Nation Up North Review

Some of you may remember that I mentioned a brand of underwear called Nation Up North. Well, I just dug my NUNs out of my underwear drawer and wore them for the first time since I got them a few months back. I've got to say they are some of the best undies I've worn in a while. If you didn't read my brand profile from August you can go back and read it, or here's a quick refresher.

Basically Nanna Trier realized in 2004 that the men's underwear world today is vast and filled with all sorts of colors, designs, and other funky things. But a lot of these "novelty" products don't really measure up in terms of comfort; they're all style. Nanna went back to the basics with NUN while still not compromising on style. Read this page on their website for more about the product.

NUN only comes in a trunk style in four colors (black, white, grey, and red). I sampled the red and grey. Now for my experience. This really is some of the most comfortable underwear I've worn. The modal fabric is nice and soft and it conforms to the body perfectly; it isn't too tight or too loose. Their website claims that the trunks are sewn from unbreakable thread, I really cannot speak to that, but I can say that the detailing on these trunks is fantastic and they look as if they are made to last. The styling is exquisite. I really like the way that there are no seams on the butt, there are just seams on the sides and the pouch. This really makes for a comfortable rear (sometimes the "butt seams" on trunks and boxerbriefs can be uncomfortable). But unlike the usual side seams, these side seams are at a slight diagonal. I feel that this allows for a better range of motion (or at least more comfortable) while wearing these. Sometimes trunks (especially ones that are longer like these) can constrict one's motion in athletic-type activities, but I didn't feel that with these. I also really enjoyed the fact that there is no tag inside, the care instructions are simply printed on the inside of the fabric. I also agree with the website about the comfort of the waistband and the fact that it does not twist or fold, which is very nice for athletic activities. My only minor issue with these is that the waistband is a little dated looking. It isn't very hip or interesting, nor is it classic-looking; the waistband look is just incongruous with the rest of the design. I think, though, that the white trunk waistband probably looks a lot better since the contrast between grey and white is not as large as the contrast between black and white. Overall, I love these undies and feel that they would be great for most activities. I went through my trial days without any adjustments at all (quite a rarity). These undies are a bit pricey at $35 a pair (they only accept paypal), but for the comfort they are worth it.

MY RATING:
Overall, I give the Nation Up North Trunks a total score of 9 based on the following criteria:
FIT -- 10 (out of 10)
COMFORT -- 10 (out of 10)
STYLE -- 8.5 (out of 10)
QUALITY -- 10 (out of 10)
VALUE -- 8.5 (out of 10)

********** 9

Brand Notice: Nation Up North

Nation Up North is a brand that has been recently brought to my attention. The brand was started Denmark in 2004 by Nanna Trier who was inspired by “The gap [she] found in [the underwear] market... to create the perfect fit, combined with first class material and attention to detail.”. Although this brand has been around since 2004, it has just recently been brought to the US. Here's how that happened:

In the summer of 2006 Eric Konz, a Las Vegas entrepreneur, wandered into a boutique shop in Madison, Wisconsin and picked up a pair of Nation Up North underwear. “I tried them on and it was the most comfortable pair of underwear I’d ever owned,” said Eric. He wasted no time contacting Nanna in Denmark and they put together a strategy for launching Nation Up North™ in the USA exclusively through the webshop.

Nation Up North has been popping up all over the place, and it continually gets bigger. They have even developed a sponsorship of UFC and WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) fighter, Alex Karalexis. This is a brand that really does appeal to a spectrum of men. The line promises a stylish, timeless, quality product that every man can relate to and enjoy. So we'll have to see how well NUN lives up to its promises. I just sent out my sample request, so I should be getting a review up sometime in the coming months.

The line currently comes in black, red, white, and grey trunks. Although the site promises more soon. The underwear is towards the higher end of prices at $27 a pair, but if it lives up to all of its promises then it is well worth the price. To find out more about how they fulfill their promises with the product, read this page on their web site.

If you have had any experience with NUN underwear, I welcome you to share your experiences in the comments section of this post.