The Best Boxer Shorts for Men Are the Better Skivvies

GQ commerce writer (and stanch boxer shorts-wearer) Gerald Ortiz praises Sunspel’s boxers for a lot of reasons, but one that stands out is the cut and shape of the back panel. “Not only does it make for a better fit, iit means they don’t bunch at all,” he says. The majority of our testers preferred the open fly of the Sunspel boxer shorts over the buttoned fly that most other options had and found that they maintained easy access while keeping everything contained. “Without question, they’re my favorite boxers”, Ortiz says. “They don’t fit like a garbage bag, they’re very well made, super comfortable, and actually elegant.” They’re an investment, for sure, but when they’re up against cheaper alternatives that won’t last as long and feel worse the entire way, we think you’re better off with these.

Best Budget Boxer Shorts: Uniqlo Woven Trunks

Material: 100% cotton | Sizes: S-3XL | Fly: Functional; button-fly | Colors and Patterns: Available in 2 colorways

In broad strokes, expensive underwear is usually way better than the underwear you cop en masse. But there are always anomalies, and Uniqlo’s proven that they’re the outlier in this great underwear experiment. The go-to store for Japanese minimalism for dirt-cheap prices makes some of the best boxer briefs we’ve tested. We gave Uniqlo top scores for value in the boxer briefs category and the brand’s boxer shorts are sharing the winner’s podium.

Uniqlo’s spectrum of woven boxer shorts (which they call “trunks” for some reason), is a great value proposition; when he isn’t wearing his only pair of Sunspel boxers, Ortiz defaults to these the other six days of the week. The cotton is soft and airy, the fit is spacious, and the elastic waistband is mercifully pinch-free. Ortiz says he’s worn them for years, and hasn’t noticed any sagging or pilling that plague lesser versions after too many launders. If you’re wearing slimmer pants, however, you might not appreciate all the room that Uniqlo’s “trunks” offer.

Best Upgrade Boxer Shorts: Derek Rose Amalfi Boxer Shorts

Material: 100% cotton | Sizes: S-3XL | Fly: Functional; open | Colors and Patterns: Available in 2 colorways

Derek Rose’s supremely luxe boxer shorts are the prime example when it comes to proving that expensive underwear is far better than the penny-pinching bulk buys. We tested their flagship pair which is cut from 100% cotton that has feels remarkably like silk, complete with a regal sheen worthy of Derek Rose’s impressive CV.

Even our staunchest anti-boxer shorts coworkers were impressed, and loved the extra top buttons and couldn’t deny the top-shelf quality. We did have one point of criticism. We’d love to see a couple of notches at the side seams for even more comfort, especially for the folks with thunderous thighs.Now, $70 ain’t nothin. But if your bank account can take the hit and you only want the best, you couldn’t do any better.

Best Knit Boxer Shorts: Mack Weldon AIRknitx Boxers

Material: 56% Polyamide, 29% Polyester, 15% Elastane | Sizes: S-XXL | Fly: Functional; button | Colors and Patterns: Available in 2 colorways

In the nether regions, breathability is key. We maintain that boxer shorts are superior in every regard to boxer briefs in this respect (nothing beats some good ol’ fashioned airflow). But there are some boxers that improve on and max out its inherent breathability. Allow us to introduce you to Mack Weldon’s AIRkitx boxers. They’re cut with the same AIRknix fabric (the same they use for their boxer briefs), a lightweight knit mesh material that wicks moisture and blocks odors like Mutumbo swats basketballs. They also employ what they call “cool zones” to provide even more breathability to specific areas so you can stay air-chilled even through the hottest months.

GQ associate commerce director Michael Nolledo swears by these boxer shorts. “They’re more spendy than many options out there,” Nolledo notes, but adds “the price matches the quality” for those willing to invest. He says the fabric has an incredible handfeel, and is extremely comfortable for sleep. He also likes that there are no back seams, which adds to the all-day comfort.

Best Ultra-Soft Boxer Shorts: CDLP Boxer Shorts

Material: 95% Tencel lyocell, 5% elastane | Sizes: S-XXL | Fly: Functional; open | Colors and Patterns: Available in 2 colorways

We loved CDLP’s boxer briefs for many reasons, but one of the most significant is its fabric. It’s stretchy, durable, and amazingly smooth because of its hefty use of lyocell. Lyocell is a natural alternative to silk but feels much cooler and more breathable to the touch. Oh, and it’s not nearly as expensive nor as precious as silk.

A fabric like that makes a ton of sense for boxer briefs, but employed in a pair of boxer shorts and the comfort gets turned up to 11. Ortiz says the fabric offers the same luxurious feel as CDLP’s flagship boxer briefs, “but the boxer shorts version is even more satisfying. Plus, they actually have shape in the rear which prevents my back end from looking sad.”

Best Multipack Boxer Shorts: Polo Ralph Lauren Woven Cotton Boxers (5-Pack)

Material: 100% cotton | Sizes: S-XXL | Fly: Functional; open | Colors and Patterns: Available in 2 colorways

Ralph Lauren's boxer shorts are just as good as his button-ups—after all, the fabrics used for both are basically the same. On top of that, we love that the front of the waistband lies flat while still allowing for plenty of elastic to conform to your size. The fabric is lightweight and smooth, the construction is solid, and the fit was well-tailored—enough room to move around, but slim enough to prevent bunching in slimmer pants.

“If you want to remodel your underwear drawer in one go, these are the best to buy in bulk,” Ortiz says. Uniqlo’s boxers are affordable, no doubt. But they’re not offered in multipacks and from what we’ve experienced, the considered fit and slightly better fabric make Ralph Lauren’s a winner if you like to refresh your underwear in big chunks.

If you’re CK-pilled but your allegiance to boxer shorts prevents you from submitting to their boxer briefs, get this: you can have your CK and eat it, too. These jersey knit alternatives give you the freedom of boxer shorts with the fabric of boxer briefs, all with the same underwear prowess that comes with the Calvin Klein name.

If you thought boxers were shapeless, frumpy, and woefully unappealing, uh, we don’t blame you. But don’t let the worst offenders of the genre speak for the whole crowd. With a wild leopard print and an opulent all-silk fabric, these Tom Ford skivvies are some of the sexiest pairs of underwear around, boxer briefs be damned. They’re better suited for special occasions, of course, like the luscious velvet curtain before a sultry show. But if you’re after some rest, relaxation, and luxuriating, these are a great source of dopamine.

Emma Willis also makes her underwear like her shirts. The difference is she makes some of the best shirts in the world. These are cut with a slim fit and longer leg and feature a high-quality lightweight linen that’s treated with aloe vera to give it extra smoothness, cooling properties, and wrinkle-resistance. Mother-of-pearl buttons and a covered elastic waistband propel them forward and beyond damn near every other pair on the market. At a hair over $200, though, these are most likely treat-yourself boxers.

We know that the name of Handvaerk’s underwear is a bit confusing. Isn’t this a list for boxer shorts? But the way we see it, these are more like a hybrid. The crotch does away with the supportive pouch, but the legs and seat hug the body for a form-fitting silhouette and it’s all wrapped in a silky-smooth Pima cotton jersey. The result? A pair of boxer shorts that can slip into slim trousers without bunching.

The boxer shorts community only takes up a modest sliver of the GQ offices, but we remain steadfast and we came together to figure out what makes a great pair based on our decades of personal experience and the countless pairs that have made their way into the office. We wanted to filter out the cheap chaff and get down to the golden wheat, the kind that could satisfy the lifelong boxer shorts advocates and convert (or at least crack open the minds) of the immovable boxer briefs soldiers.

Comfort came first, naturally. Waistbands shouldn’t be too tight, nor too loose, and there should be plenty of room in the crotch and legs to move about freely. Quality was a no-brainer—fabric needs to be breathable, comfortable, and soft. And then it came down to the finer design details like the way the fly functions, how the panels are shaped, and how the elastic is constructed. Ultimately, many of these smaller details will be subjective. For instance, some folks preferred button fly boxers over open fly boxers. With that in mind, we wanted this list to encompass a wide range of options and have each superlative pair be the best representation for a given sub-genre within the boxer shorts universe.

With those parameters in mind, we called in the pairs we knew were already good, the pairs that we’ve heard great things about, and the pairs that looked great on paper but we hadn’t experienced for ourselves. We subjected them to weeks of wear and laundry cycles, logging our notes along the way. We scrutinized each pair of boxers for comfort, fit, quality, breathability, pilling, bunching, digging, rolling, and price and filled out spreadsheets for each pair (this is how normal people wear things, right?).

And then, finally, we got our crack (heh) team of testers together in a room and asked them to assign each pair a score, evaluating its comfort, breathability, fit, quality, support, value—and, perhaps most importantly, overall style. Based on those evaluations, we ran the numbers, collated the anecdotal evidence, and emerged with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best boxer shorts for men right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the cheap multipacks to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) solo buys. Whatever your preferences, whatever your lifestyle, there's bound to be a superlative pair of skivvies on this list for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)

• Alex Wedel, senior global audience development manager
• Avidan Grossman, GQ senior commerce editor
• Gabe Conte, GQ senior web producer
• Gerald Ortiz, GQ commerce writer
• Martin Mulkeen, GQ global commerce category director
• Matthew Roberson, GQ Sports writer
• Michael Nolledo, GQ associate commerce director
• Mick Rouse, GQ global research director
• Tyler Chin, GQ associate commerce editor