# 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:** 9
**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:** [May 30, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/161 "2017-05-30T03:40:15Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > Are you saying that you pee with an erection? Cause that’s hard to impossible for most guys. Or are you trying to claim that your flaccid penis is so massive that it can’t fit through your underware? In which case you may want to stop shopping in the little boys aisle. > > Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk Well, I used to could. Doesn’t happen all that often now that I’m older, but I often used to get a “piss hard-on.” It can be difficult to negotiate peeing into a toilet but not impossible. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/162 "2017-05-30T04:01:48Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > To pull the tighty-whities down and pee over them would also mean pulling the trousers down… Why would anyone think this? Doesn’t your underwear have an elastic waistband? Why do you think it does? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/163 "2017-05-30T09:40:59Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > I find it to be faster than digging through the layers of fly material in the underwear which is why I switched in about 10th or 11th grade. > : Yes, I too switched when I got soft and fat. When the pants were lean and fitted, I just unzipped, reached in, and popped the hose out. Now that I tend to spill over the top of the pants anyway, it’s easier to loosen the belt, pop the top button, let the gut naturally spread the pants open, and access from the top. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/164 "2017-05-30T15:35:50Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > Are you saying that you pee with an erection? Cause that’s hard to impossible for most guys. Or are you trying to claim that your flaccid penis is so massive that it can’t fit through your underware? In which case you may want to stop shopping in the little boys aisle. > > Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk Or that I was trying to make a funny that totally went over your head? You forgot that one. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/165 "2017-05-30T15:51:00Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > If majority rules dictate social norms, then you and I are not doing it “the right way.” > > To pull the tighty-whities down and pee over them would also mean pulling the trousers down, which means unfastening the belt, and it would be a big, complicated operation, compared to unzipping. They’ve made it convenient for us! > > (At home, I tend to wear a pair of drawstring shorts that don’t have a fly, so pulling down the waistband is the only way.) How odd. It’s not complicated at all and I’ve never had to pull my pants down. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/166 "2017-05-30T15:53:21Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Why would anyone think this? Doesn’t your underwear have an elastic waistband? Why do you think it does? Wait… You pull the undies down…but still use the fly in the trousers? Why not just use the fly in the undies? Why the extra contortion? That’s getting really goddamn weird. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/167 "2017-05-30T15:57:20Z")
Long zombie thread, but I hate lack of fly. I have some pairs without that work fine at home if I sit or aim for the toilet, but in public urinals it somehow does something weird with MY plumbing and dribbling occurs. Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/168 "2017-05-30T17:04:19Z")
I wear very nice, hand made, flannel boxers. The fly is right there and I can’t see why I would ever not use it. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/169 "2017-05-30T17:49:33Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > I would be interested in knowing if any of the previous poster have wised up and learned how to use their fly–it’s the easiest thing in the world. I wonder if the people who claim that the fly is hard have any trouble picking up a fork, or opening a car door? Because using the fly doesn’t take any more dexterity than those things. > > In the winter, I wear long johns, so I have three flys to go through. That CAN be a little difficult, but not very. > > Pulling down your underwear is what little boys do, before they’re old enough to learn the right way. Nice post/name combo. As for me, when I fly I wear my underwear on the outside just like Superman. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/170 "2017-05-30T17:51:55Z")
Never once in my life have I actually used a fly to pee. Never once. It’s a solution in search of a problem. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/171 "2017-05-31T02:29:04Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Never once in my life have I actually used a fly to pee. Never once. It’s a solution in search of a problem. Okay, but have you used many urinals lately? Because generally that’s when you need to use the fly. Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/172 "2017-05-31T02:40:01Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Okay, but have you used many urinals lately? Because generally that’s when you need to use the fly. I no longer use urinals but I spent many years doing so. Still never needed or used the fly. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/173 "2017-05-31T03:03:03Z")
Are there any non-boxer guys here who DO use the fly? I can see, with boxers, that the fly is pretty loose, relatively long, and easy to access. But what about for briefs? Almost all my underwear now doesn’t even have a fly. I’m a briefs guy (the kind of briefs with longish legs), and every pair of briefs I’ve ever seen that had a fly, it was unusable. I tried it once or twice just because I’m a curious guy, but threading your penis through the entrance to it, then through the area where the fabric is doubled, then through the exit flap, and there’s not enough room, so that all those flaps are going to be putting pressure on the penis, preventing efficient voiding. If anyone wears briefs AND uses the fly, I’d like to know how, and why. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/174 "2017-05-31T04:11:18Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Are there any non-boxer guys here who DO use the fly? I can see, with boxers, that the fly is pretty loose, relatively long, and easy to access. But what about for briefs? > > Almost all my underwear now doesn’t even have a fly. I’m a briefs guy (the kind of briefs with longish legs), and every pair of briefs I’ve ever seen that had a fly, it was unusable. I tried it once or twice just because I’m a curious guy, but threading your penis through the entrance to it, then through the area where the fabric is doubled, then through the exit flap, and there’s not enough room, so that all those flaps are going to be putting pressure on the penis, preventing efficient voiding. > > If anyone wears briefs AND uses the fly, I’d like to know how, and why. Yes. I wear the boxer briefs and use the fly. I refuse to buy the style that doesn’t have the fly. It’s far easier to use the fly than to… pull the band down with your hand through the fly? To be honest, I never even considered doing that. I have a fly. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/175 "2017-05-31T23:00:15Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Are there any non-boxer guys here who DO use the fly? I can see, with boxers, that the fly is pretty loose, relatively long, and easy to access. But what about for briefs? . . . > > If anyone wears briefs AND uses the fly, I’d like to know how, and why. Yes… How is easy; to my mind, the other way is totally impractical. You’d have to undo the belt, undo the trousers fly, drop trou to half-mast, and then squinch ya junk over the waistband. Damn sight easier to use the flies. And that’s mostly the why, too. The other way is incredibly awkward! (Makes me think of that old song, “Button up your overcoat and fly!”) ---
**Author:** ![Anita\_Dayoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Anita\_Dayoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anita_Dayoff)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/176 "2017-05-31T23:04:30Z")
Briefs and unzip, pull the elastic down. Anything less modern is blasphemy. ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/177 "2017-06-01T01:05:06Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > ?.. > If anyone wears briefs AND uses the fly, I’d like to know how, and why. OK, I’ll try. Unzip pants, reach through, continue through brief’s fly, pull penis out and point at toilet, piss. Return penis by the reverse path. If needed, move assorted bodily parts into a more comfortable position. Withdraw hand, re-zip pants. If anything, this thread leaves me astounded that there is any question. I’ve done it this way since I was a boy and it’s totally automatic. Neither thought nor fumbling is required. My hand has no trouble negotiating the folds and openings of the briefs. My member isn’t ‘Z’ shaped and I don’t think I have much more than average manual dexterity. No drips, or at most only rarely. By comparison, I sleep in elastic waistband sweatpants. There is no fly, and no underwear, so pull down and over-the-top is my usual. It’s convenient enough, and I spend plenty of hours doing this as my alternative automatic, but I feel no urge to go that way when wearing pants, shirt, and belt. And the wad of cloth-and-elastic held beneath my nuts seems to catch more drips and drops than the fly method. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/178 "2017-06-01T13:41:33Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Yes… How is easy; to my mind, the other way is totally impractical. You’d have to undo the belt, undo the trousers fly, drop trou to half-mast, and then squinch ya junk over the waistband. Damn sight easier to use the flies Where are you getting this? That’s not what people who don’t use the fly do at all, at least I don’t. Unzip pants, use left thumb to pull down boxer briefs, use right hand to hold and pee. Where do you get the “undo the belt” and “drop trou” and stuff? It just doesn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/179 "2017-06-01T20:39:00Z")
Normally I’m pretty pro do-things-the-hard way, but WHY would you not pee through the FLY? It even rhymes, so you know it’s the right way. Why the hell are you undoing your belt and untucking your shirt and whatever else? What is wrong with you? Well, I mean, unless you’re one of those dudes who sits down to pee. Then you deffo don’t want to go with the fly approach, and also you’ve got issues. Edited to add: Boxers it’s totally fly. With briefs I could see the pull-down and pee over, because those flies are stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088/180 "2017-06-01T20:48:59Z")
Pee does not rhyme with fly. Or if you meant that question, I would point out “WHY would you pee with the FLY?” rhymes just as much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-fly-or-no-fly/603088.md?page=10)