Dry 24/7 Size Comparison (Pictures) *Review

So, I received a sample pack of Dry 24/7's today (one small/medium and one medium/large) and was seriously amused by the difference in size between the two. The price and what I've heard about 'em makes getting a case tempting, but I was unsure of the sizing. With a 28" waist and a hips+bum circumference 10" larger than that, I fell kinda between the two size categories--22" to 31" for sm/med and 30" to 55" for med/lg--tending more towards the med/lg.

Anyways, the pictures say it better than words (mucho apologies about the crotch-shots--I would like to have included my face, but there's no way I'm having pics of my diapered butt attached to my smiling mug on the internet ):



Top: Dry 24/7, Sm/Med -- smallest of the three
Middle: Abena X-Plus, Med
Bottom: Dry 24/7, Med/Lg -- largest



Left: Dry 24/7, Sm/Med
Middle: Abena X-Plus, Med
Right: Dry 24/7, Med/Lg

The Abena X-Plus (my current favorite) is about mid-way between the sizes of the two Dry 24/7's. The Med/Lg Dry 24/7 has a seriously high rise for me--above my belly-button--and the front wings wrap halfway around my bum. I prefer the smaller Dry 24/7 size because of this--however, it doesn't have as much padding as the Abena X-Plus, especially up front (because of its smaller size--they are both on par as far as thickness is concerned).

The Dry 24/7's are indeed softer than the Abenas (that's not to say that the Abena's are bad--they're pretty darn comfy as it is). The Dry 24/7's plastic cover and inner lining are cozier, while the padding is less 'stiff' and compressed when compared to an Abena. I'd be interested in getting a case of these, but the final decision rests on how they 'hold' (that will have to wait 'til tonight). I'm thinking the smaller Dry 24/7's won't have the 10-hour advertised capacity, which is probably an attribute of the larger size, but as long as they don't hold significantly less than an X-Plus--I'm sold.

Further Review of a (Wet) Dry 24/7:

Right, so I wore the sample sm/med Dry 24/7 last night. I do believe they hold as much, if not a bit more, than an Abena X-Plus (though I'm not saying anything definitive 'cuz my engineering training has ingrained in me that actual measured tests are necessary to to that, lol). One thing of note: the padding on the sm/med size seems slightly thicker than on the med/lg size; this could be attributed to trying to make the smaller size with smaller-cut padding as absorbent as the larger size.

Also, they are opposite to Abena in their placement of padding. As others have noted, an Abena places a lot of the absorbent materials up front and in the crotch and not as much by the bum. Incidentally, the first place an Abena leaks on me (if saturated) is at the back leg gathers; I have never had the front leak. The Dry 24/7's, however, place a HUGE amount of padding at the rear and significantly less up front (just take a close look at the above pictures--the blue brief, especially). The bum really, really swells when wet and nothing was forced out when I sat down in the morning. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky with the front--I had a few leaks from the front of the brief last night, both over the top of the waistband and at the front leg gathers. I'm also a belly-sleeper, which I am sure was to blame for that.

So, in conclusion: if you sleep on your back or need something for daytime wear (though the swollen bum *might* be hard to conceal), I heartily recommend the Dry 24/7's. If you are a belly sleeper or prefer to keep your nether-parts up front and 'untucked,' stick with the Abenas. I am a bit disappointed that the Dry 24/7's aren't well-suited to me (they really are wonderfully soft), but I'm not terribly interested in buying a diaper I would be afraid to fall asleep in.