How to Find Boxer Briefs that Don't Ride Up

There’s nothing more annoying than boxers riding up your legs at an inopportune time. I know that when I’m about to start a long walk around a new city, or when I’m about to walk into a meeting to give a presentation, the last thing I want to feel are my boxer briefs bunching up around my thighs and my groin. What’s even worse is when you ignore the bunching and try to walk through it, resulting in chafing that can be extremely painful. 

While no set of boxers or boxer briefs is completely immune from riding up, it would be helpful to know what to look for so the chances of that happening are minimal. In this blog, we’ll attempt to provide just that information. We’ll break down why boxers ride up, how many people experience this issue, and how to find a pair that fit properly to prevent this uncomfortable issue from arising in the first place!

Expert Tip: For a reliable pair of men’s boxer briefs that don’t ride up, try Tall Order’s Boxer Briefs made for men of all shapes and sizes, including big and tall! 

Why Do Boxer Briefs Ride Up?

We all get annoyed by boxer briefs riding up, yet we don’t always understand what causes this bunching to happen in the first place. Several different factors can cause your underwear to bunch; we’ll discuss some of these in greater detail later, but we want to make note of the following causes of men’s underwear riding up:

• Sizing - having the best-fitting underwear starts with picking the correct size and length for your legs. If your underwear is too large, you’ll have extra fabric bunching up on your legs as you move. If your underwear is too small, your legs will push through the fabric, forcing the underwear to ride up the legs.
• Materials - some materials are better at gripping your legs; on one end, materials like nylon are form-fitting, but have to be perfectly sized to avoid bunching. At the other end of the spectrum are looser materials such as cotton, which don’t lay directly on the leg and are more prone to bunching.
• Elastic - boxer briefs have elastic all over them to improve stretchiness and flexibility; for the purposes of this discussion, we’ll focus on the elastic in the leg opening. If this elastic is too tight, it will ride up the leg as the leg pushes through the opening. If the elastic is too loose, the underwear will bunch up along the leg opening.
• Activity - the more active you are, the more prone you will be to underwear riding up. Even the best-fitting underwear will move gradually along your legs throughout the day if your legs are active.
• Type of pants - all else being equal, underwear worn under tighter pants may ride up more often than those worn under loose pants; underwear under tight pants has no room to stretch and flex along the leg, leaving them more prone to riding up
• New vs. old underwear - all else being equal, new underwear has better gripping ability than older, more worn-out underwear. Thus, newer underwear is less likely to ride up or bunch than older underwear

Is It Normal for Boxer Briefs to Ride Up?

Let us reassure you - it is completely normal for boxer briefs to ride up. No boxer briefs (or, for that matter, any underwear that covers the thigh) are perfectly immune from riding up. The data bears this out: a recent survey showed 100 percent of respondents making note of having to adjust their underwear at least once throughout the day. 

While it’s normal for boxer briefs to ride up at some point throughout the day, that doesn’t mean it’s not annoying whenever it happens. As previously mentioned, excessive riding up or bunching of boxer briefs can lead to chafing in between your thighs. This can make walking or other activities very painful and irritating.

The type of underwear you wear can impact its susceptibility to bunching, riding, and general discomfort. For example, boxers have a lot of loose fabric that can easily snag on your thighs, leading to bunching. While boxer briefs cover the same length as boxers, their better grip and more form-fitting factor leave them slightly less prone to riding up. And since briefs don’t cover the leg at all, there's very little to bunch, and it would only happen in between the thigh and the groin. For more information on the coverage of different forms of underwear, check out our previous blog on different types of men’s underwear. 

How to Find Boxer Briefs that Won’t Ride Up

There are 3 major factors to consider when trying to find a set of boxer briefs that won’t ride up your legs.

Sizing

How do you find the right size for your underwear? It will depend on several factors, including your waist size, the size of your thighs, and your groin size. These are going to impact the size of the specific parts of underwear you want to look at when comparing brands of boxer briefs. Specifically, you’re going to want to pay close attention to the size of the leg opening, as this will be the part that is most likely to ride up the leg when there is extra fabric (in the case of underwear being sized too large). Also don’t overlook the size of the crotch/jock area, as it can be a sneaky source of unexpected bunching if you think a little too highly of yourself. 

In the case of big and tall, these factors are even more important; it can be very hard for a big or tall man to find the perfect fit. Thus, men who are big or tall will want to take extra care and time when they do their research on boxer brief size. Not every size XL, size XXL, or even size 3XL is built the same across brands. Big and tall men will also want to check to see if tall sizing is available, such as XLT or 2XLT boxer briefs. These tall sizes are better suited for men with longer legs and longer thighs, who need slightly more fabric to ensure a comfortable fit. But don’t take that fabric if you don’t need it, as that extra length could bunch on shorter legs.

Materials

What are the best materials for boxer briefs? Note that we have previously discussed underwear materials on this blog before, but in general, you want soft, breathable, and flexible materials that stand up over multiple wears. Fabrics by themselves offer their own benefits and drawbacks - for example, cotton is soft and breathable, but is loose and doesn’t stretch well. Meanwhile, polyester can be rigid on its own, and nylon is flexible but thin.

In general, look for blends of materials for your boxer briefs; blends offer the benefits of the multiple materials that compose them while mitigating each material’s negative properties. For example, cotton blends can be soft and flexible, whereas polyester blends can be moisture-wicking and breathable. No matter the blend you choose, be sure it includes some sort of stretch element, such as nylon or spandex, to assist in your boxer briefs gripping to your legs in a more secure manner than if the stretch element were not included (such as in 100% cotton boxer briefs).

Elastic

Where is the elastic in your underwear? Besides being in the waistband, there should be some elastic present in the leg opening, and ideally in the jock area as well. The stretchier the elastic components, the better grip the underwear will have on your legs. The better the grip, the less likely it will be that your boxer briefs will bunch up or ride up on your legs.

Are There Any Boxer Briefs that Don’t Ride Up?

Everyone that has worn boxer briefs has felt the discomfort of riding up or bunching up on the legs. So is there truly any brand of boxer briefs that don’t ride up? We don’t want to say with absolute certainty, and we certainly don’t want to promise that our underwear will totally remedy the problem. Since riding up and bunching are caused by so many factors, the best we can do is mitigate the issue.

While it’s impossible to construct boxer briefs that never ever ride up, Big and Tall Boxer Briefs are built to withstand the daily rigors of life while minimizing the possibility of bunching and riding. They are made of ultra-soft cotton stretch blends which provide a super soft and silky feel for all-day comfort. The extra elastic in the waistband and leg openings ensures a snug fit throughout the day that won’t ride up or sag down. The fabrics are moisture-wicking to keep you cool and confident no matter the activity. And with big and tall sizing available (L to 4XL, LT to 2XLT), any man can feel their best when they put on some Tall Order boxer briefs!