7 Best Hiking Underwear of 2026, Tested for Long Trails

The 9-inch inseam is the whole argument for Under Armour’s Boxerjock Long-Leg: it puts fabric where thighs rub, and on long, hot days that matters more than another gram of weight saved. The leg is seam-free, which gives chafe one less edge to catch on, and the tall, flat waistband stays put under a pack belt.

We tested these on climbs where thigh rub usually starts before the summit, and the extra coverage was the difference between finishing comfortably and adjusting all afternoon. The fabric is breathable and sweat-wicking, with a close, athletic fit that keeps the leg from climbing. That same snugness is what stops the fabric from bunching, but it leaves less room for error than a looser brief.

The price is the hurdle. This is a premium pair, and you are paying for the long-leg pattern and the seam-free finish rather than a fancy waistband logo. For a dedicated hiker with recurring thigh chafe, that is money well spent. For an occasional day hiker, the shorter, cheaper pairs here will do. The long leg earns its place when the route is long and the thighs are already unhappy.

At 150 GSM, New Balance’s performance brief sits in the light-middle of the fabric-weight range: enough substance to hold its shape, little enough to dry quickly after a sweaty climb. That balance is why it is our hot-weather pick. The 6-inch leg keeps bulk down without turning into a brief, and the 90% polyester, 10% spandex blend stretches with your stride instead of fighting it.

We wore these on warm hikes and appreciated the wide jacquard waistband, which sits flat under a hipbelt and does not dig in. The contoured pouch and fly are useful without feeling overbuilt, and the mesh moves air well enough that we forgot about the waistband on the climb. The fit is the fussy part: the size can run small, and the legs can ride up on thicker thighs. Try your usual size first, but keep the packaging until you have walked a few miles.

For hot-weather day hikes and travel, the breathability and low bulk are worth it. The light, smooth fabric is comfortable against skin, and the three-pack makes it easy to keep a clean pair in rotation. The 6-inch leg is the Goldilocks length for hikers who hate fabric bunching at the knee.

A four-pair pack is a budget strategy, not just a bulk buy: it lets you keep one pair dry for camp, one in the wash, and one on your body without doing laundry every night. 32 Degrees’ COOL brief is built for that rotation, with a quick-dry, moisture-wicking fabric and a comfort elastic waistband that does not bind.

We think that is the right budget compromise for warm-weather hikes. The fabric has a cool-to-the-touch feel that takes the edge off a hot climb, and the four-pack makes it easy to stash a spare in the pack. The waistband sits flat under shorts, and the leg openings stay put on moderate climbs. It is not the most technical pair here, but it is the easiest to build a rotation around.

For a weekend of day hikes, the cooling fabric is a nice extra and the price per pair is hard to argue with. For a thru-hike, a premium pair makes more sense. We kept reaching for these on short, sweaty training hikes, where a little cooling and a lot of spares mattered more than a premium finish.

The Total Support Pouch is the feature that separates Hanes’ boxer brief from a plain budget brief: it creates a dedicated front panel instead of letting everything sit against the thighs. That separation is the reason to look at this pair, especially if you find standard pouchless briefs feel cramped or sweaty on a climb.

The rest is familiar budget underwear done well. The fabric is soft and light, the anti-chafe, moisture-wicking build handles sweat, and the odor control is useful when you are wearing the same pair from trailhead to camp. We found the support noticeable without feeling tight, and the wide waistband stayed comfortable under a pack belt.

What tips it for us is the support-to-cost ratio. You get a purposeful pouch and a comfortable, moisture-wicking fabric without paying premium prices. For day hikes and everyday wear, it earns its place. The soft fabric and wide waistband are what we notice first; the pouch is what we notice after a long climb.

Microfiber is the reason adidas’ boxer brief packs small and feels smooth against the skin; it is a travel-friendly texture more than a rugged trail texture. The fabric has a quiet, almost silky hand, and the leg openings lie flat under shorts instead of rolling into a ridge.

The 3- or 5-pack options make it easy to build a rotation, and the breathable microfiber handles warm days without feeling clammy. We noted the fly is useful and the waistband sits softly against the skin, with no digging at the hip. The cut is snug and athletic, which helps the leg stay put, but it leaves less room for error than the New Balance pair.

The smooth fabric washes and dries without much fuss, and the pack options make it easy to keep a clean pair in rotation. It is the kind of pair that disappears into a packing cube and does not demand much space.

What holds it back is the overall package, not a single flaw: it is a great travel and gym pair, but the thin microfiber feels less up to rough, gritty trail days than the more substantial picks. We reach for it when packing light, not when the route is all scree and scrub. It is the pair that disappears into a packing cube, not the one we choose for a week of wet, abrasive hiking.