# Men's underwear, fly or no fly? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2011, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088 "2011-11-16T03:37:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/21 "2011-11-16T05:19:23Z")
> [@I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](#): > > I honestly had no idea people un-buckled, un-buttoned, un-zipped and pulled down the waistband to pee. And I’m bewildered that, so far, it’s the majority. Me too. You just unzip your pants fly, pull down your underwear waistband, and pee. When I was a kid, _nobody_ used the ‘fly’ in the underpants. (We didn’t call it that; we didn’t even know it had a name.) We were all ‘wtf is that for, and why would anybody use it to pee through?’ Our consensus was that it was an excuse to put an extra layer of fabric front and center to catch the occasional drip. You’d have to pull both of those layers of fabric out of the way, one from each side, to pee through the opening - much easier to hook a thumb through the waistband and pull down. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/22 "2011-11-16T05:22:18Z")
Over the band, like God intended. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/23 "2011-11-16T05:35:37Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Over the band, like God intended. Heresy! If god intended you to pee over the band he wouldn’t have given you a fly! [QUOTE=Cubsfan] I normally don’t use the dick hole… [/QUOTE] You and I have different definitions of that term, son. I can assure you that mine is required for urinating. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/24 "2011-11-16T05:46:20Z")
Well, waddya know? Just found some of my underwear _does_ have a fly. I’ve gotten so used to no fly that I’ve been sensibly ignoring it. It’s not like Mr. Giant could fit through there anyway. ---
**Author:** ![EKDS5k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@EKDS5k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EKDS5k)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/25 "2011-11-16T05:51:49Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > Heresy! If god intended you to pee over the band he wouldn’t have given you a fly!. If we’re going to bring him into it, then we’re back to him giving us nipples. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/26 "2011-11-16T05:59:01Z")
I guess I’m an outlier. I use the fly on my pants (aka trousers), and then pull the waistband of the underwear down from there with my right thumb. The left hand is for directional control. So, micturation is a two-handed job for me. No wonder I don’t do that thing where you use an outstretched arm pushed up against the wall to lean as I pee. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/27 "2011-11-16T06:07:20Z")
> [@EKDS5k](#): > > If we’re going to bring him into it, then we’re back to him giving us nipples. He is a quixotic god, and a bit fickle at times. I’ll grant you that. I’m standing firm on the fly thing, though. God meant for you to put your penis through the fly. That’s why he sewed it into your shorts. Q.E.D. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/28 "2011-11-16T07:40:19Z")
I’ve never owned underwear that has the fly. I’ve always associated it with kids underwear for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![NotBob13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e19b73/32.png) [@NotBob13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotBob13)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/29 "2011-11-16T07:46:37Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It’s too much work to fumble around and try to pull the damned thing through the fly. > 6) Wonder why an additional 1/2 ounce of pee just decided to expel in my underwear. > > It’s pretty simple, really. Whenever I do this, the elastic puts upward pressure on my penis, then when I release this pressure, the final 1/2 oz. of urine dribbles out. That’s why I use the fly, unless the fly is small and restrictive. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/30 "2011-11-16T09:26:21Z")
As the wise Callahan observed, “It is impossible for a man to piss properly with his unit bent in the shape of the letter Z.” When I was a kid, I used the fly on my tighty-whiteys, and had to use both hands to hold it open. I use one thumb to hold down the waistband of my colorful, manly briefs. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/31 "2011-11-16T09:35:02Z")
_fly me to the moon_… ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/32 "2011-11-16T10:47:17Z")
I don’t understand how “I pee through the fly” and “I pee like a normal person” are different options. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/33 "2011-11-16T11:48:39Z")
Man, this thread has turned into quite the pissing contest. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/34 "2011-11-16T13:23:07Z")
Unzip, pull down waistband, flop the hose over the top and pee. Belt stays fastened. Shake, reel, zip, leave. Flies are for frogs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/35 "2011-11-16T13:53:43Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Man, this thread has turned into quite the pissing contest. I believe that we should all take the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Index test, however one spells it. There seems to be a correlation between being laid back and cool and going over the top, as opposed to being obsessive, controlling and highly agitated and going through the fly. I am not concerned, Gentlemen, with how you manipulate Mr. Happy as long as you keep him away from me and mine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/36 "2011-11-16T14:06:12Z")
I always wear underwear when I fly. Damn TSA. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/37 "2011-11-16T14:08:51Z")
If I wear boxers that have a “low overlap” fly, I might be inclined to just unzip and go through the pod bay doors. But I typically wear boxer-briefs, which have a “high overlap” brief-like fly. Snaking my, uh, trouser snake through that series of fabric baffles is no easy task. Mut maybe that’s just me 😉 So in most circumstances, I’m on over-the-top guy. It’s honestly easier than threading my wang through that maze. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/38 "2011-11-16T14:15:55Z")
I have to wonder if men that pull down the waistband are wearing tighty whities. I’ve worn boxers for half of my life, and nothing is easier than using the fly. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/39 "2011-11-16T14:24:08Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > Poll fail! > > I pee like a normal person: through the fly. > > You assumed that the fly on men’s underpants was a decorative nod to our ancestors? WTF? Why would I want to unbuckle my belt, unbutton my pants and unzip them, followed by stretching out my boxer shorts by pulling them over my dick before urinating. Why on earth would I ever do that, when I can unzip and fish my dick out of my pants without disturbing my belt, pants button or tucking my shirt back in when I’m done? This, exactly. > [@Tarwater](#): > > I’m sure that you’ll be equally shocked and indignant to discover that – prepare yourself! – not everybody uses the watch pocket in their pants to hold pocket watches! Not using the fly of your underwear isn’t like not using the watch pocket of your pants to hold a pocket watch—it’s like not using the pockets of your pants, period. It’s fine with me if you don’t want to put anything in your pockets, but why on earth would you think it’s not normal for people to do so? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/40 "2011-11-16T14:27:19Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > It’s fine with me if you don’t want to put anything in your pockets, but why on earth would you think it’s not normal for people to do so? See post 35. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088.md?page=3)