Thermals

This is rather an impertinent question aimed at the guys on this forum.
No matter what thermals I buy my OH, he ends up getting sore around his nether regions. We have tried all sorts, but the same results. So much so he wont wear them any-more.
I must admit the last few years in Austria we have not really felt the cold, so wondered if he was just getting too hot/sweaty. But next year going to Finland where we will be on the slopes a lot later, and it will be colder.
What do you guys wear, and do you use powder, or wear certain underwear under thermals? Any tips would be greatfully received.

Rose, I'm not a bloke... ) however I did buy some "technical boxers" for the OH, and he thinks they are very good. They work well at wicking perspiration apparently. I got them from Cotswold Outdoor in their sale last year. For Finland you will need to choose underwear that works in conjunction with your thermals, or he will have nippy bits too.

Lowe Alpine and Mountain Hardwear are 2 brands that he has.

I wear silk thermals and have not encountered this "knob itch" your husband speaks of.

Not sure if we are talking sweaty/rubbing problem, sweaty/fungus problem or material/cut irritation problem.

First, sweating can be controlled by temperature regulation. Best way to do this is uninsulated ski pants with zip thigh vents. This allows you to pick the layers underneath according to the temp.

Some of the traditional long john underwear is totaly @#$%. I like wool mix for thinner long johns and micro fleece for a little thicker. Combine the two or add regular fleece pants on really cold days. All should fit well and be very comfortable.

Boxers generally don't work for guys in the same way as going bra-less doesn't generally work for women. As Rossfra8 says, silk is great for thermals, but even just silk underpants are very comfortable.

It's also worth noting that all this thermal and fleece gear takes some special looking after. Wash on delicates/cold with very little detergent and don't tumble dry. The good stuff dries overnight on a rack.

Trencher

M&S Y-fronts, under cheapest TK Max salopettes. Warm, and gives fast access when required.

Rossfrae, knob-itch, really!

When I was into marathons, cross country, fell running, penile frostbite was a significant winter risk. :shock:

No matter what weather, a pair of 'clingy' boxer type jockey things, very thin loose fitting cotton trackies and my Spyder Godfather pants with the vents undone.

Warm, breezy and comfy on the wee fella.

tino_11 wrote:No matter what weather, a pair of 'clingy' boxer type jockey things, very thin loose fitting cotton trackies and my Spyder Godfather pants with the vents undone.

Warm, breezy and comfy on the wee fella.

Cotton underwear...Cotton trackies :shock:

Heathens :lol:

It's a fact that damp cotton will feel cold when worn, and will also retain the moisture created by perspiration.
Modern wicking materials move perspiration to the outside of the material keeping the skin dry.

tino, your Spyder kit is a breathable fabric, and by wearing cotton trackies as a base layer you are preventing the fabric from working for you )

Rose and hubby are heading to Finland. It's not going to be much fun if his underwear freezes to the skin in his nether regions :shock:

BTW When skiing in very cold weather in Colorado many years ago, I had a fleece muffler freeze onto my face. It hurt. The icing was caused solely by my breathing into the muffler because my teeth were aching in the cold.

I don't wear long johns very often, but when I do I use M&S "View From" ones.

They are really comfy and have never given me a problem.

They're also very inexpensive compared to HH, Icebreaker et al.