# How to Choose Men's Swimwear **By Seaman Swim** · 2026-09-16 Most swimwear guides open with a fabric chart. That's the wrong end of the problem. The first question isn't what it's made of. It's what you want out of the day — and whether you'd like to be looked at while you have it. We make swim briefs, so you know where we land. This covers every cut anyway, including the ones we don't sell. The short version Start with the day, not the garment. Where you are going decides the cut. - Swimming or sunning: a brief - Walking around all day: trunks - Surf or standing in the shallows: board shorts - Laps and training: jammers ## Start With the Day, Not the Garment Swimwear is one of the few things you buy for a specific afternoon. Picture the afternoon first. **Actually swimming.** Laps, open water, anything with effort. You want as little drag as possible and nothing that shifts when you push off. **The beach or the pool.** Mostly horizontal, mostly being seen. Coverage becomes a style decision instead of a practical one. **A pool party or a Pride weekend.** You already know the answer. We went deeper on it in [our guide to beach days, pool parties and Pride](/blogs/the-seaman-report/the-best-swim-briefs-for-gay-beach-days-pool-parties-and-pride). **Vacation, all day, in and out of the water.** You want something that dries fast and doesn't look wet for an hour afterward. **Standing near a barbecue.** Honestly? Wear shorts. ## The Cuts, Honestly Cut Where it sits Built for Swim brief Low across the hips Beach, pool, actually swimming Square-cut Upper thigh A little more leg, same close fit Swim trunks Mid-thigh All-day wear on land Board shorts Knee Surf, and standing around Jammers Mid-thigh, compressive Laps and training ### Swim Briefs The most flattering cut most men never try. High on the thigh, low on the hip, and it makes your legs read longer — which is the part nobody mentions. Best for pools, beaches, and anywhere being noticed is the point. Dries faster than anything else here, because there's less of it. The catch is that it asks for a little confidence the first time you walk out in one. That's the entire catch. If you're wondering whether you can pull it off, you can. And if you've been using “brief” and “Speedo” interchangeably, [they are not the same thing](/blogs/the-seaman-report/whats-the-difference-between-a-swim-brief-and-a-speedo). For the deeper version of this section, we wrote [how to choose the right swim brief](/blogs/the-seaman-report/how-to-choose-the-right-mens-swim-brief-and-why-most-guys-get-it-wrong) separately. ### Square-Cut Trunks A brief with a bit more leg. Sits like a boxer brief — covers the top of the thigh, keeps the low rise. A fair middle ground if a brief feels like a big first step. Slightly less flattering if you have shorter legs, because the hem cuts straight across them. ### Swim Trunks The default. Mid-thigh, elastic waist, usually lined. Nothing wrong with them. Nothing memorable either. If the goal is to disappear into a crowd, this is the cut that does it. ### Board Shorts Built for surfing. Long, loose, no elastic waist, tied with a lace. They're genuinely poor for swimming — they drag, they stay heavy, and they take an hour to dry. Excellent if you're on a board. We put them [head to head with briefs here](/blogs/the-seaman-report/swim-briefs-vs-board-shorts-an-honest-take). ### Jammers Knee-length and compressive. Competitive swimming, and not much else. If you're training, jammers make sense and briefs are a close second. If you're not training, they read like someone's about to time you. The [full comparison is here](/blogs/the-seaman-report/swim-briefs-vs-jammers-which-is-right-for-you). ## The Two That Confuse Everyone **Bikini briefs** are cut narrower at the hip than a swim brief. Less side coverage, same idea, a bolder read. [Here’s the difference](/blogs/the-seaman-report/mens-bikini-brief-vs-swim-brief-whats-the-difference-and-which-one-is-right-for-you). **Swim underwear** is underwear you can get wet, not swimwear. Thinner, and not built to survive chlorine. [Whether one can do both](/blogs/the-seaman-report/mens-swim-briefs-vs-swim-underwear-whats-the-difference-and-can-you-wear-one-for-both). ## Fabric Decides Whether You Wear It Twice or for Three Summers This is where most swimwear quietly falls apart. **Recovery beats stretch.** Almost everything stretches. The question is whether it snaps back. Nylon-spandex holds its shape. Polyester-heavy goes slack after a season in chlorine. **Drying time is really a lining question.** Heavy mesh lining holds water and stays cold. A thinner lining — or fabric dense enough to need less of it — has you dry in minutes. **Hold it up to the light.** Do that before you swim in it, not after. Pale colors and thin fabric turn revealing when wet, and you'll find out in front of everyone. ## Rise, Fit, and the Mistake Almost Everyone Makes Rise is where the waistband sits. Low rise sits below the hip bone and makes your torso read longer. Mid rise sits on it. The gap is about an inch, and it changes the whole proportion — [more on low versus mid rise](/blogs/the-seaman-report/low-rise-vs-mid-rise-swim-briefs-how-much-coverage). Fit should be snug and still. If you're adjusting it in the first thirty seconds, that's the wrong cut, not the wrong size — [more on how a brief should fit](/blogs/the-seaman-report/how-should-a-mens-swim-brief-fit). And the mistake: guessing from your jeans. Between sizes, size up for a relaxed fit or down for a tighter one, and read [the sizing guide](/blogs/the-seaman-report/how-to-find-your-swim-brief-size-and-the-1-sizing-mistake) before you commit. ## Color Does More Work Than Cut The right color against your skin makes the whole thing look deliberate. The wrong one makes good swimwear look cheap. Warm tones — clay, mustard, olive — flatter most skin. Cool blues and grays read sharper. There's a [full breakdown by skin tone](/blogs/the-seaman-report/best-colors-for-mens-swim-briefs-how-to-choose-the-right-one-for-your-skin-tone) if you want to get it right first time. ## So What Should You Buy Swimming seriously? Briefs or jammers. Being seen? Briefs. Want one thing that works everywhere? Briefs, in a color you'd happily wear twice. Want to blend in? Trunks. Surfing? Board shorts. We're biased and we've also read our own numbers — [here’s the honest breakdown](/blogs/the-seaman-report/the-best-mens-swim-briefs-in-2026-an-honest-breakdown) of what's worth wearing. If you'd rather skip to the short version, all our [men's swim briefs](/collections/swimwear) sit in one place: two cuts, eight colors, all of them made to be seen. ## Then Look After It Chlorine and salt kill swimwear faster than wearing it does. For best results: rinse after use, hand wash cold, and lay flat to dry. There's [more on making them last](/blogs/the-seaman-report/how-to-care-for-your-swim-briefs-so-they-actually-last), and it takes about a minute a wear. **Tags:** board shorts, guide, how to, jammers, men's swimwear, swim briefs, swim trunks --- > Source: [Seaman Swim](https://seamanswim.com/blogs/the-seaman-report/how-to-choose-mens-swimwear)