GEAR REVIEW: SCOTTeVEST TRAVEL BOXERS

SCOTTeVEST sent over a pair of their Travel Boxers, claiming that they could handle the challenge of hot and sweaty travel as well as their competition. That was a few months ago and while I put the boxers to good use on some hikes and during a hot tub visit sans swimsuit, I didn’t have the chance to truly test them until just last week.

As Britnee and I traveled through Morocco, from Marrakech to the edges of the Sahara Desert, the temperatures rose steadily until we were sweating in a mild 98 degrees fahrenheit outside Merzouga (temps there will easily top 105 degrees in mid summer). Still, I didn’t wear my clean SCOTTeVEST Travel Boxers until I had a worthy test to put them through. That chance came on day three of our desert tour.

That day included a 4×4 trip to a remote nomad camp, a visit to a mica mine, a major sandstorm, a walk through the local souk, a two hour wait in an air conditioning-less lobby, a 1.5 hour camel ride across sand dunes, and a long night in a dirty, sand-filled tent. The next morning, we were back on our smelly, burping camels before dawn and riding another hour and a half back to the outskirts of Merzouga, where a much needed shower and change of clothes were waiting.

Granted, travel underwear like this is best tested over multiple days to ensure the antimicrobial treatments really do work. However, if you’d seen the state of the tent we slept in that night and the sweaty mess I was when I awoke, and then smelled my camel, you’d realize that this test, while short, was severe enough.

Back in our hotel room awaiting my turn in the shower, I was brave enough to give this new pair of SCOTTeVEST Travel Boxers a sniff — and was pleasantly surprised at their lack of funk considering what we’d been through. After a quick sink wash and overnight hanging on the corner of a chair, they were clean, dry, and as good as new.

At $25 each, these Travel Boxers sell for just a dollar less than the listed price of their closest competition (ExOfficio), far more than you might be used to paying for underwear. However, as I said in my other review of travel underwear, I now happily pay full price for quality like this when building a travel/backpacking wardrobe. Having high tech underwear that is lightweight, breathable, antimicrobial, and quick-drying is essential for longterm travel when one is trying to pack less and still live comfortably… and also ride a camel.

Other features that these boxers hold over their competition: a button fly and two pockets for stashing passport and valuables.

Give SCOTTeVEST’s Travel Boxers a shot and let me know what you think. And, be sure to check out their variety of innovative travel clothing that makes the long haul that much easier.