I understand this is a strange question, but it got me thinking.
Recently, our community was disturbed by news of a guy getting caught stealing women’s underwear and wearing them. His defence to the newspapers was that it was much more comfortable than the male version.
Men’s underwear are usually thick and in cotton. Since our penises are more in touch with the fabric compared to women’s vaginas (who don’t feel the fabric), why aren’t men’s underwear made more comfortable?
The premise of the question is mistaken. Men’s underwear is quite comfortable. What the panty thief said about men’s underwear not being sufficiently comfortable was, appropriately enough, a fig leaf argument.
Cotton is a very comfortable fabric. Some synthetics may outdo it in some ways and that is why men’s underwear is often offered in those synthetic fabrics. Wool might be more comfortable but its odor-retaining properties and the fact that is requires special handling when washing make it a non-starter. I don’t know why linen is seldom/never used; it’s not like wrinkled underwear is a big deal.
The cotton is thick to make the underwear longer-lasting.
The only places I’ve ever seen underwear being thick was at the elastic waistband and in the area where the front panels overlap to form the “fly.” Everywhere else, it’s a single layer of material, and not of any unusual thickness.
I can’t think of a reason that cotton should be particularly uncomfortable. FWIW I wear cotton boxers and find them to be very comfortable. About 20 years ago I experimented with silk boxers. They were no more or less comfortable than cotton, but they were considerably more delicate and short-lived; the fabric tended to pull apart at the seams.
Any physical discomfort I feel when clothed is related to my external genitalia being crimped/crushed due to their position and/or my posture. Thinner underwear or different material isn’t going to help that.
That’s an adequate defense against any shame one might feel for buying/wearing them (if one is inclined to feel shame for that sort of thing); it’s not any kind of defense against stealing them.
Isn’t the standard phrase “Don’t get your panties in a bunch” (or “wad”)? Seems to imply panties aren’t without their own comfortability problems.
I guess not feeling pretty might make you uncomfortable.
If you underwear is uncomfortable just do what I do: don’t wear underwear.
You tend to get what you pay for. Most men are not prepared to pay. Higher quality cottons cost more money, and fabrics like Modal are also not as cheap as generic cottons. This isn’t to say that there is not higher quality men’s underwear. Depends how much you think it is reasonable to pay. Trick is to avoid paying for fashion labels. Unless you are a rap star, most people are not going to see the label.
30 seconds with Google turns up this cornucopia of pure male self indulgence.
I wonder if, on average, married men wear more comfortable underwear.
(Tell me if this sound familiar - “Your underpants are full of holes! If I buy you some new pairs, will you throw these away?”)
“No! They are just getting comfortable!”
Why steal panties when you can just go buy them?
Wear whatever underwear you want as long as nobody sees it.
My boxers are all manner of comfy, though I’ve had some that weren’t–either because they were ill-fitting or because the fabric wasn’t soft. What I wear now are the “jersey knit” style, and they’re lovely. In fact, don’t ladies sometimes wear boxers around the house because they’re so comfy?
It’s the principle of the thing. 
Not to be gross or anything but I assumed that men’s underwear had double-thickness fabric at the crotch to be absorbent.
And if the OP finds mens’ underwear uncomfortable, I recommend that he try changing to a different type. I used to wear briefs but tried boxer briefs and find them more comfortable.
And I’ve wondered whether the more expensive brands would be more comfortable than the Hanes brand I wear, which costs about five bucks a pair. The expensive brands cost several times that. Is there a noticeable difference, even for those of us without the physique of an underwear model?
We’re getting into IMHO territory here, but I find Jockey to be much better fitting and more comfortable than Hanes or Fruit of the Loom. However, I haven’t found a more expensive brand to be noticeably more comfortable than Jockey.
Shame? Heck, buying them is half the fun!
I concur.
I hate the feel of women’s underwear and the way it digs in around my legs. Don’t even suggest thongs - the thought of something stuck between my butt cheeks all day is just unpleasant and makes me squirm thinking of it.
As far as the panty thief… uh yeah, you wanna wear them, fill yer boots, but buy them, don’t steal them.
I wear boxer briefs (Hanes). Sometimes my wife wears my underwear as sort of a pajama short. She likes them because they don’t have any seams tight up in the crotch area. They fit differently enough on her that you couldn’t really call them underwear, but they are comfortable.
the flaw in your premise is accepting his excuse at face value. Unless we now consider “comfortable” and “induces a stiffy” as equivalent…
As I have said repeatedly on this board (and repetition apparently makes my argument stronger accordingly to SDMB bs arguing) the boxer brief is the greatest advance of the 20th century, ahead of anti-biotics, electronic computers etc.
I mostly wear Smartwool, Wickers and other Merino wool blend boxers. They also make a nice wicking synthetic which has a very smooth feel and even silk. So, since you can get silk briefs or boxers, he’s full of shit.