The Surprising Hero of My Vacation

I didn’t expect to need anti-chafing shorts. Or rather, I didn’t expect to like needing them. I was traveling somewhere warm — the kind of place where you spend your days walking cobblestone streets, dipping into cafes, sweating a little more than you’d like. I packed light. A few breezy dresses, sandals, sunscreen. And, almost as an afterthought, a pair of thin anti-chafing shorts called AIR, from a brand called Noosh.

I’d seen these tights popping up on my feed more and more — usually paired with words like “edgeless,” “barely there,” or “seamless.” I was curious, but skeptical. I’ve tried a lot of so-called invisible layers over the years, and most of them left lines, squeezed in strange places, or needed constant adjusting.

They didn’t dig in. They didn’t ride up. They didn’t show through the light fabrics I lived in all week. And most importantly, they let me forget about chafing altogether — which, if you’ve experienced it, you know is saying something.

Before this trip, I usually reached for anti-chafing sticks. You know the ones — swipe them on, hope for the best. They work for about an hour, maybe two if you’re lucky. Then you’re either reapplying in some questionable public restroom or just gritting your teeth through the discomfort. It always felt like managing a problem rather than actually solving it.

By the end of the trip, I hadn’t touched the other pairs I brought. I wasn’t thinking about thigh rub or waistband marks or visible lines. I was thinking about the art, the views, the iced coffee. Which, in my opinion, is what a vacation layer should do — get out of the way and let you live.

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