspective and they dry incredibly fast. I still wear them all the time even in my non-traveling, civilian life!

Posted by
7451 posts

I have taken to wearing Ex-Officio (Target also carries them) almost all the time now, especially since I travel frequently for work, saved me with all the recent weather delays. I agree with the above practice, wash, wring hard, put in a towel and pat dry more, then hang someplace they get plenty of air...they are always dry well before I need them.

Posted by
55 posts

Merino, since no one's mentioned it: IceBreaker, Smart Wool, and there are a few other slightly cheaper brands I've seen on Amazon. You may be thinking that wool underwear in summer is a bad idea, but merino breathes amazingly well and the knit used is very thin. I find them to be just as cool as Ex Officio. They dry just as fast if not faster.

Uniqlo also offers a line for both men and women called Airism. I'm a big fan of the brand overall, but the cut of the underwear doesn't work for me. However, I hear rave reviews for them in travel forums, so if the cut works for you, it could be a good, cost-effective choice.

Posted by
3387 posts

Absolutely Exofficio! If you look on Amazon you can buy last years "model" for 1/2 the price of the current ones. I paid $14 a pair rather than the $24+ at my local REI. I used them on the Camino de Santiago last year and they always were dry within a couple of hours even in rainy weather.

Posted by
891 posts

Both my wife and I have been using Ex-officio Brand underwear for over 10 years. Wash the in the sink or shower, wring them our with a towel and they will dry overnight.

Posted by
243 posts

Another vote for ex officio.

Not sure which cities you will be in but there is a laundromat/ bar in Oslo. There is a minimal number of machines but we had no problem getting one and then had white wine and talked to the locals while we waited.

I believe that we had a short tram ride to get there.

Posted by
5835 posts

In addition to fast drying underwear you will want to have fast drying socks. My CoolMax (a brand of polyester that is wicking, breathable and moderately hydrophobic) socks are fast drying. My merino wool socks are also somewhat fast drying with the help of the wring in towel technique. It may be obvious but worthwhile mentioning that thinner socks dry faster than heavier socks.