Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > ExOfficio Ws Give-N-Go Boy Shorts > Test Report by Kathleen Waters

WOMEN'S GIVE-N-GO SPORT MESH BOY SHORTS
TEST SERIES BY KATHLEEN WATERS
LONG-TERM REPORT

INITIAL REPORT - May 19, 2016
FIELD REPORT - August 16, 2016
LONG TERM REPORT - October 11, 2016

TESTER INFORMATION

Living in Colorado and being self-employed, I have ample opportunities to backpack. There are over 700,000 acres/280,000 hectares of public land bordering my 71-acre/29-hectare "backyard" in addition to all the other gorgeous locations which abound in Colorado. Over the past 15 years, my husband John and I have also had the good fortune to hike/snowshoe glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including New Zealand, Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight. I use a tent (rainfly if needed). Current pack averages 25 lb (11 kg) excluding food and water.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: ExOfficio, Inc. Year of Manufacture: 2016 Manufacturer's Website: http://www.exofficio.com Styles Available: 4 inch or 2 inch length (10 cm or 5 cm) Style Tested: 4 inch (10 cm) MSRP: US $36.00 (4 inch/10 cm) or $34.00 (2 inch/5 cm) Listed Weight: N/A Measured Weight: 1.5 oz (42.5 g) Sizes Available: XS to XL Size Tested: Medium (M) Colors Available: Black, Hot Coral, Nude Color Tested: Nude Other details: Fabric: 93% Nylon / 7% Spandex Silvadur Anti-microbial treatment Made in China

Photo Copyright ExOfficio

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The ExOfficio Give-N-Go Sport Mesh Boy Shorts have arrived and I'm very excited to see them! They look just like the picture on the website though I'm sure *I* won't look like that in them! No worry, I'm excited anyway.

First thing to notice is the material; it is very stretchy and while it is a mesh fabric, it is not see-through mesh, but more opaque. The waistband is wide -1 inch (2.5 cm) and does not seem to be very tight, but is more relaxed than some of my other undies. Seams on either side, down the front middle and the back middle are flat and are ergonomically constructed for shaping. The leg hems are double stitch and measure 4 inches (10 cm) from the crotch middle seam.

All stitching appears to be tight, even and spaced properly with no dropped, loose or unraveling stitches. The main body fabric is smooth with no snags, holes or "runs". ExOfficio's superior quality is readily apparent!

The color of the shorts is exactly as depicted on the website which is not always the case since computer monitors are fickle. I'm happy with my nude shade!

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

"Reading the Instructions". Hmmm. If at my age, I need instructions on how to put on a pair of undies, I have more problems than I thought! I'm guessing here in this report is where I should fill in some washing instructions then. OK, simple enough. The nice soft tag at the back waistline of the shorts says I should wash the shorts in cold water with like colors - no mixing Hot Coral with my husband's tightie-whities then. I shouldn't use bleach. Tumble dry on low in my electric dryer is ok, but so is hanging on a line to dry. The last line of the care instructions is where I crack up into maniacal laughter; ExOfficio advises to use an "iron on the low setting" nor should I have the shorts dry-cleaned. BWAHAHA! Snort! Chuckle! Like that will ever happen!

TRYING IT OUT

There is always that moment when I pull out a new article of clothing and think - "THIS is a MEDIUM"? Yup, it is! I ordered the medium based on the size chart on the ExOfficio website and found the chart to be very accurate. The shorts skim easily over my 28 in (71 cm) waist, 38 in (97 cm) hips and 20 in (51 cm) thighs. They might be the teensy-ist bit loose but not so much as to be a concern and loose is way better than tight when backpacking or hiking. The waistband is actually not a waistband but more of a 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) below-my-waist-band.

I haven't another pair of panties, boy short or not, that is as soft and lightweight as these ExOfficio Give-n-Go Boy Shorts. They are silky-smooth and as light as tissue paper!

SUMMARY

I have several pairs of ExOfficio's Give-N-Go panties in a different configuration and have been waiting for the boy short style for a while now. I'm so happy I will be able to finally get the chance to try these shorts when backpacking and hiking. I have an upcoming backpacking trip to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park next week and will be packing light so these shorts will get a workout in the quick drying, odor resistant, wicking department! Can't wait until then, so I think I'll just put them on right now and go for a walk!

FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Since I received the product for my field evaluation - approximately two months ago - I have worn it in various locations and conditions, including:

1.) Fremont County, Colorado (my home "range") - this area is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with elevations ranging from 5500 ft (1700 m) to 9900 ft (3000 m). The terrain is mostly rather rough with lots of mud, loose rock and huge slabs of granite rock. Vegetation is scrubby Pinon Pine, Gamble Oak, Juniper, cactus and prairie grasses (or weeds, depending on who is talking!).

2.) Spent 10 days in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area/ Grand Staircase Escalante-National Monument, Arizona/Utah in May where the trekking was in rocky slot canyons, sandy (dry) river washes/ravines and steep slick rock. The area where we camped and backpacked was mostly barren, though it bordered Lake Powell at times.

3.) Did an overnight at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado in an established campground set deep in a treed area where all the trails we wandered were also tree-covered and packed dirt.

4.) Over Memorial Day weekend, my husband, son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter explored and camped near the Blue Mesa Reservoir in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado. The terrain there is very rough with lots of trees, but also lots of rocky moderate-to-steep trails.

5.) Lastly, at Outdoor PressCamp in Park City, Utah, I spent three great afternoons, day hiking around the Deer Valley Ski Resort. As the name implies, lots of treed, very steep trails that are mainly used in the summer for mountain bikers, so narrow and bumpy, but dirt.

Weather conditions were pretty much the same through all locations (except Trip 2) and throughout the entire season. Hot, Hot and more Hot! Dry, Dry and more Dry! Except for one day in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (and Trip 2), we did not have any rain at all. And for most of this summer, temperatures have been above 90 F (32 C) with several days in Gunnison over 100 F (38 C)! Can't wait for autumn weather to kick in!

Trip 2, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona, saw rain every single night and morning. Temperatures during the day never rose above 65 F (18 C), averaged 58 F (14 C) and dipped down to a low of 42 F (6 C) at night.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

I was really excited to receive these boy shorts as I am always looking for ways to be more comfortable when backpacking and hiking. I had high hopes that the lack of tight elastic leg-hole openings would decrease irritation especially in hot weather. Well, it's been hot and the ExOfficio shorts did not disappoint! Wearing these panties is pleasure! They are soft with no binding around my thighs or my waist (though they don't come to my waist - more about that later in my report).

Some observations about the fit of the shorts: On first try-on, the shorts were clingy, but not tight. I knew when I ordered them; I was at the small end of the sizing. On the first backpack I took, I found that "clingy" turns into "loose" after a day of hard hiking. The constant movement and friction with my pants (I guess) made the shorts too loose for my liking. What was a nice feature - the long legs - became not-so-nice as the material wiggled its way upward. I ended up constantly, furtively, tugging at my derriere. After two days of wear, I ended up switching undies despite planning to see how long I could go before my trail-mates complained!

During that time, however, I was pleased to note, the panties never got too soggy from my sweating and didn't hold any body odor (did it, guys?). And after washing, they bounced back to their previously un-stretched size.

ExOfficio promotional materials tout the easy on-the-go care of their undies and on a hang-tag lists four steps for that care. I tried these on our recent trip to The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and found the panties to live up to the hype. On two separate wearings, I washed the shorts with plain (body) soap and water. On one of those occasions, I simply wore them in the shower as directed on the hang tag. After washing and a gentle but thorough wringing out, I laid the shorts out on a dry towel - okay, the towel wasn't totally dry 'cause I used it to dry myself first, but it was dry enough. Then I rolled the towel up to see if I could squeeze out more water - I didn't notice any extra water really. After only two hours, the shorts were dry, just from being draped over my tent - discreetly, of course! That was fast! It was a shaded spot, no wind but being I was in Colorado, the humidity was very low. Still, it was great to have the use of the shorts after such a short period of time!

On other treks, I found the same conditions occurred. The shorts were great on day one, not so great after that. My fault entirely, I probably should have ordered a small (yay) instead.

SUMMARY

Which brings me to why I ordered a size small ExOfficio Boy Short online just now. Quick background, my son and daughter-in-law recently adopted a rescued dog who is a hyper, adorable, Aussie Shepard puppy named "Sky". Sky loves going backpacking, hiking and camping with us but hasn't learned her manners yet. After our last family outing, while sorting through the clothes to be washed, I was dismayed to find that Sky decided to, um, decimate my panties. Not pretty! (She got to a pair of my son's favorite socks, as well.). Dang! So, I will report on how my new BLACK, size SMALL ExOfficio Give-N-Go Sport Mesh Boy Shorts work for me in my next report!

Uh-Oh! Bad Doggie

LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Over the last couple of months, it seems I have been away from home almost constantly for both fun and for work.

Fun, outdoor, out-of-state locations have included: the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Banff and Jasper National Parks (Alberta, Canada), Glacier National Park and Custer-Gallatin National Forest (Montana), and Monongahela National Forest and Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.

Location and condition details are as follows:

Custer-Gallatin National Forest - Moose Creek Flat
Terrain: we base-camped in a valley besides the Gallatin River, but day-hiked to mountain lakes for fishing as well
Elevation range: 5700' (1700 m) to 7500' (2300 m)
Temperature range: 35 F (2 C) to 65 F (18 C)
Other weather-related conditions: rain every day for varying periods of time from just a periodic drizzle to a downright downpour for hours (mostly at night). Very little sunshine

Banff/Jasper National Parks
Terrain: ah, mountains. Rocky, heavily treed mountains
Elevation range: 4500' (1400 m) to 10,000' (3000 m)
Temperature range: 22 F (-6 C) to 70 F (21 C)
Other weather-related conditions: rain every day for varying periods of time from just a periodic drizzle to a downright downpour for hours (mostly at night). Very little sunshine. (Yup, same as the previous week in Gallatin!)

Glacier National Park
Terrain: high, rocky mountain trails
Elevation range: 4600' (1400 m) to 6600' (2000 m)
Temperature range: 45 F (7 C) to 65 F (18 C)
Other weather-related conditions: Sunshine!

Monongahela National Forest and Blackwater Falls State Park
Terrain: Rocky, heavily treed mountains
Elevation range: 2900' (880 m) to 4800' (1500 m)
Temperature range: 40 F (4 C) to 60 F (15 C)
Other weather-related conditions: rain every day for varying periods of time from just a periodic drizzle to a downright downpour.

As can be seen, I spent a lot of time in the rain in the mountains. Different states/countries, but pretty much the same conditions!

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

Fortunately, I received the new pair of ExOfficio Boy Shorts just in time for my trip to Montana and Alberta, Canada. I was very pleased to find the size small fit was much better than the size medium I had previously, so despite having to spend the $32, I guess Sky did me a favor as I probably wouldn't ever have worn the medium size again.

After wearing the panties at least a dozen times both on the trail and casually under my convertible hiking pants, fleece pj bottoms and jeans, I have the following comments regarding the fit and performance of the boy shorts:

1.) The shorts are very comfortable, mostly! I love the way they conform to my body and that the longer legs eliminate tight elastic openings. The wide waistband works great to hold the panties up without constricting or leaving "marks" on my tummy even after hours of wear. It took a bit of getting used to the lower waistband, but now I don't even notice it. And I even wore the panties for three days straight on one occasion at Custer-Gallatin National Forest. The material is so lightweight, I barely notice I have them on.

2.) The "mostly" part from the above comment stems from the fact that the boy shorts are constructed with a center seam from the front waistband to the back waistband. There is no gusset crotch panel as with most of my other panties which are not boy shorts. This seam can be very irritating if not deliberately "positioned" off-center, towards one leg when wearing. The center seam placement results in me having to awkwardly re-position the seam at times. I haven't a clue why ExOfficio constructed the panties in this fashion, but I really hope they re-think it and re-issue the boy shorts with a traditional crotch because that is the only flaw in what would otherwise be my favorite underwear!

3.) Since it was rather cool during all of my trips this fall, I can't say I ever got particularly sweaty while wearing these pants. I can say that even after wearing them 72 hours straight, they didn't hold body odors. Actually, all I could smell was campfire smoke at that point, so maybe I wasn't the best of judges! Washing with my bar soap and air-drying took care of the easily and quickly.

4.) The ExOfficio Boy Shorts have not stretched out, shrunk, pilled or pulled despite rather careless use (scrunched in my backpack and caught on my various metal "things"). They are definitely ready to go again!

SUMMARY

I was very excited to try the ExOfficio Give-N-Go Sport Mesh Boy Shorts. And for the most part, that excitement was rewarded with a very good experience. I will definitely continue to wear these panties in the future and keep my finger crossed for a revamped version with a more comfortable crotch!

Thank you to BackpackGearTest.org and ExOfficio for letting me have this opportunity.

Kathleen (Kathy) Waters

Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > ExOfficio Ws Give-N-Go Boy Shorts > Test Report by Kathleen Waters