Do you wear underwear with swim trunks? (Answered 2024) (2024)

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Swim trunks are all of our favorite summer wear. At first this seems like the easiest and most no brainer piece of clothing out there. What can go wrong? You put them on and jump in the water right? Easy peasy. But that’s where you’d be mistaken. Even before you can put them on the question of “do you wear underwear with swim trunks” comes up. When it comes to swim trunks this is one of the most debated questions. In this post we’ll direct the question to get to the bottom of it once and for all.

Let’s cut right to the chase. No, usually guys should not wear underwear under swim trunks. However, there are several exceptions so keep reading to learn when it might be a good option to wear underwear under swim trunks.

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Are you supposed to wear underwear with swim trunks?

Most people will not wear underwear, or anything else for that matter, under their swim trunks. There are several reasons for not doing so but also a few reasons to do in some circ*mstances.

First it might sound like a perfectly normal thing. Men wears underwear under all kinds of pants. So why wound’t they wear underwear under swim trunks? It has a lot to do with materials used in swim trunks and in underwear as well as other factors. You can read about what materials swim trunks are made of in our guide. The reasons to do so often has to do with performance of chafing.

When we talk about swim trunks we usually refer to men’s somewhat shorter shorts (over the knees) made for swimming. In most cases these are equipped with inner mesh lining for extra comfort and to make sure that you don’t need to wear anything else underneath.

Can you wear underwear with swim trunks?

Yes, you can wear underwear with swim trunks if you don’t feel that the swim trunks offer the right support or comfort. However, most regular underwear is not a good option to use under swim trunks. Make sure to use underwear made for water. You don’t want to ruin your favorite swim trunks by using them when swimming. Read more about what we recommend here.

Do guys wear underwear with swim trunks?

While the question regarding underwear under swim trunks might be common among guys, it’s not such a common topic for the ladies. Many girls then ask if guys wear underwear or boxers under their swim trunks? For some guys this might not be something they talk a lot openly about and therefore it’s hard for girls to know this. Also, since the underwear are naturally not showing under swim trunks it’s nothing they could just figure out on their own.

So if you haven’t asked a guy straight up what they wear under swim trunks we’ll help you out. Guys usually don’t wear underwear under swim trunks. But as you’ll read later in this post there are some exceptions where it might be a good idea to wear underwear.

We know that it’s not uncommon for teens to wear underwear under their swim trunks. and when asking them there are a lot of different reasons. Many state that they do it because everyone else does it and they don’t want to stand out. Others have expensive designer boxers that they want to show off at the beach.

If you have grown up always using underwear under your swim trunks then the draw down of doing so might not be as apparent to you. However, most teens grow up and eventually tries to not wear underwear and quickly realize the benefits. After that very few turn back to wearing underwear underneath.

Read more teens answering any they use underwear under their swim trunks

Another reason that teen have for wearing boxers underneath is that they are a little shy and the underwear helps cover things up. Let’s face it, wet swim trunks with nothing underneath can leave very little to the imagination. This is especially true if the swim trunks are thinner and somewhat see-through. Guys will then wear underwear with their swim trunks to cover up and feel more comfortable.

However, we still don’t think this is a valid reason for using underwear. We would recommend getting new swim trunks that you feel more comfortable in, wet or dry. Going with blue swim trunks is often a better idea than lighter colors if you don’t want your trunks to be see-through when wet. But if this isn’t enough for you, we have a few more options as you can read below.

Fun fact: ”Panting” is not uncommon among teens. It’s a for of prank where you simply pull down someone’s pants when they least expect’s it. If this happens to your jeans it’s not the end of the world. But as an insecure teen this could be kind of terrifying if it would to happened at the beach and you didn’t have anything under your swim trunks. We’ve heard from several teenage guys that this alone is the reason they use underwear under their swim trunks.

Are swim trunks underwear?

No, swim trunks are not underwear and should not be used as underwear. Swim trunks are made for swimming and have unique properties to be able to handle water. On the other hand, underwear is not made for water but offers many other unique properties that swim trunks don’t. The many differences between underwear and swim trunks make them a bad replacement for each other and should not be under interchangeably. They both have different purposes and service these purposes great, but swim trunks are not underwear.

Why not to wear underwear under swim trunks

As you’ve seen we generally don’t think you should wear underwear or boxers under swim trunks. There are frankly a lot a reasons not to do so and this post could go on forever. But here we have outlined the main reasons not to wear underwear under swim trunks:

• Swim trunks have mesh liner
• Your boxers won’t dry
• Your underwear will wear our quickly
• It doesn’t look good
• It is not for the pool

Swim trunks have mesh liner

Your swim trunks will most likely have an inner mesh lining. The whole purpose of this is to made sure the you don’t need any underwear. The mesh lining is there to offer you the support and comfort you need when at the beach or pool. Wearing underwear will just add another layer and make it more uncomfortable.

You can read more about inner mesh lining in swim trunks in our complete guide here.

Your boxers won’t dry

It might seem like a great idea at first. You wear boxers under every other pants to make it more comfortable. And many guys think that swim trunks are not the most comfortable in the world. So why not wear underwear to make it more comfortable?

Well you will notice as soon as you jump in the water that this is not the case. Your swim trunks are made from specific materials to not absorb water and dry quickly. This is what makes them a great piece of clothing for swimming.

However, your underwear is most likely made from cotton or any similar material. And anyone who have tried taking a dip in their boxers or underwear knows that they absorb, what feels like, all the water in the world. So as soon as you hit the water you’ll notice that they will get have, uncomfortable and hard to move around in as they will get tighter to your body.

And the misery doesn’t stop there. Your swim trunks are made to dry relatively fast after having been in the ocean or pool. This is not the case for you cotton underwear. They will take ages to dry completely. And even after a full day they will most likely not have dried out.

To us, and most people who have already tried it, this is the main reason not to under underwear under swim trunks.

Your underwear will wear our quickly

Your underwear are made to make your life easier and make it more comfortable to wear jeans. What they are not made to do is to withstand all the chemicals and chlorine from a pool or the saltwater from the ocean. Your swim trunks on the other hand are made for just this and that is why they will survive these somewhat harsh conditions over long time.

The result of wearing underwear in the ocean or pool is that they will wear or much faster than they usually would and you will end up having to constantly buy new boxers.

It doesn’t look good

Most men care about the way to look at the beach. And they are carefully selecting swim trunks that they think look great and the will look great at the beach. Wearing underwear will most likely show the waistband, especially if you trunks are wet. Even if you try to hide the fact that you are wearing underwear it will show one way or another and we both know that is not particularly good looking.

If you have gotten out of your way to pick a great outfit for the beach or pool party, make sure not to ruin it by wearing visible underwear under.

Fun fact: From time to time and in different parts of the world it’s actually considered trendy to show your underwear and people wear their jeans lower on purpose to show their underwear. This have sometimes catched on even for swim trunks. But let’s make it clear, this is not something we think you should do. It doesn’t look good!

It is not good for the pool

You might consider yourself and your underwear to be clean. But unfortunately, even for the best of us our underwear are not as clean as we think. There is a reason that you are reacquired to sower before entering public pools.

First, your underwear is filled with bacteria and other things you don’t want to bring into a pool. This reason alone should really keep you from using underwear in a pool. If people keep using underwear in pools, both private or public, then the pool owner will eventually have to use more chemicals to keep the water clean. This is not something that is good for you in general and should be avoided.

Secondly, the chlorine will break down your cotton fibers, something that doesn’t happened with the swim trunks material. This will then mess with the pool filter.

You can read more about why you should not use underwear or any other non-swimwear clothes in pools here:

https://www.quora.com/What-happens-to-my-pool-if-I-swim-with-regular-clothes

Reasons you could wear underwear under swim trunks

There will always be exceptions to every rule. And while you can see that we generally don’t think you should wear underwear under your swim trunks we see a few exceptions when it can be okey.

Even though the below reasons are, in our opinion, valid for using boxers with your swim trunks there are often better options. So if you are still using underwear for any of the reasons below make sure to see if there is a better option for you.

• Wearing swim trunks as shorts
• To avoid chafing

Wearing swim trunks as shorts

It’s not uncommon for guys to wear swim trunks as regular shorts. While this whole concept can be questioned we will just accept this as fact for now. The main reason for men doing this is probably that they have found a pair of swim trunks that they really like the design of and want to wear them even at other occasions.

If you are doing this then you might not have any intentions to go swimming at all. Now you are using your swim trunks as regular shorts, or pants. And as we talked about before, guys always usually wear underwear under regular shorts.

You can also see that all of the reasons NOT to wear underwear with swim trunks become invalid when wearing them as regular shorts. So if this is your jam, go for it!

To avoid chafing

The main reason you hear guys who wear boxers with their swim trunks give is for comfort and to avoid chafing. It’s not uncommon for guys to experience swim trunks as uncomfortable and itching. To avoid this they wear underwear. Read about our best rated anti chafe swim trunks.

This seems like a good idea and might feel great as long as you are dry. But as we discussed before, this will quickly change when you go into the water.

But we are not going to be the underwear police here. If wearing underwear under your swim trunks works for you then go ahead! Chafing should not stop anyone from going to the beach!

To further help you we have written a complete guide on what to wear under swim trunks to prevent chafing.

Best underwear to wear under swim trunks

So at this point we hopefully have made it clear that we are not supporters of wearing underwear under swim trunks. Now you might be left thinking, ”then what?!”. If you still don’t want to be all loose under your swim trunks here are our suggestions for what you could wear instead of underwear under swim trunks.So, what to wear under swim trunks?

1. Swim briefs (speedos)
2. Compression shorts
3. The built in mesh lining (wearing nothing)

1. Briefs (speedos)

Underwear are, as we have shown above, not made for swimming in any way. But Swim briefs (also known as Speedos) have many of the same characteristics as a pair of underwear but they are actually made for swimming. So if you have issues with chafing or comfort you should definitely try and use swim briefs under your swim trunks.

2. Compression shorts

Another option that is actually made to be in water and to avoid chafing is compression shorts. Compression shorts are a tight form of underwear made for running, cycling or swimming. These will surely help you avoid chafing when swimming. Compression shorts are usually fairly long. Therefore they will most likely be visible one way or another. If your swim trunks are shorter make sure to try and find compression shorts that are even shorter to avoid a fashion disaster.

3. The built-in mesh lining (wearing nothing)

Let’s be honest. Most swim trunks that you have owned (unless they are board shorts) have the inner mesh lining. And there is a purpose of it. Most guys wearing underwear underneath simply haven’t given the lining the chance it deserve. They just assume they need to wear underwear with swim trunks.

To all these men we recommend giving it a try. You’ll quickly realize all the great benefits it really have. It will add comfort, dry quicker and help water get out faster.

Don’t know the difference of board shorts vs swim trunks? Read about the difference between board shorts and swim trunks

To round it off – Do you wear underwear with swim trunks?

The question might just be as old as swim trunks themselves. But even year more and more guys (and girls) ask if they should wear underwear under their swim trunks. As we have laid out in this article, we believe that you should avoid it as much as you can and not wear underwear under swim trunks. We’ve also offered a few options if you feel that you really need to wear something under your swim trunks.

Every year more guys grow up and wonder what they should wear underneath. The question never seem to go away. It seems like we are not transparent and informative enough when it comes to guys swim trunks. We hope that this article have shun some light on the issue and can be used as a guide for guys and men in all ages on wether they should wear underwear under their swim trunks or not.

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