by Stathis Kapravelos

Feels nice to be back with another review for Men and Underwear, testing the trunk that DUB underwear provided me. DUB is a quite new brand, founded in the Netherlands in 2016 which is why DUB stands for Dutch Underwear Brand. According to their site, the underwear collection is suitable for every man out there, seeking high quality, eco friendly materials in combination with stylish designs.

The trunk I put to the test was the DUB Trunk Sides in red colour. I like red underwear and I find very appealing the contrast the white sides this trunk provides. Apart from red there are three more colour options: green, blue and white. All colours come with white sides, except for the white that comes with blue sides (otherwise contrast wouldn’t exist!).

Now it’s time for the extensive review which will be divided into 6 sections: packaging, material, design, performance, durability and the conclusion.

Packaging: Here, I must admit that I got nothing special to say since the packaging is as simple as a zipped plastic bag. However, i would like to make a proposal to the brand: please make a more eco friendly packaging, that will accompany the bamboo material appropriately. It’s high time we avoided plastic materials.

Material: The trunk is made of a blend based on 95% bamboo and 5% spandex. From the first touch, I could sense its softness and breathability, a feeling which was also present while wearing it all day long. I will further examine the material at the performance section later. The waistband is soft too and did not cause me any discomfort issues. It also has a nice, front-centred DUB underwear logo.

Design: The contrasting sides of the trunk are not unique design-wise. However, this should not be considered as negative, since I don’t think that there is space for evolution in design in men’s underwear fashion. I appreciated the fact though that the brand uses bright colours with contrasting combinations. Some may find these colours old-fashioned but it’s all a matter of taste, and I personally like them! On the other hand, some stitching details caught the attention of my experienced eye. Although, I found the stitching and cut of the fabric satisfying, some stitching at the front of the underwear was not spot on. On the positive side, the leg openings were wide enough to fit my thighs and the back was long enough, so as to hug my glutes and make me feel comfortable. At the front, the pouch was contoured and I felt support but I would suggest the brand to add little more space in the pouch at their future collections.

Performance: I always test the underwear under review at the gym. It’s there, where I go almost everyday and I can test how the material is performing. It is worth mentioning that it is my first time testing bamboo made underwear and this is one of the reasons why this review is quite long. To the point, I am satisfied with the performance of the material even in tough conditions. No need to mention that my warm up routine is based on a 30 minute rowing session! No need to wonder what happens next. During the workout I felt the support the trunk provided me and thanks to the bamboo fabric the breathability reached almost the top. I can’t say that I didn’t sweat but at the same time I must mention that I felt comfortable all the time.

Durability: According to the label of care instructions, this bamboo based underwear should be hand washed only. However, I put it in the laundry with similar colours (don’t blame me – who hand washes their staff nowadays?) at 40 degrees. The results were ok, the shape and feel remained as before and I did not observe any malfunction of the stitching. I am concerned, though, about the contrasting colours and how they are going to affect each other after multiple washes.

Conclusion: I am overall satisfied by the design and performance of the DUB underwear trunk. Absolutely love the colour and contrast combinations and appreciate the eco friendly attitude of the brand. Attention to detail, however, is my advice to the owners, an element which will help their products become widely used even by the most demanding men like me. Would I recommend it? Oh yes!