# Going commando?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [July 30, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548 "2004-07-30T02:53:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548/1 "2004-07-30T02:53:01Z")
Why is wearing no underwear beneath one’s clothing referred to as “goin’ commando”? Surely commandos wear skivvies just like the rest of us, right?
---
### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548/2 "2004-07-30T02:56:40Z")
Good question, only comment I can make is that the Navy SEAL I used to live with wore those funny little mesh lined nylon swimming shorts.
---
### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548/3 "2004-07-30T03:21:35Z")
I have read that commandos in tropical areas won’t wear undies because if they do they end up with nasty diseases (and/or fungi maybe?) down somewhere where you really don’t want to have such things.
---
### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548/4 "2004-07-30T04:55:52Z")
[Always a fun topic.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=135770&)
Commandos are tough guys. They can’t be getting evacuated because they’ve run out of fresh panties. 'course, I guess commandos could always sneak into an enemy compound and stock up…
In Th’Army many folks would hang loose on long marches to prevent chaffing. Others would grease up their inner thighs with vaseline for the same reason. Chiggers & ticks LOVE to find a nice tight wasteband when they’re looking to get acquainted–why give 'em the opportunity? In the field I always ‘did without’ for practical reasons primarily involving ventilation and limited space for supplies, limited time to change clothes anyway & parasites as noted above. Our team of four sneaky bastards shared a box of baby wipes for use as needed, so all in all the only real grime we had to deal with was of the sweaty neck & armpit variety. Our buns & dogs we’re relatively clean.
I could totally see why commandos would ditch undies. Plus it gives you ready access to your ‘blade’ should the mission require its use.
---
### Author:  [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548/5 "2004-07-30T16:15:09Z")
Ahhh. Well, a question easily answered, I see.
Y’know, you commando types might want to look into some alternative undergarments. I backpack alot, and on a multi-day treck in hot and humid weather, things can get pretty ugly down there. I’ gotten serious chaffage and assrot on one seven-day trip when I was stupid enough to bring along cotton tighty-whities. I brought two pairs figuring I’d wash and rotate as needed, but the damn things never dried out.
Sooo, I invested in some nylon mesh skivvies that look a little bit like those spandex cycling shorts; they’re sorta like tight-fitting boxers in that they go further down the thigh than bikini briefs. Since there’s no seam right at the hip/thigh junction, they tend not to chaff. They’re super light, synthetic, highly breathable, and dry off quickly after washing.
Well, “Why not simply go commando?”, you may ask. To quote Kramer, my boys need a home. Uphill isn’t such a problem, but a couple of days of steep descents, with all that planting your forward foot hard with a big-ass pack weighing you down, well, it’s a high-impact activity. Things that aren’t secured tend to bounce around. And all that unwanted motion can make a guy pretty sore after a while. I’m surprised our esteemed armed forces haven’t explored this issue more thoroughly.
---
### Author:  [@SkyClad72724](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkyClad72724)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548/6 "2004-07-30T21:45:03Z")
So these reasons make sense enough. However, why would anybody do it in everyday life? I know of people who prefer passing on the undies whe getting dressed in the morning, and I just don’t get it. I can’t see how it can be comfortable. Maybe it’s just cuz I’m a girl, who knows…
---
### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548/7 "2004-07-30T22:27:50Z")
My brother is a special forces operator, but thankfully we have never had this conversation. Maybe over dinner with the family this weekend…
We always referred to it as “going regimental” and to this day my brother will never wear undies under his kilt.
---
### Author:  [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/going-commando/257548/8 "2004-07-30T22:27:59Z")
Huh. I would figure it’d be less of an issue for gals than guys. I’ve known several ladies who have eschewed undergarments on occasion to avoid VPL, and not found it to be a problem, other than a little draftyness. “Why not a thong?” I ask, only to be told “Hey, you try having a strap in your crack all the time, and see you like it.”
Fair enough.
Me, I prefer boxers. Briefs are a little too constricting; but I still need some kind of containment or things get a little disorganized. Since it’s not socially acceptable to “adjust onself” in public with any frequency, boxers make for a good compromise between too much and too little.