So I just got my shipment on friday and tested the new mega max last night. I find these diapers are an almost exact copy of the ABU simple ultras. They are NOT the overnight diapers for side sleepers, as we were promised.
Overall, the plastic shell feels nice and smooth, the fit is really good too. They start out moderately thick, and do swell some when wet, but really not that much. The elastics are very good, but not the best, but the leak guards are nice and tall.
Like with the ultra simples, wicking of this diaper is not that good though. I found the overall capacity is not as good as it was promissed either. I put it on just before bed at 9pm last night. When I got up at 5am I found the diaper had leaked and left about a 6" wet spot on my bed pad.
I had slept on my left side all night, and only the front left area of the diaper was soaked. The front right area was moderately wet, and the core/middle, and back of the diaper was completely dry. It had leaked over the top, but not at my legs. Realistically, the diaper didn't even absorb 1000 ml overnight before leaking, probably not even that much.
I then got up and did a little yoga exercising. I didn't bother changing out of the diaper as I knew being up would mean the center core area would get used more then the top front of the diaper. After about an hour I noticed a wet feeling running down my right leg. The shell of the diaper had ripped open just in front of the lower right tape. I had this exact same problem with the simple ultras too. I can confirm I had not put the diaper on tight either, only snug. Exactly as I do with my other diapers like Crinklz and the Northshore Supremes. I do not get this problem with them, so this is clearly a shell that's just too week.
Also as with the simple ultras, the tapes are absolutely great at holding. Do not change this, it is great. However, thisalso cause a problem because of the landing zone being too small. When tapped on correctly, the lower tapes will be positioned fully below the landing zone. This means you cannot remove the lower tapes without destroying the shell. The top tapes do land on the zone though, and can be retapped many times without problem. Do note they are incredibly loud when you pull them off though.
Overall, this is a really good daytime diaper as long as you don't wear it for too long and try to take it to max capacity, or be too active while wearing it. In order to make this a true side sleepers diaper several improvements will also need to be made. Until then, Betterdry/Crinklz has a higher absorption in the front and much lesser failure/leak rate. So I'll be sticking to them.
-strengthen the shell so it doesn't rip so easily.
-concentrate the sap at the front of the diaper, not in the center core where it won't get used by side sleepers.
-make the padding a little bit more thicker to improve wicking and capacity.
-extend the padding up the front higher, by maybe as much as a full inch.
-extend the landing zone down at least two full inches so you can refasten the lower tapes without desteoying the shell. (Which may also strengthen the shell where the tapes get stuck on and help prevent ripping).