for women only...

[Andrea Mayfield]

I will start my Camino on May 27 out of SJPdP and am looking at merino wool underwear and wonder whether boy shorts style would be more comfortable than my usual briefs. Does any one have a recommendation? I will wear pants and cargo shorts, NOT skirt or dress on the trail. Thanks for your thoughts. Please PM me if you'd rather.

 

[Ottawa123]

I have found that boy shorts "ride" up a lot in the middle and get bunched or roll up on the hips when you pull your pants up. Got rid of mine and went instead for the high cut briefs (with the full "seat"). Also, because the waist is high, I like how it protects my skin from the snap button on my hiking pants. Bikini and boy shorts were both low waisted, and the button dug in my skin. My take.

Oh, and I also find ExOfficio's underwear more comfortable than merino. They dry just as quickly, too. Again, I have two pairs of the high cut briefs.

 

[Andrea Mayfield]

Thanks for your experience. I also wear high cut briefs -- I'll take a look at ExOfficio. A friend also mentioned Barely There brand microfiber underwear.

 

[Carol06]

I loathed my merino boy style shorts underwear. They were hot and scratchy. Fortunately I also had some super lightweight microfibre panties with me and they were perfect. They dried fast and weighed nothing. And very comfortable.

 

[Saramago]

Hanro Touch Feeling Boyshorts. No ride up. Feel invisible on. I've used them for years for hiking and rowing. Expensive but last forever. Sure I have 20 prs . Easy to use the Freshette even with this these. Stretchy and light. Non binding at thigh. With rowing you are sliding back and forth on each stroke. Zero ride up.

 

[Icacos]

Whatever underwear you decide on, I suggest you test them out beforehand with your pack on and hip belts in place. There may be irregularities in the side seams which, when combined with the pressure of your pack's hip straps, can cause irritation. I was fortunate in that I figured this out in my training walks pre-Camino.

 

[Sheesh]

I used a microfibre high-waisted brief and that was fine. Took three pairs, including the one I was wearing.
Once thing that I would advise everyone to take is a small Body Glide stick (weighs about 50 grams). It is used for sensitive areas where skin rubs skin, where bras cause chafing, where clothing irritates and chafes the underside of the arms, where thighs are irritated by apparel. You may not think areas of clothing are rubbing, but as one sweats and the sweat forms salt-like crystals on the skin it can become very uncomfortable where material contacts the skin.

 

[Andrea Mayfield]

Thanks for chafing prevention reminder.

 

[Suzanne Edminster]

I will start my Camino on May 27 out of SJPdP and am looking at merino wool underwear and wonder whether boy shorts style would be more comfortable than my usual briefs. Does any one have a recommendation? I will wear pants and cargo shorts, NOT skirt or dress on the trail. Thanks for your thoughts. Please PM me if you'd rather.

Ex Officio is worth the money if you can afford them. I took 3 pairs and they were great.

 

[gml]

I agree 100% with the advice to try them beforehand. I bought some ludicrously expensive ExOfficios that had been recommended for their lightweight dryability. But when I tried them out before leaving, I found the synthetic material to be irritating and icky feeling, and I happily ditched them at the last minute for my trusty old Jockey cottons. Maybe they took a little longer to dry, but I had three pairs, so that was never a problem. I would always go au naturale with undergarments.

 

[Utgaard]

I'll add my vote for Ex Officio underwear, but I had the opposite problem from @gml. In my training walks the cotton underwear collected the salt from the sweat and chaffed, while the Ex Officio had no problems. I didn't come up with a suitable bra. I had some minor chaffing when dried sweat, bra, and pack straps combined.

 

[Chacharm]

Exofficio, definitely. I also bought an Exoffico bra that is excellent and ended up being the only bra I wore on Camino. Very comfortable and easy to keep clean. Now I have another. And two more pairs of underwear. Worth every penny.
And for "Camino arse" (Chafing in intimate areas) diaper rash ointment works a charm. This was the Spanish pharmacist's term - and her recommendation.

I bought a really nice Macabi skirt for my last Camino (http://www.macabiskirt.com/) and ended up not taking it even though it is very comfortable and easily convertable because I feel like I look like a sister wife in it. This year I am once again considering it (and once again seeing a sister wife in the mirror). What do you think?

 

[Andrea Mayfield]

I feel you re: the sister wife.... I know those who wear a Macabi to walk rave about them but pants and shorts are what feel right to me.

 

[Icacos]

I'm trying to figure out which would be preferable ... wearing a Macabi skirt with hiking boots, and looking like a sister wife, or what I would look like ... which would be Olive Oyl

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I bought a really nice Macabi skirt for my last Camino (http://www.macabiskirt.com/) and ended up not taking it even though it is very comfortable and easily convertable because I feel like I look like a sister wife in it.

I bought the regular length, and being 5,4' it almost goes down to my ankles which makes it less "'sister wify". But I agree, the below the knee length is not for me. You can also hike it up, into shorts of a mini, and that gives it a decent look, even with boots - certainly not any worse than shorts and hiking boots. You can also opt to wear sandals and not boots.

 

[Chacharm]

Yes it isn't too bad with sandals and a tank....but you'll note they don't use a single photo of anyone wearing a long sleeve or a jacket because: sister wife. Still, I have been wearing it around the house since I posted this and it really is super comfortable.

 

[Icacos]

I still think there are many women who can carry off this look, very successfully - long sleeves or no; I just know I'm not one of them.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I still think there are many women who can carry off this look, very successfully - long sleeves or no; I just know I'm not one of them.

The tall and thin; I just know I'm not one of them either ;0) I understand that this length is needed to be able to transform the skirt in shorts and pants, but I think the material and pockets are features enough that a short version (above the knee) might work well. Or pants made with supplex, and with those great pockets.

 

[Annie G]

The tall and thin; I just know I'm not one of them either ;0) I understand that this length is needed to be able to transform the skirt in shorts and pants, but I think the material and pockets are features enough that a short version (above the knee) might work well. Or pants made with supplex, and with those great pockets.

I heard that they are coming out with a slimmer version sometime in the next year or so. Not sure why it is takes so long. If I could figure out what fabric they are using that somehow repels dirt, I would make my own.

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

If you want to make sure that EVERY bloke reads a forum topic, just entitle it
for women only...

 

[Torrione]

I've just purchased my second Purple Rain hiking skirt, and just love them. So much nicer than hiking pants and better than any other hiking skirt I have come across.

Purple Rain skirts are designed by an experienced US long-distance hiker, who completely understands what the female hiker wants from a skirt. They are incredibly comfortable, lightweight, fast drying, etc. I've been wearing mine with leggings in the winter. The skirt has a yoga-style waistband and side pockets. The skirt body is made of durable, quick dry stretch nylon and treated with DWR, so water and mud just slip off. The waistband is a moisture wicking polyester/lycra blend. The skirt is around knee-length depending on your height, but is easily adjusted because of the yoga-style waistband. No shorts underneath. And because the skirt looks great, you can wear it anywhere.

They are handmade in the US and if Purple Rain herself is not out hiking, she can make you a custom version. The workmanship is excellent and I highly recommend them.

 

[Cheryl Schmidt]

I used a microfibre high-waisted brief and that was fine. Took three pairs, including the one I was wearing.
Once thing that I would advise everyone to take is a small Body Glide stick (weighs about 50 grams). It is used for sensitive areas where skin rubs skin, where bras cause chafing, where clothing irritates and chafes the underside of the arms, where thighs are irritated by apparel. You may not think areas of clothing are rubbing, but as one sweats and the sweat forms salt-like crystals on the skin it can become very uncomfortable where material contacts the skin.

I had a sales clerk recommend this as well - but he used the phrase "chub rub" - referring to those chubby thighs rubbing together!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I heard that they are coming out with a slimmer version sometime in the next year or so. Not sure why it is takes so long. If I could figure out what fabric they are using that somehow repels dirt, I would make my own.

Annie G, they use a material called Supplex. Each skirt comes with a tag that explain what the material is. I would love Supplex pants!

 

[Roxane]

I feel you re: the sister wife.... I know those who wear a Macabi to walk rave about them but pants and shorts are what feel right to me.

Heads up on the Macabi skirt. I bought one, walked from the kitchen to the living room and returned it. It makes waaaay too much noise. The swishing would drive me nuts for 500 miles.

 

[november_moon]

Yeah, chub rub is one of the reasons I don't wear hiking skirts. I wear skirts at home, but not when walking many miles.