I have had this problem with my underwear for 15 years now in Thailand. I buy my underwear in Furong Land, and take a couple packs a year in my luggage to Thailand. I can't figure out why the rubber in the elastic breaks after 6 months or so. I will leave Thailand and come back 3-4 months later and my boxers and briefs that are in the drawer stretch out, but does not spring back. I am not sure if its UV light from air drying, even though I don't let my clothes hang outside all day or, if its the soap and my clothes are not completely rinsed. Surely I am not the only one with this problem? I can hear the elastic breaking when I stretch them out. Any Ideas?

... add the smell of rancid stretch latex to the above!

 

 

I do the reverse... in that I stock up with ones from Pattaya etc etc - to bring back to falangland

 

Daily using all the ones got back even in early 2012, and still going strong...

 

 

probably because they are fake labels, they use fake chinese sourced imitation rubber; which helps evade any 'natural' degradation 

Edited February 7, 20188 yr by tifino

Never had a problem with Primark skiddies.

Buy your underpants and socks from Marks and Spencers. They are more expensive here but high quality.  When you send your clothes to the laundry make sure you tell them NO BLEACH. 

 

I have boxer shorts from M&S which are over 3 years old and no elastic failures. Avoid the cheap fakes at the markets.

Haha exactly as Tifino. Got 10 pairs in Pattaya market 3 years ago and all still in good condition.

Had cycling shorts do the same thing though after sitting in a drawer for a couple of years. Frustrating when you have no choice but to bin them


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I have this problem with  all elastic in Thailand.  Whether in underwear, the strap of an eye mask, or anything else - it simply wears out very, very fast. I assume it is the climate.

I would guess excessive heat exposure.

wow, so disgusting

That's weird , my 18 Baht underwear from Big C , lasts for years , elastic and all.

Go commando. It's healthy. The only caution for guys is to avert your eyes from pretty women or quickly get behind a table.

Just do without underwear.

11 hours ago, tolsti said:

Buy your underpants and socks from Marks and Spencers. They are more expensive here but high quality.  When you send your clothes to the laundry make sure you tell them NO BLEACH. 

 

I have boxer shorts from M&S which are over 3 years old and no elastic failures. Avoid the cheap fakes at the markets.

A small amount of bleach actually helps keeps clothing odour free in hot countries.

11 hours ago, MrTrip said:

Haha exactly as Tifino. Got 10 pairs in Pattaya market 3 years ago and all still in good condition.

Had cycling shorts do the same thing though after sitting in a drawer for a couple of years. Frustrating when you have no choice but to bin them


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After not cycling for 2 years, your bike must not look good either!

When I was leaving for Thailand in 2004, two good friends back home gave me presents, separately. We'd been joking earlier about me not being able to buy my underwear from M&S so each had bought me 12 pairs of M&S boxers, that left me owning about 30 pairs of M&S undies as I left the UK! I've been careful to rotate them and each pair gets worn once a month and then laundered, only in the past six months has the fabric started to rip and I've thrown them away, the rest are still going strong and the waistbands are just fine - pay a bit bit more for decent qwuality and it lasts.

Yes I see that problem too, no point buying the M&S packs when at home. Haven't tried the local stuff as I thought it likely too small. Mind you, as I age most of the package ends up external with the failing elastic anyhow. Time for shorts not briefs!

I'm Asda till I die I'm Asda till I die  I know I am  I'm sure I 'am  I'm a jersey boxer man. 

The heat has a lot to do with it. Rubber and plastics deteriorate quicker in hotter climates. Eerily strange that I just went out and bought some new socks and underwear at Big C yesterday and then I see this thread this morning. 
It occurs to me though that the underwear I've been throwing away recently is all a few years old as I don't recall buying any for a long, long time. Most of it was bought at the market in Soi Bukhao or at Big C and has held up fairly well.
I also noticed that most of old stuff was "M" which probably accounts for why the elastics are overstretched. The "M's" feel OK but I should probably be wearing "L's" now.

The socks are just old. I bought them at the PX in Kandahar and brought a couple packs with me back in 2013 as I couldn't find quality "sport" socks here. Eventually they lose their elasticity and end up in the rag bin.
So, check that you are wearing the "appropriate" size and not the "fond memory" size and keep in mind that they are going to stretch and if you are buying the same colour/style/brand of underwear you are probably not going to be able to tell which ones are the "old" ones after a few cycles of wearing/washing (unless you number and date them or some such silliness).

In Afghanistan we noticed that plastics and rubber would "age" a lot faster than we would have normally expected back in Canada. Things like plastic "zap straps" and tires and plastic sheeting would turn brittle in a few months and have to be replaced or thrown away.

Also keep in mind that you are probably sweating a lot more here than you normally would back in your home country. Your sweat contains small amounts of salt, which is corrosive. If you've done some hard work in a hot environment you may have noticed white "stains" on your clothing. That is the salt left behind when the water part of your sweat has dried/evaporated. 
I used to be able to tell how hard I'd worked (in Afghanistan) by the size of the salt stains on my clothes and ball caps. Went through quite a few ball caps as you don't normally wash them as often as the rest of your clothes. The part where the brim attaches to the rest of the hat would usually be the last part to dry and accumulate the most salt which would cause the material to degrade rather quickly.

These days, when I finish exercising or doing anything else that results in me sweating alot, the clothes go straight into the washing machine, even if it's just to swish a shirt in half a tub of water to dilute/remove the salt. Helps to keep the clothes smelling better too ! Stuff that's left in the laundry hamper for a day or two tends to stink. A lot. That's the old sweat/salt/bacteria having a party in your pants (or shirt or underwear) !

 

13 hours ago, KMartinHandyman said:

I would guess excessive heat exposure.

either that or maybe tiny mites?  i have same issue with anything lycra. i take that stuff back with me to colder climate. also plastics seem to deteriorate more here. mix of heat and humidity

finally a real subject!. elastic in your briefs . now thats a he man topic. good work

10 hours ago, Bang Bang said:

Go commando. It's healthy. The only caution for guys is to avert your eyes from pretty women or quickly get behind a table.

Illegal in Thailand.

Rubber degrades fast in high temperature combined with high humidity. I'm not sure but I think the rubber produced in the SEA is different (something added) to last longer in a tropical climate. 

Edited February 8, 20188 yr by AlQaholic

I'd like to know where 'Furong Land' is. Perhaps that revelation might help unravel the OP's conundrum.

Washing in cold water and not using a clothes dryer I suspect.

52 minutes ago, AlQaholic said:

Rubber degrades fast in high temperature combined with high humidity. I'm not sure but I think the rubber produced in the SEA is different (something added) to last longer in a tropical climate. 

The rubber bands I bought to secure my bike lights perished after a few months on the balcony.  I can see I will have to put in place a routine check and replace maintenance regime.  

 

The soles of my safety boots disintegrated just when I needed them most, but they were six years old and past their use-by date, I think.

 

SC

If, like most people in TH, are hang drying your clothes, this is the problem. The strong UV rays from the sun here absolutely destroy plastics and synthetic rubbers. You can reduce this effect by placing your drying clothes in the shade. The will dry slower, but last longer.

2 minutes ago, timendres said:

If, like most people in TH, are hang drying your clothes, this is the problem. The strong UV rays from the sun here absolutely destroy plastics and synthetic rubbers. You can reduce this effect by placing your drying clothes in the shade. The will dry slower, but last longer.

no its the storage of the items in high humidity and heat for months on end in a closed package.  thats the problem. i take these items home with me. lycra is the worst

9 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Just do without underwear.

 

47 minutes ago, StreetCowboy said:

The rubber bands I bought to secure my bike lights perished after a few months on the balcony.  I can see I will have to put in place a routine check and replace maintenance regime.  

 

The soles of my safety boots disintegrated just when I needed them most, but they were six years old and past their use-by date, I think.

 

SC

omg your rubber bands are gone . i hope they are replacable. why did u keep them outside. 

12 hours ago, Bang Bang said:

Go commando. It's healthy. The only caution for guys is to avert your eyes from pretty women or quickly get behind a table.

Can't go Commando it's Law in Thailand to waer underwear

It's Illegal not to wear them

16 hours ago, StephenB said:

Surely I am not the only one with this problem?

i left some good good quality boxers, different makes, in my draw in the UK and forgot about them (brand new or used once) went to use them about one year later and the elastic just stretched out of shape and had to throw them away. Obviously the elastic is not designed to last in modern day close fitting  boxers. admittedly my BHS  boxers have lasted years but they are the old style loose fitting boxers, I don't think the elastic is designed to last in all boxers these days