No one wants an itchy ass.

Underwear. For me, it's a necessity when I hike - but finding the right pair is a quite frankly, a bitch. You're looking at all sorts of dimensions - coverage, material, waistband, fit, return policy, on and on. My favorite non-hiking/non-active underwear are the cool cotton brief from Tommy John. Why don't I wear these for hiking? Sadly cotton is not a good choice for when you're active - it is slow to dry and stretches when moist (#sorrynotsorry).

Personally I LOVE the idea of natural fibers - I wear mostly merino wool baselayers when I do anything active. I have not found too many merino options for pants yet - which is why I'm starting with underwear. I placed 3 orders - one at Amazon, one at REI and one at Ridge Merino on my search for new underoos. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find as many merino options as I had hoped, so about half my order was synthetic*.

*Honestly, synthetics are a superb option - they dry quickly and pull moisture away from the skin. Trying to find a natural fiber option is me adding a layer of complexity over an already nuanced problem.

Here's what I ordered:

• REI merino hipster - M

• REI merino bikini - M

• REI active brief - M

• REI active bikini - M (I have these in a L and they are too big for what I was looking for)

• Patagonia barely there hipster - M & L

• Icebreaker siren bikini - L

• Smartwool merino 150 bikini - L

• Ridge Merino bikini brief - L

• Metarino bikini 2 pack (affiliate link) - M & L

I have a saved highlight on my instagram if you would like to see these IRL, I also talk through the material breakdowns and how I think each will fit.

Testing... 1, 2, 3

For reference, I carry most of my excess weight in the butt/hip/thigh/calf areas of my body. I am quite muscular, but not the standard proportions of a fit model. In most pants, I'm around an 8, 10 or 12 and usually a M or L in tops and underwear. Please remember that brand to brand, style to style (within or between brands), material to material - women's sizing is a bitch and don't get caught up in labels - if you aren't sure, try multiple sizes and pick the one that fits YOU best. Fuck the fit model... these clothes need to fit you!

Since these are undergarments, I did not film my try on sesh, but I kept on my favorite everyday ones (see link above) and tried these on over those, similar to what you would do with a swimsuit.

The Ridge Merino, Metarino, Icebreaker and Smartwool all looked VERY similar, so if you like them, the Metarino ones are good option at a lower price point (about 1/2 the cost of the others per pair when I bought them). None of these worked for me - the butt coverage was 1/2 of what I wanted.

I had the best luck with the REI Co-op brand, I kept the merino bikini, the Patagonia barely there hipster in M (they were very stretchy) and both pairs of the REI Co-op active styles. Of the material, the active style is my favorite - they are super lightweight and very breathable.

It gets a B-

Over the weekend, I took the REI Co-op Merino Bikinis on a test hike. I wore them under my favorite cold weather hiking pants. One of my biggest concerns was the waistband - I was nervous that it was going to dig in and be uncomfortable. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not - I barely noticed the waistband. I never got a full need-to-pick wedgie, but I did feel the material shift throughout the 6.72 mile... moving into places I'd rather it not go, if you catch my drift. I think this pair merits another chance, with a pair of hiking pants that I'm planning on taking to Chile with me. I also want to wash with my camping soap and air dry to see how they fit without a dryer.*

*before you roast me on the importance of not drying merino in a dryer, please know that I dry them on extra low heat because I don't have the space to line dry all my activewear I wear each week.

I'll continue to update this post as I try the rest of the pairs!