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Reviews > Clothing > Underwear > Ibex Roaster Underwear > Rob Patterson > Field ReportIbex Roaster Boxer - Field Report:
Product description: Made from midweight Merino wool (about the same weight as midweight polypropylene), the boxers arrived nicely packaged in zip-lock bag, with much of the product literature printed on it. Once opened up, the boxers themselves bore hang-tags for both Ibex baselayers and for 18.5 Superfine Merino Wool. The boxers are fairly form fitting, and supportive, sitting nicely above my waist and reaching down to mid-thigh. Entirely sewn with flat stitching there are no side seams to the boxers (a nice feature when carrying a pack), and the front, while lacking a fly, benefits from a double layer of wool over the groin area for warmth. The hand of the material is very soft, with a nice amount of stretch to it, and I have not found the boxers to be itchy at all, in fact they feel like nice warm flannel. For a more complete description please see my Initial Report. Test Conditions: In the two months that I've had the boxers I've used them as both normal everyday underwear around town, as well as under more hi-tech clothing while biking, climbing, jogging and hiking. Temperatures have ranged from a little below freezing, to the low 20's (in degrees Celsius) (which translates into a bit over 68 Fahrenheit), and the weather has ranged from light hail/snow, to truly miserable multi-day rainstorms, which in turn have become some of the nicest spring days that I can remember. My take on the boxers Wow, I really like these boxers! When I first pulled them out of their packaging and felt the hand of the material, I shuddered at the seeming thickness of it, dreading hot summer days encased in a girdle of wool, and I'm happily to report that this has been the furthest thing from my experience with them. While comparable in warmth to something a little heavier then midweight Capline, but less them 100 weight fleece, the Ibex boxers have an amazing ability to help regulate my temperature, meaning that despite their warmth I have always found them to be more comfortable then any Capline or cotton boxer that I have tried. In part this comfort has to do with the fact that despite my best efforts, I have been unable to get the Superfine wool fabric to feel uncomfortably clammy, such as one would experience after working out in cotton boxers. While the wool fabric does hold some moisture, I have found it to dry quickly on its own and to always feel comfortable next to my skin, combine this with wools ability to retain and vent heat, and you have (in my opinion) a fantastic fabric for technical underwear. Ibex has capitalized upon the effectiveness of their wool by combining it with a great cut, creating a set of underwear that doesn't ride up, in no way offers any chance of 'plumbers butt,' offers both support and roominess in the front, and has one for the most comfortable waistbands I've tried. Cut trimly but modestly, I've found Ibex's Roster boxers to be exceptionally comfortable to wear. As for the nitty-gritty performance questions? I've found Ibex's claims to entirely true with these boxers. They truly are more comfortable to wear, and work just as well (in my opinion) as any other performance fabric, and despite my best efforts to elicit any smell out of them, they have consistently declined (for the curious, this has included wearing them for a week straight (gross, eh?), as well soaking them in water - a test that with some other wools can elicit a 'wet-dog' smell). Also, the slightly thicker fabric used means that I have had zero durability issues with the fabric, and partly because the boxers have requited little washing (and because I'm a College student) they have yet to develop any pilling. Actually about the only complaint that I have with the boxers is their lack of a fly, which when combined with a high and firm waistband can make using a urinal a trifle interesting, but that's life; otherwise I love the pair. Things I like:
Things I dislike:
Suggested Improvements: I think these are some of the best underwear that I've tried, but like most things they could use a little tweaking. Specifically I'd like to see a fly added, or the waistline lowered for going to the washroom, but as the fit of the boxers is so good, my preference is for a fly. Also I'd like to see the bottom of the elastic waistband sewn into the boxers. On one occasion the elastic twisted around on me, and a slight alteration in how the boxers are sewn would prevent this from happening. Other that that, I'd love to see a lighter weight version offered for the summer. As is these boxers are fantastic in the shoulder seasons and on slightly cooler or rainy days, although once the full force of summer rolls around, I expect to opt for something lighter weight.
Backpacking Background: I'm an avid backpacker, and have hiked through most of Canada. Because of a number of factors I tend to use heavy to mid-weight gear but am looking at moving towards lightweight backpacking. Thus far, I've always used tents, and heavyweight backpacks. I also am an avid white-water paddler, long distance canoeist, and in the winter ski downhill, cross-country (skate and classic), climb (rock and ice), and snowshoe. Read more reviews of Ibex gear Read more gear reviews by Robert Patterson Reviews > Clothing > Underwear > Ibex Roaster Underwear > Rob Patterson > Field Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||