If you’ve ever been on the fence about trying a new underwear brand, now is definitely the time as many manufacturers are trying to liquidate some of their current and older styles to make room for their fall and winter lines.  One in specific that I am pretty excited about is Cover Male.  Cover Male makes a wide assortment of styles that is almost sure to appeal to everyone and they are having a MASSIVE blowout on dozens of their styles.

Whether you are a fan of bikinis, briefs, jocks, or thongs you are sure to find a deal on Cover Male’s website.  They currently have many styles on sale and up to 60% off.  Additionally, there is a closeout section of their website that features styles starting as low as $5.44!  If you are a thrifty shopper like me, this is a great opportunity to score some great undies at an unbeatable price.  They also offer free shipping if you spend at least $50.

I am a long time fan of the Cover Male brand, and are particularly fond of their cheeky styles, which to me are more like a wide banded thong or boyshort style of brief.  I also enjoy the brand because they offer a lot of solid colors, which to me is attractive because I don’t always want brightly colored underwear, particularly if I am going to be visiting the doctor or there is the chance someone else may see them throughout the day.

Cover Male also offers a partial line of athletic apparel to include tank tops and athletic shorts.  They offer a full swimwear line including bikinis, briefs, boxer briefs, squarecuts, and trunks.  To my dismay, Cover Male does not currently offer any swim thong styles.  However many of their underwear styles are made of a spandex blend that should be quick drying and could possibly be worn as swimwear.

Visit Cover Male and Give them a look if you haven’t in the past, or try them again if you’ve visited in the past.  Now would be a great time to stock up if you want to grab some great underwear at a great price.  Don’t forget to let us know.

We are going to have an honest discussion of dating and underwear. I have asked Bikinisnthongs to join me in this debate. We are approaching this from the gay side of the issue, but we think all guys will see similarities in our journey.

UNB Tim – Welcome to the talk. I invited you to this because I love your honesty and perspective on underwear. I haven’t dated in 11 years. Now I want to venture back in the waters of the dating pool. When did you last seriously date?

Bikinisnthongs – Thank you for inviting me!  I last dated was about three years ago, but it was a bit unconventional.  I met a married gay couple and joined their relationship.  It ended when one asked the other for a divorce.  What are your plans for getting back out there?  

UNB Tim – That sounds like a fascinating time. I have met more people dating couples in the last year. I guess it’s a trend in the gay world. I call them a “thruple.” I’m not sure that is for me. Well, the plans are the issue. I hate online dating with a passion and the so-called “Dating apps.” It’s always “Looking?” “X pics?” and all-time favorite “Let’s fuck.” For the time being, I am asking friends if they know any single good guys. So far the response is “You wouldn’t like the single guys I know.” Another WTF moment. Who are my friends hanging out with? It’s a chore! Wish me luck I will need it! But let’s talk about underwear and dating. We have had many offline conversations about underwear. What do you consider “date night” underwear? Does it change due the date (such as the first date vs. 5th date)?

BnT – “Date night” underwear for me is any pair that makes me feel sexy and comfortable.  Usually, that’s a bikini or thong, but I have also worn more conservative pairs like briefs or trunks.  I will admit that I have tailored my underwear choice to the preferences of my date, rather than wear a pair that would make me feel the most comfortable and sexy.  What do you typically wear on dates?

Tim – My “Date night” undies are more about me than my date. I know that may sound selfish but its what I have always done. And I do things in reverse. The first date I wear something super sexy, well to me. On the date I know I’m wearing something awesome. It gives me a bit of a confidence boost. It’s rare that I get naked on the first date. As the dates go on and the “pants come off moments” I wear something, not over the top. A nice bikini or something. However, since I last dated, running an underwear blog is not a topic of conversation early on. For the most part, guys find it cool and it makes wearing sexy undies, not such a shock. I’m curious, why do you tailor your underwear to what your date likes?

BnT – I think I’ve done it to wear what would please them or not turn them off.  I have dated several guys who didn’t like thongs or bikinis, so I didn’t wear them while with those guys.  I actually had one guy laugh at me when I got undressed and was wearing a bikini.  I felt sexy, but a little humiliated.  I wore briefs when with him from that point forward.  He wasn’t a great guy, to begin with – I know that now.  So lately, I wear what I want.  If the guy doesn’t appreciate it, then it’s his choice not to be with me, but I won’t change what I like to wear any longer.  Have you had any bad experiences with a guy you’ve dated not liking the underwear you were wearing?

UNB Tim – Glad to hear you are wearing what you want! I think we all should. I can’t think of any times I dated that someone said a negative comment to me. I’ve always tried to get the person I date into what I am wearing. I guess I bring them in and let them help me pick new undies. My longest term relationship he would actively suggest things for me to wear. Which I loved! I haven’t ever found a partner/boyfriend who was also into underwear like I have been. They seem to be rare. Which is odd considering I run an underwear blog! Anyone reading out there single LOL. Let’s talk first dates! Say you meet a guy, and you agree to go out. Like I said I go for something super sexy and fun on the first date. I’m to the point where I am not after a quick fling, and it’s very rare we get naked on the first date. I have worn skimpy bikinis, Cocksox CX01’s, Jocks and such. What is your typical first date pair/style?

BnT:  I am always super nervous on first dates!  I tend to pick a pair that makes me feel sexy, yet is comfortable and familiar.  It’s rare that my date would get to see them on a first date (maybe that’s why I don’t get many second date invitations?  LOL), so the pair I wear is just for me.  The style I wear somewhat depends on what we’re planning and what I will wear otherwise.  If we’re going to be active in some way or my pants will be more fitted, I wear a thong – one of my Gary Majdell Sports thong or a JM Skinz.  Otherwise, I might slip on a classic black bikini – I have several from N2N and even one from Andrew Christian that I like.  

I have also tried to influence my boyfriends’ underwear choices, with varied success.  I’ve had the most luck when taking smaller steps like introducing them to new brands or a new fabric (other than the typical 100% cotton, K-Mart special boxer briefs) that aren’t super expensive.  Once they get a feel for the improved quality, then they’re more likely and eager to try more and experiment.

How long do you typically wait before trying to make influence a guy’s underwear choices?  It may be a little different for you since you run this blog.  😉

UNB Tim – I’m right there with you with second date invitations. I was the king of first dates. Well, since I haven’t dated since I started the blog. My last really serious relationship was in 2006. UNB began in 2008, I’ve had first dates but nothing really serious. After a few dates when I know it’s getting serious, more than let’s hang out. I start having the undies talk with them. Especially if they are wearing underwear from big box stores. Those have to go or even worse boxers. I mean nothing kills a mood for me more than getting to sexy time and see baggy no form boxers on a guy. I remember asking one “seriously, this is what you wear to a date you know you’re getting lucky?” The sad thing was he didn’t see a problem with it. Undies were to come off not be worn for your partner.

After we have a talk, I break them in pretty easy. I mean, I”m not going to buy them a thong right off the bat. If they are wearing boxer briefs, I get them some nice CK boxer briefs. Something tighter and has a form to it. If they respond positively. So far, all the guys I have changed undies have, then I suggest and buy smaller things. I have had past boyfriends go from boxers to briefs but never had much luck getting them into bikinis or thongs. Occasionally they will wear a jock but its always something secondary. When they have worn something sexy its been like an anniversary or my birthday because they know I will love it. But it’s never in their regular rotation.

I’m curious as to how the blog will figure into the dating thing. I’m pretty upfront and honest about it. For the most part, guys are impressed that I built something on a passion of mine. I have had very few think its weird or strange. I have had more of the “OMG I love underwear too” after I tell them. It’s like having a love of undies is a thing we should hide. So my question back to you is how much of an influence have you had over guys you have dated? Have you had any luck getting them in thongs or bikinis that you love?

BnT:  My influence has been limited, unfortunately.  The last guy I dated started to wear some sexier briefs, but I never got him to the bikini or thong stage.  We’re still friends (and soon to be roommates), and sometimes I’ll catch a glimpse of what he’s wearing, and it’s the more fashionable briefs. I don’t know if he wears them when he’ll be around me or I’d he’s changed his preferences completely.  He did lose a bit of weight so maybe these pairs fit him better.  I’ve never really asked him about it.

My very first real boyfriend (over 20 years ago) did make a dramatic change, at least temporarily.  He went from loose boxers to sheer mesh bikinis pretty much all on his own.  They were the sexiest he could find at the local Target.  Ha!  I still sometimes wonder if he’s gone back to boxers or settled somewhere in the middle.

I have had more luck with a friend with benefits.  We decided to include underwear as part of our fun one night, so I put him in a thong.  He loved it.  He ended up borrowing a few of mine until he could buy some of his own.  We still chat occasionally, and he’s pretty much converted to wearing thongs all the time.

What’s a guy’s typical reaction when you try to get them to try a thong?

UNB Tim – Nice, well me it’s pretty much hit or miss. I think it’s more miss than hit. I have had better luck getting guys in bikinis rather than thongs. I”m trying to remember when I got a boyfriend in thongs. I can’t recall. I think it was more friend with benefits. Which makes no sense the boyfriend should be more open to wearing what turns you on.

Most boyfriends have looked at me like I was crazy for suggesting a thong. I think it mirrors the society in general. Thongs are viewed as feminine. Which I don’t get how a pair of underwear is feminine but that’s another whole discussion. Handing a boyfriend a thong and say wear this, and they give you a strange look. I am the kind of person I like to do things that my partner will like. I expect the same in return. It’s very much give and take with me. I think I have grown and not the same person when I dated before. I know what I want and the next guy will be open to wearing whatever because when they do, they get rewarded big time!

So what do you do when you the guy you’re dating, won’t or refuses to wear underwear you think he will look great in?

BnT:  Personally, I think a friend with benefits is more likely to try a thong for someone because of the situation.  It’s easier for them to wear it for playtime, then put their own underwear back on after.  A boyfriend knows that you wear them all the time and probably feels like they’d want you to do the same.  

You touched on a good point. The stigma of wearing a thong is a lot of why many guys look at you funny when you ask them to wear one or when they find out you wear one.  I always try to explain to guys how much a thong is like a jock – which is quintessentially masculine.

If a guy won’t wear what I suggest, then I don’t push it.  I do try to get them to at least try it on, but if they resist I drop it.  I don’t want to risk alienating them.  But I do know that if they try them on once, it’s likely that they’ll try one again and maybe for longer than a quick modeling for my benefit.  The trick is to get them to try it on and make it seem like it’s their idea.  😉

Are there specific brands or pairs you think are best for a guy’s first time trying a bikini or thong?

UNB Tim:  There are some great starter brands out there. My last boyfriend, I introduced him to Mundo Unico. He liked the pouch of the briefs I wore. I think one of the best bikinis that fit great and aren’t too much of a leap are the ones made by 2(X)ist. They aren’t too pouchy or skimpy. They give a bit more coverage than the kinds we like. I think they would be a great first step for a guy.

As for thong, I would go with my all-time favorite thong. The 2(X)ist Y-Back thong. It’s one of the first ones I fell in love with and still have! And surprisingly 2(X)ist brought them back. It’s one we have consistently named on UNB as the best starter thong.

I was going to recommend a bikini from Calvin Klein but I couldn’t find it on their site. It was made out of the softest material and fit amazing. But I think either brand are great starter brands for any guy who is buying their underwear in six packs (or more) at a big box store.

To get a guy go full on bikini or thong has been hard. I have had better luck bringing guys in on trunks. Since most of them wore boxer briefs. It’s the gateway drug as I call it. They get hooked on the good fit then I sneak in a brief and then finally bikinis and thongs.

What is your big success story with an ex. Did you get him in a thong or did you have to use the gateway boxer brief?

BnT:  I have a couple of the 2(X)Ist thongs – I even thing I have one in cotton and one in micro modal when they first came out.  I agree that they are a good first thong; I just wish they had more color options.  I have a couple of 2(X)Ist jocks, but never tried their bikinis.  Maybe I should.  😉

I also think I have one of the CK bikinis you mentioned.  It’s one of the classic black bikinis I like to wear on dates.  Oddly enough, I think that is the only pair of CK I own!  

I kind of talked about my one “success” story above.  I got him to wear a better quality of brief – low rise, better quality material, even some “wild” prints.  I did buy him a thong; he wore it a couple times to surprise me in bed, but it never stayed on very long.    Looking back, I’m a little surprised he didn’t wear it more often.  He certainly enjoyed how much it turned me on to see him wearing it.  The fun he could have had teasing me with it.  Haha

Have you ever been on a date with a guy who was already wearing a thong or skimpy bikini?

UNBTim – For dating, never. All of my ex’s were never into underwear nor did they wear anything that readers of UNB consider good underwear. It’s odd, you think more guys would be into underwear but it seems to be a smaller subset of guys.

So to wrap up our discussion, what advice do you give guys about dating and underwear when you have a partner who is not into it?

BnT: Run the other way?!?  LOL.

No, seriously, if sexy (however you define that) underwear is important to you, have a conversation with your man about it.  He may not immediately jump to wearing thongs to the beach, but they might take little steps to improving what they wear.  If he is dead set on wearing loose boxers, then you have to decide whether you like the guy or underwear more!

Tim: I couldn’t have said it better myself

My First Trip to Vegas…

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas right?  Except that I want to make sure you all know how thong friendly Las Vegas is!  I recently stayed at The Flamingo resort on the Las Vegas strip, and it has got to be one of the most positive thong experiences I have ever had.  I stayed a week at the Flamingo and visited both of its swimming pools where I wore a thong without incident.

I started out in Vegas on a Sunday afternoon with my wife by visiting the beach club pool at the Flamingo.  The Beach Club pool is a “family” oriented pool only open to hotel guests.  Lounge chairs and cabanas that you can rent surround the pool.  There is also a bar on one end where you can buy whatever food and beverages you wish.  We found a couple of lounge chairs adjacent to the pool where we set up for the afternoon, spread out our towels, and laid out in the sun.  For the first day, I decided to go with a blue Joe Snyder Bulge Tanga.  I immediately drew the attention of a couple of older ladies who my wife told me were nudging each other and pointing at us.  I guess they’d never seen a man in a thong before.  They didn’t make a big fuss or show about it though and quickly went back to their own business.

I visited the same pool the next day by myself, as my wife was off with a friend that lives nearby.  I had a similar experience, and this time decided on the same Joe Snyder Bulge Tanga, except this time I wore a hot pink version.  I saw a mix of couples, both young and old, and also varying cultures present at the pool.  There seemed to be a lot of people visiting from other countries, which could have contributed to the lax attitude towards my choice of swimwear.  I didn’t see any other guys wearing thongs, but a few were in a speedo or square-cut styles.  There were a few of the women around the pool in cheeky and thong styles.  Everyone I spoke to was very friendly, and nobody seemed to mind me sunning and swimming in a thong suit.

I didn’t spend much time at the resort’s other pool, which was called the Go Pool.  It is an adult-themed pool centered around the typical Vegas Pool party atmosphere.  I did visit once for a couple of hours, and it was quite as expected, plenty of the younger crowd dancing and drinking to the house DJ.  It was a little more of a party than I was prepared for!  Not that I mind being around others in a thong, but I don’t drink, and didn’t care to be around that atmosphere all afternoon.  In the short couple of hours that I was there, I did spot a few guys in small square-cut suits and speedos, plenty of women wearing thong suits, but sadly no guys in thongs.  I was the only one.

During my stay in Vegas, I was able to thong a couple of hours each afternoon after I finished my work.  I wore a thong exclusively, got in and out of the water, and even wore my thong into the bathroom around other guys.  I didn’t hear one single snide comment and also made conversation with others around me by the pool each day.  I expect that if you decide to visit Las Vegas, you could run into other male thongers, and may even start a trend yourself if you are bold enough to wear one yourself.  Either way, know that male thongs are accepted, and you are not likely to be ridiculed for wearing one anywhere on the strip.  My advice is to do what makes you happy, be confident, and don’t succumb to the norm.  Be yourself, and if you visit Vegas and wear a thong, or you have in the past, drop a line in the comments and tell us about it!

So you buy what you think is the perfect pair. You early await it’s arrival, checking the shipping status multiple times a day. It arrives, you put on, and…something’s not right. Either the color is off, the fit isn’t quite working out, or the size isn’t what you thought it would be. Either way, in most cases you are out some serious cash. So what is there to do? If it was a shirt or a pair of shoes, you could return them, but I can count on one hand the number of underwear manufacturers that allow returns. So what else can you do? Before you turn that $30 pair into a rag, try trading.

Yes, trading may feel kind of..gross. It’s something someone else has worn, yes. It’s still clean and is one of the best ways to get rid of pairs that you don’t want and get more pairs that you do want. Here are some simple trade tips I’ve learned over the years:

• Avoid internationals- As much as I want to include everyone in the world, international shipping is a pain in the butt. Having to figure out how to put foreign dresses into traditional shipping forms, not to mention the high cost. Most times first class shipping with tracking for a few pairs in a simple bubble mailer has cost me less than $10. Not a bad price to pay for clearing out your underwear drawer and getting some new pairs in return.
• Search high and low for your opposite- If your problem is sizing, find someone who has recently left the size you want and is now in the size you are trading away. Yes, this can be sorta difficult, but thanks to the internet and places like Twitter, it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone interested in your pairs with a few that might work for you.
• Trade with your trust- I would highly suggest that you deal only with someone that you know or trust. Having said that, even if the trade goes south and you get nothing in return, you only loose a few dollars in shipping and packaging materials, and a pair that you didn’t even want.

So, in the end, there are some concerns, and it may not be for everyone, but trading pairs can be a good way of recouping your underwear investment and helping your collection become only pairs that you love. I’m planning on doing another big cull soon, and most of those pair’s I’m going to try and trade away. I’m actually in the middle of a trade right now. I shipped my pairs out long ago, but I’m waiting for the other guy to do the same. Hopefully, he’ll get to it eventually. Even if he doesn’t, I’m still glad to get rid of those pairs.

Have you ever traded underwear? How did it go? Tell us about it below in the comments or let us know about it on twitter @unbblog. As always, you can find mine on twitter @underweardude. Happy trading!

Hey guys, Underweardude here. I hope you enjoyed a look at my underwear drawer last week. This week we are taking a look at the underwear drawer of another guy here at UNB, UNBRyan. Here is what he has to say:

We are changing things up here. We want you guys to help us pick underwear to review. This is not limited to the brands we work with. Have you ever wanted to try a Japanese line? Or maybe a fetish pair from Germany? Maybe a swim brief from Australia? Now is the time for you to help us out! We want to know what you guys want to see reviewed.

We are giving this power to our Patreons above a $5 a month donation. Why are we doing this? Let’s face it underwear is expensive, especially when you are getting pairs from overseas. You don’t want to invest in exchange rates and international shipping only to get a pair you hate. If it’s out of the US you can get free shipping and a good sale. It’s not as bad.

How do you take part in the community? Well, click the button at the bottom of this post to join our Patreon. We want to do a lot of things but we need your help! Currently, we have a great group of guys in our Patreon who have been there for a while. There is a private community we talk in and share topics for posts and even give away underwear. Yes, I give our Patreon members goodies from the UNB Closet.

Other things we want to do is increase our video production, do more exclusive shoots and more! We figure to do what we want, we would need $1,000 to $2,000 a month to accomplish all this. If you find value in what we do and want to see us grow and do bigger things. Donate as little as $1 a month but the more you donate the bigger the rewards.

If you have any questions send us an email. We will answer any question you have! (or use this link: https://www.patreon.com/unbblog)

Become a Patron!

This picture is done by Seven Continents Photography from our one and only Valentine’s Guide that was shot in January 2013. This is David in Gregg Homme! Which is the perfect picture for Valentine’s Day!  We were supposed to have two models but we had to make do with just one!