They Keep The Boys Warm!

Today at Footzone Jenny asked me if I had ever used the Craft Pro Wind Stopper Gunde Boxer Shorts. I almost had to laugh; every winter day was the correct response.  I wear them running, skiing, biking, hiking, and any other activity where I fear that ‘the boys’ might get cold.

I didn’t used to wear the Craft Wind Briefs. I never saw the purpose of spending $40+ on a pair of underwear. What are they made of gold? How can they be that special? Let me tell you a little story that changed my opinions on Wind Briefs:

I used to ski race fairly competitively. I raced all over the US and Europe, sometimes in very cold places. One of these racing trips took me to Fairbanks, AK. It was warm by Fairbanks standards at about 10F. We had a short 10km classic race on Friday and longer races the next few days. Back then I only owned one pair of wind briefs and of an inferior brand. I choose not to wear them for that race so they’d be clean on the colder longer days. Halfway through the race I knew I had made a mistake and ‘the boys’ were not doing well. You know that feeling when your hands are so cold they tingle & burn? OK imagine that same feeling down below on a much more sensitive part of your body… I removed one glove and shoved it down the front of my pants. I figured if something is going to get frostbite and fall off I’d rather lose a hand and I didn’t need my left hand that bad anyways.

Luckily I finished the race and did not lose any body parts. I did spend the next hour or so in the team van in the fetal position crying from the pain. I got minor frost-nip (what the Alaskan’s say for pre-frostbite) and learned a valuable lesson.

After that experience I went on a shopping rampage. I bought every brand of Wind Brief known to man. That pain was never going to happen to me again. What I learned is that every brand is better than nothing. However not all are the same. Craft is the hands down winner. I prefer the longer boxer style for comfort and warmth. I now wear them anytime the temperature is below 32.

My reasons for choosing them:

-        Warmth. The Boys are warm in all weather conditions. This is very important!

-        No weggies. I’m not sure why, but every other brand rides so bad that you might as well get a prostate exam while they are up there. Craft respects that part of your body and stays out.

-        Duribility. I still own and wear the same pair I first bought in 2001. I’ve now got 4 pairs and they are all worn each week from November-March. That is a lot of abuse and they are all going strong.

-        Comfort. Craft makes nice soft polypro.  It feels good on your skin.

-        Lack of odor. Not sure how, but they don’t get the same stank nastiness as some brands of polypro. I wouldn’t recommend wearing them many days in a row, but when snow camping, it happens. These hold up much better than you’d expect…

-        Work in all activities. Great for running, skiing, hiking, probably snowshoeing. They work on the bike, but not as awesome as other activities.

If you are a guy doing winter sports, you should own these. If you have a special guy that does winter sports and you value his manhood not getting frozen, I’d recommend these as a great Christmas gift. Look everybody wins!

By Zach Violett