To be honest, I feel a little embarrassed about writing about my underwear. I do realise everyone wears underwear (well, I hope they do, perhaps there is a whole chunk of the population going commando and I have failed to reach the dark crevice of the Internet where I could learn all about this. Perhaps crevice isnt the correct word in the context of an underwear interview. Oh God, why did I agree to write this review...) but I still feel uneasy about writing about my nether regions.
Anyway, I am not going to post pictures of myself wearing the Rapha merino boxer shorts, which is good news for both you and me. So here's a picture of them fresh out of the wrapping and before they were ever worn...
Anyway, enough burbling. What did I think of these boxer shorts?
The Rapha merino boxer shorts are extremely comfortable. Rapha describes them as an extension of their merino base layers and I can confirm that worn together my body felt enveloped in high quality fabric and my goolies were extremely snug (I just looked the spelling of goolies up on a work computer...let's hope the IT department aren't doing a random check of Internet use tomorrow and come and ask my why I am searching for goolies during work time).
Rapha says of their boxer shorts: "Rapha's Merino Boxers are an extension of the Rapha base layer system and provide all-day comfort and performance. They are made from very soft merino wool and are extremely comfortable against the skin. The natural fibre wicks sweat superbly, while the addition of a small polyester mix provides much needed stretch when on the bike. Like Rapha Base Layers, they are finished with flatlock stitching throughout so the interior seams lie flat against the skin to prevent chafing."
The boxer shorts are quite tight, which depending if you are keen to reveal the outline of the contents of your underpants is either a good or a bad thing. They are not going to flatter the overweight.
The other aesthetic consideration that my wife pointed out is that in order to maximise comfort the washing and care instructions label is on the outside of the boxer short, which does look a bit odd. I guess it is only really a problem if you plan to parade around in your underwear so that's not going to be an issue for me but I guess if that's your thing then you might consider this a downside.
Incidentally you can also buy a Rapha merino boxer short with a pad in, for extra comfort when riding around town for any length of time. My fear is that it would look too much like an adult nappy, so I am happy to stick to the non pad version of their boxer shorts.
The biggest negative of the boxer shorts is that my wife took one look at the fabric and asked how she was meant to include them in a normal underwear wash because they are made of merino and would shrink. So either you need to own quite a lot of pairs of these boxer shorts and make sure you have enough merino items to go in one wash or you need to only get them washed very occasionally and keep them for special occasions. And in the event that they became, ahem, heavily soiled, would you feel happy putting them in a hot wash? Hmmm. I see a potential problem.
So, £35 for a pair of boxer shorts? Value or not? Well, I recently went shopping for a very smart pair of multicolour spotted boxer shorts in Amsterdam and they cost £20 and they were merely 100% cotton. For what is very comfy merino wool, I can just about justify the extra cost.
Rapha merino boxer shorts
£35
Available in blue with yellow trim, black with orange/maroon trim and grey with orange trim.
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