Saxx DropTemp Cooling Mesh Boxer Briefs
Game changer or gimmick? One man’s journey for perfect underpants.
Upon reaching adulthood I committed embarrassing amounts of research to underpants. Boxers have too much freedom, briefs too little. I run hotter than average in general, so most of my apparel is guided by breathability and weight. Continuous trial and error brought me to Saxx, a destination I resisted till the very end. I actively avoid products that rely on belligerently masculine branding. Skeleton cowboy and angry viking imagery is too much for shaving cream or bear oil, in my opinion. After all, if you need to tell everyone how manly you are, how manly are you? Luckily, Saxx underwear (get it?) proved to be substance over style. Once I overcame the nudge-nudge-wink-wink name, the DropTemp Cooling Mesh Boxer Briefs meet, and occasionally exceed, expectations.
What’s promised:
- DropTemp active cooling technology uses rapid moisture transport and evaporation to beat the heat
- Patented BallPark Pouch™ provides friction-free support
- Three-D Fit™ with 9-panel construction moves with you
- Flat Out Seams™ place the flatter, softer side of the seams inward against your skin
- Mesh inserts at high heat zones increase breathability
- Odor-resistant fabric
They’re not lying about how rapid the moisture moves through the fabric. So much so, that DropTemp boxers combined with quick drying shorts will leave condensation on vinyl seats in humid conditions.
The BallPark Pouch (get it?) separates, among other things, the doubters and the faithful. For me, it lives up to the claim. Mechanically, their patented pouch is just two extra folds of fabric which cup around either side of the groin, preventing direct contact with the inside of your thighs. That arrangement adds some breathable and wicking fabric to a place most other brands don’t reach without serious bunching. Ultimately, whether the pouch is comfortable or not comes to personal preference. For me, they achieve a good balance of support without becoming compression shorts level tight.
At five inches, the inseam does tend to shift a bit if you do significant stretching or wide movements. Despite that, the patented seams haven’t incurred any additional chafing either way.
The mesh inserts are down the middle of the back and inside the legs on either side of the gusset. The mesh inserts move heat and moisture so quickly as to occasionally leave evidence, as I said with the vinyl seats.
Good talk, see you out there!