Serious question now gents, is one supposed to wear "normal" underwear, under thermal underwear?

This is the sort of question that the anonymity of the internet was made for, if yes should it be cotton or that synthetic sports stuff like Underarmor or something?

I ask as I am not of the generation that in all seriousness wore Longjohns and seeing as most thermal underwear seems to be of this sort, need to learn how to operate it.

TIA,

I never have and wear long johns
from sept to may.

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:
Serious question now gents

Since when have you been "not" serious ?

Its probably best to hang loose as it were and only wear the Longjohns.
If you wear your "Y" fronts underneath, you may find yourself engaging in some unseemly furtling in the Gents at the White Horse as you try to align the left hand exit of the "Y"'s with the right hand slot of the LJ's.
It doesn't do anything for your Street Cred at Holtye if you appear to be groping about within your underwear for a lost or undersized todger for a period longer than it takes the average toper to dispose of the previous pint.

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:
Serious question now gents, is one supposed to wear "normal" underwear, under thermal underwear?

This is the sort of question that the anonymity of the internet was made for, if yes should it be cotton or that synthetic sports stuff like Underarmor or something?

I ask as I am not of the generation that in all seriousness wore Longjohns and seeing as most thermal underwear seems to be of this sort, need to learn how to operate it.

TIA,

It all depends on what you class as normal underwear and thermal underwear.

For the last few years I have been using the silk weight type underwear(long sleeved vest and long john type pants) as my base layer These perfrom best when they are figure hugging as they help wick moisture way from the body and out thru the midlayers. So I dont wear anything under them. If I was using the older looser fitting polypropylene based thermal underwear. I'd invest in a few pairs of silk boxers and tee shirts to wear under them. As I found that after a long physically demanding day I'd be suffereing a few chaffing issues at the most strategic points of my anatomy. Which would make life extremely uncomfortable after 4 or 5 days of prolonged wearing despite changing into a fresh set every day.

If on a hunting trip where taking 10 sets of thermals just isn't practical. Just swap your silk weight base layers every 2-3 days and be free with use of the antimicrobial powers.

I suggest checking out the Gen III ECWCS used military. They have been using these silk since about 2006.

I dont know if there is a dress code for jocks and longjohns,personal preference I suppose but Trapper does have,err,a valid point.
On baselayers I would however avoid the synthetics and go for Smartwool or Icebreaker,merino wool and you dont ming after a few days in them. Well not too much.

I like the extra warmth "underwear, underwear" offers my little buddy. I also appreciate the feeling of the extra support on my lowhangers, kind of like the warm hands of a woman gently holding everything together

quote:

Originally posted by SIKA98K:
On baselayers I would however avoid the synthetics and go for Smartwool or Icebreaker,merino wool and you dont ming after a few days in them. Well not too much.

Chaffing is still a potential problem. As is after care.Beter still the Under Amour product range.

Use modern woollen boxers. They don't itch, always feel dry and keep your stuff and thighs warmer. If yoy are going on longer expedition-type trips, where daily changes are not as easy, wool also kills much of the odour...

Thank you chaps for (mostly) serious replies.

As others have identified the main issues are chaffing, wicking and and hygiene.

A lot of interesting points here, at the moment I am wearing silk long johns over "technical" underarmour sports pants but it gets a bit, um, agonizingly stuck to the sides if if the temp goes up at all and cold if it drops appreciably.

The top is tight fitting merino wool and is great next to the skin, maybe wool is the way forward.

Wool Amir is the way to go.
As Muntjac said, wool boxers (they come in different thickness ) and wool long johns when it gets cold.

I use wool long johns right to the skin, but if temperatures goes below 10 degrees zero centigrade, I keep wool boxers under the longs.

I also use wool uppers, but if I expect much walking in heavy terrain, I put a tecnical t-shirt next to the skin.
They wick away sweat a bit better than wool, but has to be changed every day because they stink if you dry them on the body and then get wet again.

(and don´t forget the baby trick; talcum on the family jewels, keep them soft and dry which is oposite of hard and wet)

It depends upon the activity you are doing for a lot of walking especially up mountains I recommend Helly Hansen Lifa thermals, as they wick the moisture away and dry quickly. As they are made of a synthetic material it helps keep the sweaty smell at bay. If you are sitting around in a high seat in winter a warmer wool set may be beneficial.

In very cold weather I wear montane Terra XT Salopettes with no thermals underneath when hind stalking or walking in the lakes.

LOL

As with many subjects there are many conflicting opinions.

I have found what works for me.

I see there are a few still recommending wool. Wool is fine if all you are going to do is walk to your stand and sit and shoot. With perhaps a short period of carcass extraction or cross country walking at the end of the day. If you're going to require some prolonged periods of serious physical excercise through out the day. I have always found wool caused chaffing issues. The other problem I find with wool is the between wearings care requirements.
When I get home from a days stalking or a prolonged hunting trip. I want to have the ability to simply toss my gear into a washing machine on a 40deg wash and forget about it, and not have to worry about using the correct washing medium, soap powder, fabric conditoner, and be able to shove it all in the tumble dryer should I need too. Wear wool and you get none of these advantages.

Have you tried the helly hansen underwear? There are two options, the "warm" and the "dry." I like the Dry as a base layer and have used it under nothing more than mesh cammo to -40C and it's been fine, kept me dry and warm.

I wear under armour under my thermal underware.

There seems to be two main ways to solve the hunting underwear question these days.

One is wool, the other is technical underwear.

Wool has come a long way since the scratchy nightmare from my childhood (not to mention the Norwegian Army Winter Issue Underwear I used during service in the sixties)

Modern wool does not itch, is easy to wash, dries quicly and comes in many different shapes and qualities.
It transport sweat away from the body (to a sertain degree), and stay comfy even when wet (also to a sertain degree)

I use a lot of wool underwear both hunting and sailing, and have found two or three local brands that fit my use and wallet.
"Devold Active" which are a two layer garment with 20% polyamid as the inner layer and 80% merino wool on the outside.
Light, strong and dries fast.

"Janus" which is 100% merino wool, thin, light and dries fast.

The Sweedish "Ullfrotte Original", 60% wool, rest is polyamid and polyester.
light, warm dries fast and very comfy.

The technical stuff is a world of it´s own.
Athlets, runners, bikers, skiers, you mention it, all go technical at least those I know.
There are so many brands and qualities that one can easy get lost.
But Helly Hansen has been a serious st by for many years.

I use wool even if I have to hike long ways as I have found that it works best for me, but as I said, I often use a thecnical t-shirt underneath which can easily been changed during the day in the woods if needed.

And to repeat, the talcum powder does make wonders for the jewels

Arid

It been a few years since I gave up the wearing of anything wool. So my question to you is have they improved the between wearing care requirements of these wool based underwear you recommend? To a point wear they are comparable for easy of care to the silk weights and technical garments that are now being produced. I understand that their insulating, wicking and comfort of wear characterists are comperable.

For me the family jewels were never a chaffing problem, it was always the inside of my thighs, groin, and the forward part of my arm pits that suffered the chaffing. Despite liberal applications of talc. In fact towards the end of my wool wearing days I resorted to wearing womens tights under my long john pants. Now that really did cause access problems when the need to pee took a hold.

Arlid, you're making me laugh! Chaffing is a delicate issue in more ways than one.

Thank you for your perspectives gentlemen, I can see that different approaches work for different folk, I shall have to try various options out and see what suits me best.

Jools.
I wash my wool stuff at 40 + centigrade on normal program, but no tumble drying.
A night on a drying rack usually have them ready for the next day.

Amir.
I see the chaffing issue, and wool "can" be a bit more rough on delicate skin than the techno stuff.

I´m a oldish guy that have done my part freezing and beeing wet and cold during army days, as a sailor, offshore worker, construction worker and hunter.

I love high seats in beautifull sorroundings a short stroll from the car.
Duck hunting at the beach just down from the summer house, plinking crows and magpies from my porch and a fox and a beaver now and then (the slighty furry kind)
So wool do the trick for me

Arild

I pretty sure I'm no more delicate skinned than the next guy. My first wife often said I had the hide of a rhino. Perhaps its just the amount of physical exertion was greater on my part. As I too use to wear wool whilst at work and hunting.

Like Arild i use wool from top to toe. Even in summertime i use woolsocks in my boots it takes the sweat away from your foot that keeps it dry. Wool smells better than syntetics you dont have to wash it so many times.