Best Hiking Underwear for Women in 2024

Women’s underwear is more often than not characterized by everything but comfort and functionality; most retailers focus merely on appearance and sex appeal. When you are hiking or doing other sports activities, you will thank yourself for wearing a pair of underwear which is especially designed to enhance your performance by keeping you fresh, warm and comfortable. In this review you will find a selection of the best hiking underwear for women.

We have chosen the best five hiking briefs and hipsters currently available and reviewed them to make your buying decision easier. If you are looking for a sports bra to wear as well, check out our reviews of the best medium-impact or high-impact sports bras respectively.

1. Our Picks of Hiking Underwear for Women

1. ExOfficio Give-n-Go Sport Mesh 2.0 Bikini Brief
2. Ridge Merino Boy Shorts
3. Marmot Performance Hipster
4. Icebreaker Sprite Boy Shorts
5. Smartwool Merino Bikini Briefs

2. Comparison of Women’s Underwear for Hiking

Feature/Product	ExOfficio Give-n-Go Sport Mesh 2.0 Bikini Brief	Ridge Merino Boy Shorts	Marmot Performance Underwear	Icebreaker Sprite Boy Shorts	Smartwool Merino 150 Bikini Briefs
Material	90% Nylon, 10% Spandex	84% Merino wool, 12% Nylon, 4% Spandex	91% recycled polyester, 9% elastane	96% Merino wool, 4% LYCRA	87% Merino wool, 13% Nylon
Available as:	Briefs, hipster, boy shorts	Boy shorts, briefs, thong	Hipster, briefs, thong	Hipster	Briefs
Antimicrobial	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

3. The Selection

1. ExOfficio Give-n-Go Sport Mesh 2.0 Bikini Brief

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Running
• Backpacking
• Everyday use

The ExOfficio Give-n-Go 2.0 Sport Mesh underwear made it to our list of 10 best gifts for female hikers due the performance of the ultra-light diamond-weave mesh fabric which is breathable, odor-resistant (antimicrobial treatment), moisture-wicking and quick drying, along with the perfect fit, low rise and flatlock seaming. The ExOfficio Give-n-Go Sport Mesh underwear for women is available in black, beige and several color combinations where the fabric is a different color than the waistband and seams around the leg cutouts. Besides the Give-n-Go Sport Mesh bikini briefs shown here, there is also a hipster model which provides more coverage.

 

2. Ridge Merino Boy Shorts

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Running
• Backpacking
• Everyday use

Ridge Merino Boy Shorts are made of ultra-fine 18.5 micron Merino fibers (84%) mixed with nylon and spandex for better shape retention after wash and wear. Having such a high content of Merino means that you can fully enjoy all the advantages of this natural fiber such as its softness, breathability, natural odor-resistance and its fast drying time compared to for example cotton. Ridge Merino Boy Shorts are available in black and a handful of colors. The brand also offers briefs and a thong version with the same blend of Merino wool and synthetics, but these come in fewer colors.

 

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3. Marmot Performance Hipster

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Backpacking
• Everyday use

Marmot Performance Hipster for women is like the ExOfficio briefs made of an ultra-light, quick-drying and moisture-wicking synthetic material. However, the Marmot underwear sets itself apart in terms of sustainability by being made of 91% recycled polyester and treated with bluesign®-approved Polygiene technology to become anti-microbial. It is always available in black and beige, but every season there is usually a funky print version too. Marmot Performance underwear for women is also available as briefs and thong, but we don’t recommend the latter model as it doesn’t provide enough coverage and thus warmth for your backside. Whatever you choose, it comes in earth-conscious packaging.

 

4. Icebreaker Sprite Boy Shorts

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Backpacking
• Everyday use

The Icebreaker Sprite hipsters are perfect for fans of Merino wool as they contain 96% of the naturally breathable, light and antimicrobial material; only a bit of LYCRA is added for fit and flexibility. The hipsters sit quite low on your hips, but still provide full coverage of your derriere. They also come as briefs (or hipkini as Icebreaker calls them) and even in 100% Merino wool boy shorts version. Some people might think that Merino wool is only for very cold weather, but that is quite untrue as they will keep you cool in summer and warm in winter. However, it might be stated that while Merino wool is as good as synthetics for the summer (except perhaps for the very warmest of days), it is superior to them in the winter as Merino wool is better at maintaining your body’s natural temperature in cold conditions.

 

5. Smartwool Merino Bikini Briefs

Suitable for:

• Hiking
• Mountaineering
• Trekking
• Running
• Backpacking
• Everyday use

Smartwool Merino Bikini Briefs are primarily made of Merino wool with just 12% of Nylon for added durability. The fabric is core-spun which means that the Merino fibers have been spun around a nylon fiber core in order not to compromise the soft feel of the material. Unlike the other garments on this list, the Smartwool Merino is only available as briefs. Smartwool does, however, offer slightly both a brief and hipster version of the brand’s Intraknit underwear, but here the Merino content is less than 40 %. The Smartwool Merino Bikini Briefs come in a variety of both muted and lively colors.

 

4. Buying Hiking Underwear for Women – What is important?

Material:

The material must be comfortable and capable of preventing rubbing and chaffing as well as maintaining your body’s natural temperature. Your hiking underwear should be quick-drying and breathable; the latter will add to the feeling of freshness as well as putting a halt to the build-up of bacteria, which is otherwise prone to thrive anywhere warm and even slightly moist. The skin needs to be able to breathe and your private parts are no exception. When it comes to material, hiking underwear tend to belong in one of either categories – either carefully selected synthetic blends (Polyester, Nylon etc. – potentially treated with an antimicrobial agent) or materials where the main, if not single component is Merino wool. Not everybody likes Merino wool, but besides its qualities of being breathable, light and superior in maintaining your body temperature, it is superb in terms of having natural antimicrobial and thus odor-retaining properties –which aren’t washed away eventually as will be the case with treated synthetics. However, Merino wool is more expensive than synthetics and 100% Merino wool garments will dry somewhat slower than synthetics.

Cut:

Hiking underwear should have a cut which feels comfortable wearing even during high-impact activity. They should, however, be snug-fitting to enhance thermal efficiency and avoid chafing as well as irritation. We recommend that you avoid thongs and similar models which do not offer coverage of your behind and thus fail to maintain your body temperature all over. We have picked styles which are relatively “low-waisted” as to keep a modern look – although high-waisted “granny panties” absolutely have their value in keeping your obliques warm in winter.

Comfortable seams:

Hiking underwear should have flatlock seams because they reduce chafing and irritation. Avoid underwear which has vertical seams going down your middle; it will only be a matter of time before it starts irritating you in the front or the back or both.

Care:

The quality of breathable and often antimicrobial materials will make it possible to get hiking underwear quite clean just by hand-washing and drying them, but it might be good to know that all the underwear reviewed here is machine-washable – as long as you keep the temperature low and steer clear of bleach, softeners etc., especially for underwear made of treated synthetic materials which otherwise may lose their antimicrobial properties faster. As hiking underwear should be quick-drying, it is possible to wash your panties by hand in the evening and let them dry overnight – great for a longer hiking trip where you want to keep the weight of your backpack down.