Posted
by
samzenpus
on Saturday August 20, 2005 @12:56AM
from the self-cleaning-shorts dept. 

Ant writes "Yahoo!  News reports that British soldiers will be getting germ-fighting underwear.  The antimicrobial underpants have been introduced by the Ministry of Defense as part of a new desert uniform for soldiers.  They are the first undergarments issued to British troops, who traditionally have had to supply their own. 
Military officials said Thursday the unisex trunks were made from artificial fibers for comfort, with silver particles woven into the material to prevent sweating. 
"It is coated to prevent bacterial infection, and we have tried to arrange the seams so that they don't chafe," Col.  Silas Suchanek, who led the team that procured the new equipment, said Thursday." 

I enlisted four and a half years ago in the Army National Guard, and in two weeks time I'm actually leaving for Iraq.  As per the regulation, we are supposed to wear the Army issue briefs.  That's what we did during Basic Training - but God knows those things aren't made for comfort.  They chafe, and once you've been in the field for a few weeks - well, let's just say that the risk of infection increases.  Which is why it pays to carry a lot of baby wipes and Gold Bond. 

I actually wear boxers instead of the standar-issue briefs now and it is definitely more comfortable.  But anyway, now that I'm headed for the desert, I wouldn't mind having this nifty new underwear - I hope the US Army takes up this good idea.  You don't realize how much you take the little things for granted until you're out in the field and out of clean pairs of underwear. 

Actually, the only time I ever wore undergarments was when we were out in the cold, and I had to go with polypropelene leggings and undershirt.  The rest of the time we did all go commando.  The trick to staying comfortable is to not develop moisture and the resulting chafing.  When you're running around constantly getting sweaty, going commando is the only way to go. 

Anecdote: Our battallion was in the middle of a training rotation at the National Training Center in the desert that is Ft.  Irwin, CA.  At the c

If you ever go climbing or hiking, you will know how much of a difference really good underwear and socks makes.  You can wear anything else - I do climb mountains wearing jeans and sweatshirts, much to the goretex brigade's horror - but if you've got your socks and your boxers right, all the rest will follow. 

Conversely you'd be amazed how miserable chafing underwear and sweaty socks can make you, and how quickly. 

You know how the army is; it'll take them a couple years if ever.  I'm 9 months in the desert right now (so close to coming home!)  and it's really cooking.  I use Under Armour boxers and they work great.  They're kinda expensive (around $20), but it's the best thing you're gonna get atm. 

Wow, that's madness!  Must be the difference between Army and Air Guard or maybe your unit.  In the Air Guard, the last time I was issued undies was in Basic Training and I've been responsible for the resupply since then. 

Underware, T-Shirts, and socks are my top priority for a deployment... especially when the laundry facilities are unknown.  Boxer-Briefs all the way. 

Mostly I'm responding to say good luck on your deployment and get home safe. 

In reality, most people in SWA don't follow the apperance regulations fully.  Unlike being stationed back in the States, in Iraq it's business first; or at least that's the way it used to be during the initial stages.  The last trip I was on the Wing Commander didn't like that people were hanging sunglasses on their flight suits, lol.  I hate stupid regulations, just let me do my job.  Who the fuck cares if I hang my sunglasses on my uniform?  Or roll up my sleeves? ( not that I'm bitter or anything)

Vivin:You might want to invest in some higher-quality underwear before you ship out.  I'd recommend Smartwool or Ibex wool skivvies.  There's a reason why desert-dwellers wear a lot of wool. 

If nothing else, if you run into any Brits that don't like the new issue stuff, you might be able to trade.  I'd also try the Fox River X-Static silver-threaded anti-bacterial socks.  I've been using them for years, and they work very well. 

Also, believe it or not, baby diaper rash ointment is a great thing to keep around.  I

I guess 1000 years of marriying cousins to keep power concentrated is a bad thing.  For those who don't know history, you would be suprised at how many cousins married cousins in british royal family history. 

Well, there's always electioneering!  After all, when one is an extraterrestrial blood-sucking shape-shifting lizard, one can be hard pushed to find a suitable breeding partner.  It's not like you can go on Blind Date. 

More like ask the female soldiers to send their used underpants to your prison inmates. Little do they know you just want those panties for your massive silver extraction operation! 

That reminds me the joke:

I'll do anything

A man was sitting at a bar enjoying anafter-work cocktail when an exceptionallygorgeous young woman entered.  She was sostriking that the man could not take hiseyes away from her.  The young woman noticedhis overly-attentive stare & walked directlytoward him. 

Before he could offer his apologies forbeing so rude, the young woman saidto him, 'I'll do anything, absolutelyanything, that you want me to do, nomatter what it is, for $100 on onecondition.' 

Flabbergasted, the man asked what thecondition was. 

The young woman replied, 'You have to tellme what you want me to do in just threewords.' 

The man considered her proposition for amoment, withdrew his wallet from his pocket &slowly counted out five $20 bills, which hepressed into the young woman's hand. 

Really, we should defer to the UK's right to name its own institutions and call it the "Ministry of Defence", just like Pearl Harbor should not be "Pearl Harbour" or "Perl Harbor" (as I've been admittedly prone to think). 

that silver had antibacterial properties.  A silver based antibiotic mixture was inserted INTO a friends wound to help sterilize it and I thought the reason people used silverware was for similar reasons. ( Although I could just be buying into urban legends or making wrong assumptions... I don't recall ever reading that in an official tome somwhere...)

Colloidal silver is an excellent antibacterial and oxidising agent, either as a very dilute solution or in gel form.  I had most of the skin ripped off my left forearm by a compound bow string (the last time I'll ever forget my armguard!)  and colloidal silver gel healed it up within a couple of days. 

Wow, war even drives innovation when it comes to clothing fashion.  Seriously, these underwear seem to be really great.  I wonder if the British Army will open up their own Yahoo!  store and sell these underwear...

Considering testicles don't like high temperatures, (it's one of the reasons we have them in a sack outside our body, and why everyone should use boxers) what are the chances that these new undies will cause damage to the soldiers testicles since they are stoping them from properly regulating their temperature by sweating, in a desert no less? 

Somehow I think that cavemen running after a wooly mammoth weren't wearing briefs.  I assume that humans have evolved with males not restricting natural movements of their scrotums.  Stopping that may reduce the risk of some maladies, but cutting of your arms will also reduce your risk of developing carpal tunnel. 

Could this be related to the temperature?  I'll let you in on a secret: yes it could. 

It could, but not for the reason you imply.  It's simpler than that.  When cold, the muscles responsible for this naturally contract and become tense, and when warm they expand and relax... but this happens naturally with most muscles in your body, and has absolutely nothing to do with trying to control the temperature of your nads.  Jump in a cold pool and I promise you most of the muscles in your body will tense up as soon

I think it's an error.  Adding silver to clothing will give it anti-microbial properties, which is very desirable.  I have never heard that it reduces or prevents sweating, which would be a bad thing in any climate, let alone a desert.  All of the commercial high-end undergarments advertised for this sort of thing claim to wick moisture away from the skin, increasing the efficiency of sweating, they do not stop it. 

Considering testicles don't like high temperatures, (it's one of the reasons we have them in a sack outside our body, and why everyone should use boxers) what are the chances that these new undies will cause damage to the soldiers testicles since they are stoping them from properly regulating their temperature by sweating, in a desert no less? 

No lasting damage is being done wearing briefs it's just lowering (slightly) your sperm count.  Wearing boxers is only an issue if you're trying to get a chick pregnan

The reason silver is being used is because silver works great as an anti-microbial agent.  Thats why water filters used to have silver in them.  Various waterborne pathogens die after coming into contact with silver.  The unfortunate side effect is that some of the silver might get into your water, and ingesting silver is bad for your health. 

WTF?  I can understand unisex "outer" uniforms, but the idea of unisex underwear is plain stupid.  Is the British Army trying to pretend that men and women are exactly the same, even "down there"? 

From the picture, the underwear look like standard men's boxers, except without the front flap.  Why leave out the front flap in men's underwear?  Probably because they had to make a concession to these being "unisex", and a flap is clearly a male-only feature.  Also, what about guys who prefer briefs? 

The end result is that men will have a harder time freeing willie to irrigate the desert, and women will be forced to wear what are essentially men's underwear (and, I would imagine, are less comfortable for women--correct me if I'm wrong). 

Not trolling, but seriously, does anybody actually use that thing?  When I go to a public urinal, I want speed and stealth i.e., a commando raid.  The last thing on earth I'm looking for is to get caught playing fabric origami just to access the plumbing.  Or is the purpose actually to act as a squeegee during retraction to minimize the chances of..er..having to shake your leg afterward? 

From my experience, with briefs and stretchy boxers, it is easier to use the leg band than to use the fly; with non-stretchy boxers it is nearly impossible to use use the leg opening and one must resort to using either the fly or the waistband. 

(and, I would imagine, are less comfortable for women--correct me if I'm wrong)...

Jesus, I wish that were the case.  My GF keeps stealing my underwear to wear when all hers need to be washed.  If some guy could invent underwear that is comfy for men, but uncomfortable for women, I'd buy fifty pair. 

The site I have the pictures on is down, but hopefully I can give a detailed enough explanation of what happened to me last year to make folks realize the importance of anti bacterial undies. 

I was sittin on the toilet one day and noticed a swollen ingrown hair to the right of my right testicle.  I tried to pluck the hair out, followed by squeezing the little bastard.  Nothing was coming out, so I said, "fuck it" and just left it at that. 

During the week, it developed from an ingrown hair to a very painful boil.  It got to the point where I could hardly walk anymore and had to see the doctor. 

Soon as the doctor saw it, he said "We're going to have to lance it".  Kaiser usually doesn't give out painkillers if they can avoid it (once had a broken toe and they refused me pain meds) Luckily I had a male doctor, and I think that fact made him more sympathetic to my pain. 

He numbed the spot up, then poked the spot with a scalpel, probably going in about 2-3 centimeteres, followed by some very painful squeezing to get all the crap out of the bacterial playground that had formed next to my nutsack. 

I thought that was it, but nope.  The doctor said "We have to leave a wick in there so it heals right" A wick?  WTF?  Basically a wick is a peice of cotton gauze stuck in the hole where the boil used to be.  This prevents the opening of the wound from sealing up, and allows the hole to heal from the bottom up. 

For the next month, I had to make daily trips to kaiser to have the wick removed, and replaced.  The first wick was over a foot in length!  Every week the wicks got shorter and shorter until they finally told me it no longer needed a wicking. 

I can totally see these types of bacterial infections knocking out a soldier for a month.  For me, I could not walk without popping 2 or 3 vicodin after they inserted the wick.  At least I had the luxery of my house, high speed internet, and cable TV (not much interneting during this ordeal, as it was very hard to sit)

I hate to comment on my own comment to bitch about moderation, but I noticed a few comments below mine stating that it should be downmodded. 

Look, this is what happened to me.  Like it or not.  The comment came from my heart, formed by my own personal experience.  Sure, it's gory, sure it's detailed, but this is exactly what happens to folks when bacterial infections happen.  Boils form on the skin, and in the crotch area, this makes for a very debilitating condition.  Like I said, I had the luxery of my house, soldiers in Iraq don't have the same immenities that I have. 

Just a follow up, after this happened my wife and I started buying anti bacterial soap.  Since then, I haven't had so much as a zit on my legs.  Before the boil, I showered every day but with regular old soap.  Regular soap just isn't enough to prevent this from happening.  Just one juicy bit of info I read on antibacterial soaps, you have to leave them on the skin for at least 2 minutes for the active ingredient to work. 

So please mods, don't downmod my parent post.  It was completely on topic and showed the dangers of bacterial infections of the crotch.  Thank you. 

"Just a follow up, after this happened my wife and I started buying anti bacterial soap." 

Yep, so now you are breeding bacteria that are immune to anti-bacterial agents.  Eventually, you will have just as much bacteria as when you started, but you will no longer have the option of applying an anti-bacterial agent when you need it.  E.g. when you have an open sore that needs to heal. 

I recall a summer that I commenced by indulging in bowls after bowls of pears that were sold cheaply at a nearby supermarket.  Unknown to me at the time, till I read it later on in a book, my avid consumption of this fruit caused me to have a candidal infection that soon got so bad the skin on my scrotum was not only red, insanely itchy and painful but was also peeling off.  Chocolate too had a similar effect, worsening the itch.  I could hardly walk, and on some days I couldn't at all, with all I could do b

I got my silver underwear from REI several years ago for mountaineering.  What sold me was mostly the reduction of odors, since when you're on a mountain, you're wearing that sweaty underwear for two days of solid work!  Highly recommended. 

Athletes will probably enjoy anti-chafe undies as well.  At the moment the best alternative is the UnderArmor brand's line of underwear.  The difference in comfort is considerable.  After 2 or so hours of running I'd normally come back with painful rashes, 3 hours and they may even bleed slightly.  The sleek underarmor fabric keeps things sliding painlessly and kept this from happening, as opposed to normal cotton boxers. The problem is the $20 dollar pricetag per pair!  Even if it isn't really better than the Un

An infrastructure for supplying the troops with clean underwear, silver magic or not, is second in importance only to supply of food and ammunition (well, communications and...well, it is quite important). 

If you don't change underwear regularly you are bound to get very nasty rashes in just a few days (which will put you out of any useless service).  If you leave it to the individual serviceman to supply his own trunks, then there is a high risk some won't change them often enough. 

I would guess that underwear lasts longer in desert climate than in more temperate climates due to that the sweat evaporates faster and leaves less time for the germs to grow, but all the same anti-germ underwear seems like a good idea.  You increase the underwear changing interval which means you can cut back on the supplies organization (and the individual soldiers don't have to carry as many pairs of underwear). 

I suppose that the price/value ratio of military underwear with silver content is better than $100 hammers?:DBut this may DEFINITELY be bad for POWs.  So far the captors didn't find any value in there...

I would rather see underwear that is prone to limit the growth of fungus.  Socks, pants and (for our female military, bras.) 

Athlete's foot is one of the more common problems while infections may occur as a result of untreated injuries. ( untreated fungal infections may also lead to bacterial infections if not properly treated.) 

You actually don't want to get rid of all bacteria, since some bacteria are actually good for you and helps keeping the bad bacteria out. 

Another issue is that there is a risk of getting multi-resistent bacteria that is harder to treat if you expose bacteria to antibiotics for a prolonged time.  This is one reason why you shouldn't treat virus infections with antibiotics - it has no effect on the virus. 

Most US Forces use Under Armor underwear.  It doesn't have silver to prevent bacteria, as far as I know, but it seems to last forever and keep sweat and chaffing away.  I think they wash their clothes in the US, so maybe silver particles were not on the top of their list. 

I, along with many many other Marines in Iraq, was recently issued something that sounds very similar.  I actually haven't even worn mine yet favoring the Under Armour I purchased myself before deploying.  A note on the silver fiber, though.  First, judging from experience of the others who have worn it, nothing in it prevents sweating.  And second, according to the tags, at least, the silver is what prevents microbial growth. 

Homer sees Lisa reading Wired magazine, grabs it and goes on about how much he likes 'Weird magazine', thinks GigaBytes is some kind of joke, then discards the magazine when he realizes it isn't 'Weird', but 'Wired'.  The cover had a picture of a strangely Bill Gate-ish character wearing, what the headline claims are 'Electric Underpants' - 'Virtually Wedgie Proof' - 'Do we really need them?' 

Why would you want cool undies?  I think most men would go for warm undies that maintain a constant high temperature so that their contents are always at their most impressive whenever the pants are removed. 

Plus, if they maintain a constant temperature of 40 degrees celsius, they would provide decent contraceptive abilities as well. 

Ah yes, the war of 1812.  What I don't get is that Americans seem to be pretty pissed off about it still, but if a bunch of English and Canadians went and burned down the White House right now, most Americans I know would buy them a round of beer.  This would be especially true if they blocked the exits first.  Oh well, It's just that time is meant to heal all wounds but it seems to be making things worse. 

STFU.That translates to "Shut The Fuck Up", you moronic troll, just to make sure you understand.  No, your sarcasm was not lost on me. 

Anyone who is willing to put thier life on the line so I can drink Gin, sit in my basement and flame Slahdot trolls can have whatever the fuck they need to get the job done. 

Comfortable undewear that prevents what is at the least an uncomfortable skin condition and at worst is a medically dangerous condition - namely boils and necrosis - are cheap compared to having more traine