Using as much absorbent capacity as possible

Bobsled

Bobsled

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  1. Incontinent
How do you use the absorbent capacity of your diaper to its fullest? I am a male with overactive bladder and urge incontinence. I use briefs or pull-ups when I think there is a chance I may need to pee at an inconvenient time (long meetings and drives, movies, etc.). But once I've peed, I don't want to have to take it off right away as that can also be inconvenient.

The diapers I've used so far have stated capacities well above the point where I start having leaks. But a good portion of the absorbent material (upper front, and seat areas) is not used. It would be nice if they "wicked" in a way that distributed the liquid throughout the diaper. But they don't.

Is there some way to pee - such as standing versus sitting - that makes sure more absorbent material gets used? Or can the diaper be squeezed in a way that distributes the liquid better?
 
I can only speak from personal experience but what i've noticed is that I can only get a full use out of certain products before worrying about leaks. For example, betterdry I can only get about 70% of the padding wet before I start worrying about leaks vs an Abena M4 that I can saturate completely. I think this has to do with the pulp to SAP ratio that is used to create the padding.

In summary, I would say finding the product that works best for you would likely be the best solution here.
 
The thing to keep in mind is that those stated capacities are measured when a diaper is laid out flat and completely open on a flat surface, such as a table, and subjected to as much liquid as it will take to saturate every square inch of absorbent material. In a real life application, you won’t be able to entirely use a diaper to its maximum stated capacity. Potentially, you could use most of it, but not all of it.

One thing you could try, which a lot of folks, myself included, is open the diaper and fold it down the middle lengthwise. What it does is creates a crease that better allows for wicking and absorption throughout more of the diaper. It keeps urine from puddling up in one place and better distributes it around the core. Another thing you could try, which is what I do, is wet in different positions. I find that when I go while sitting, it distributes more to the front versus the back, whereas doing it while standing tends to distribute in the middle, and laying down tends to distribute more in the back. Keep in mind I point down whenever I diaper up. I hope this helps.
 
Which brands have you tried?

As for me, I'm a truck driver and wear 24/7. I've tried all sorts of different brands and have come to find that BetterDry/Crinklz are the best diaper for sitting. I typically find that I've used about 80% of the diapers, and I rarely leak. I also use booster pads and sit them up high in to the top of the diaper. The reason for this is that they have more higher pulp than SAP and also the bottom tapes are designed to wrap around the legs giving a more secure fit.

I wouldn't take capacity claims in to consideration as a measurement. Those claims are tested by water. Urine has a lot of other minerals in it that drastically reduce that number. That coupled along with the compression of your weight will probably reduce said capacity by 3/4 of that claim. So you can expect a 4000ml rated diaper to hold 1000-1500ml (1-1.5 liters).

Another tip to share would be to fluff your diapers. Take them out of the package and give them some room to breathe and fluff up. They'll absorb a lot faster and increase capacity a bit. The packaging compresses everything together and absorbing takes longer to work than non fluffed diapers.

Also by folding them in half lengthwise will help create a U or V in the crotch, so you don't get a W thing going on. You can get leaks by having one side of the W closed off by the middle.

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If you don't mind washing....use a cloth booster. You can buy them in any Walmart or Target baby section. The cloth will wick moisture and spread it more evenly.

Doesn't have to be thick either.
 
It may be obvious, but you may also want to take into account, which way you position, when putting a diaper on. I tend to notice, that if pointed upwards, the front and middle get soaked, the back usually stays more or less dry. Pointing downwards makes use of the middle and a significant part of the back, but only reaches halfway up the front.
Still, the downward positioning seems to work better for me. Also, if you use done tight, compressing diaper cover, the wetness will get distributed more evenly and you can go longer without leaking.
 
MeTaLMaNN1983 said:
Which brands have you tried?
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So far I have tried:

Briefs: Wellness Original, CVS, Tranquility SmartCore
Underwear: Tena Super Plus, Abena Abri-Flex 2, Prevail for Men, Prevail Per-Fit, Prevail Super, Alyne

The urine seems to go about halfway up the front, but less than halfway to the back.

I have some samples I am going to try:

Briefs: Wellness Superio, Molicare, Seni Super Plus, Seni Quattro, Tranquility EliteCare

Underwear: Wellness, Tranquility Daytime, Tena Extra, Seni Super Plus, Northshore GoSupreme

I am wearing them to the office, So, I don't want anything too bulky and noticeable. I'd just like to make the best use of what I am wearing, because discreetly changing diapers is a challenge. The less I have to do that at the office, the better. Because I have an overactive bladder, my usual output is about 100 ml (2-2 1/2 oz). But I've never gotten more than three wettings in the most absorbent of them without leaks. The Abri-Flex claims an absorbency of 1900 ml. I am certainly getting nowhere near that.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
 
you need to learn your briefs limits, also a good fit is what will really get you the maximum use out of a product, incontinence pads of some kind will help as well when inserted in the brief, the truth is though once you get between the legs a chance of leaking is always going to be a reality.
 
I amost never push my diapers to thier limit unless I have no choice (No where to change) its not worth the risk of a leak :) also I donot like the felling that the diaper is saturated and I sart to pee and I get the feeling the diaper is starting to leak a bit.
 
I can use over 90% of a Tena Slip Active Fit Ultima before it leaks, one Ultima lasts me upto 12 hours but I usually change more frequently because hygiene
 
Bobsled said:
So far I have tried:

Briefs: Wellness Original, CVS, Tranquility SmartCore
Underwear: Tena Super Plus, Abena Abri-Flex 2, Prevail for Men, Prevail Per-Fit, Prevail Super, Alyne

The urine seems to go about halfway up the front, but less than halfway to the back.

I have some samples I am going to try:

Briefs: Wellness Superio, Molicare, Seni Super Plus, Seni Quattro, Tranquility EliteCare

Underwear: Wellness, Tranquility Daytime, Tena Extra, Seni Super Plus, Northshore GoSupreme

I am wearing them to the office, So, I don't want anything too bulky and noticeable. I'd just like to make the best use of what I am wearing, because discreetly changing diapers is a challenge. The less I have to do that at the office, the better. Because I have an overactive bladder, my usual output is about 100 ml (2-2 1/2 oz). But I've never gotten more than three wettings in the most absorbent of them without leaks. The Abri-Flex claims an absorbency of 1900 ml. I am certainly getting nowhere near that.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
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if you do not want to have leaks you must already avoid the pants, other hand a change every 4 to 6 hours is better, you have no real risk that people will discover that you wear disposable diapers, as long as you use models to your size, and you attach them well, you are more likely to discover that you are wearing disposable diapers because of a leak, because you want too much Save on absorption. Earlier than because you took a most absorbent disposable diaper. One is not especially visible if you do not use transparent, or ultra-short clothing. As said above, the SAP that is in disposable diapers, has a lot more trouble absorbing urine than water, so if you want to test the difference you can do an experiment, (take 2water bottles of 1.5 liters, take 2 identical disposable diapers (with a capacity of adaptation of 3 liters) in one of the two bottles you add a large spoon of salt, shake the bottle, let the rest for 30 minutes, place the two disposable diapers on a table, completely unfolded, gently poured a bottle for each disposable diaper, going from front to back. You will quickly see that the disposable diaper with salt water go saturated.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm sure what I wrote originally makes sense, but I do not know if the translation is perfect. If you have a doubt tell me.
 
Without echoing Metalman too much he is dead on. Betterdry with boosters are fantastic and probably the fastest working combo I’ve used. Fluffing and folding should not be underestimated it makes a massive difference in aquasition time and wicking distance. One small suggestion I’ll make is I will do the top tapes up first then kind of pull the crotch area forward before taping bottom tapes. This does 2 things, first it aligns back of diaper with legs and helps secure angle of seal around back of legs and it creates a pocket in the front of diaper which helps tremendously with absorption wicking and should help eliminate leaks. Obviously the correct size diaper is important.


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One great way to enhance wicking is to use a soaker pad. i use (size 6) baby diapers which i tear the sides off of, that leaves me with a nice soaker pad that fits securely between standing leak guards. The pad sits an inch, or an inch and a half below the start of the diapers padding in front, and about halfway up in the bottom. The baby diaper pad will try to keep the diaper dry as it absorbs and wick all the way front and back before it 'fails' and starts to leak everywhere at the same time into the diaper.
 
Wet your nappy lying on your back (and pointing down, if you have traditionally male anatomy...) in order to use the back half of it to its capacity. Regular standing/sitting use takes care of the front and middle.
 
ChocChip said:
Wet your nappy lying on your back (and pointing down, if you have traditionally male anatomy...) in order to use the back half of it to its capacity. Regular standing/sitting use takes care of the front and middle.
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The upward pointing seems to me a very strange idea to say, disposable diapers are not made for
 
I have urge urinary incontinence, and the most important thing for me is that my diaper not leak. I wear very high capacity diapers (BetterDry or ConfiDry 24/7), change 3 times a day and almost never use one to capacity. As a result, I very rarely have visibly wet pants or a wet bed.
 
Bobsled said:
So far I have tried:

Briefs: Wellness Original, CVS, Tranquility SmartCore
Underwear: Tena Super Plus, Abena Abri-Flex 2, Prevail for Men, Prevail Per-Fit, Prevail Super, Alyne

The urine seems to go about halfway up the front, but less than halfway to the back.

I have some samples I am going to try:

Briefs: Wellness Superio, Molicare, Seni Super Plus, Seni Quattro, Tranquility EliteCare

Underwear: Wellness, Tranquility Daytime, Tena Extra, Seni Super Plus, Northshore GoSupreme

I am wearing them to the office, So, I don't want anything too bulky and noticeable. I'd just like to make the best use of what I am wearing, because discreetly changing diapers is a challenge. The less I have to do that at the office, the better. Because I have an overactive bladder, my usual output is about 100 ml (2-2 1/2 oz). But I've never gotten more than three wettings in the most absorbent of them without leaks. The Abri-Flex claims an absorbency of 1900 ml. I am certainly getting nowhere near that.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
Click to expand...

I have to say those are pretty much the bottom of the barrel products to be honest. I wouldn't buy any of them (with the exception of Seni briefs but I've heard they've deteriorated in quality recently)

Another thing I've noticed is that you tend to stick to cloth backed. I can assume you're trying to prevent crinkles. Beyond that, they're usually liabilities. The tabs usually find themselves somewhere else. The fabric doesn't exactly allow for ease of movement, so when you toss and turn through the night, your pretty much stretching the fit and possibly find the diaper has come off or moved. Most cloth backed have sweating issues, which to me means that urine tends to seep through the waterproof material into clothing. They also tend to have poor odor control. If you think about it, a breathable diaper is a poor choice for liquid, because liquid can and will always find a way out unless there's complete containment.

Also with the calculation I provided, most store brand briefs hold 1500ml of water. Cut that by 1/4. And You're left with about 400ml realistically if that, and that's by standing up the entire time. If you sit, you will leak when at capacity.

Now about your work, and being able to change at work with ease... Pullups are not any easier to change while in a public restroom, you still have to completely removed your bottom half of clothing to change. With that said, you still have bad briefs so you will change multiple times per day. There's brands out there that last 8-12 hours before needing to be changed. You may think that they're thicker and not obvious, but they're not. Even if they're a little bit thicker, people do not spend their day staring at crotches to see if you're wearing diapers. Everyone has anything better to do. I've been wearing in public with thicker diapers with boosters and I have not once had someone come up to me and point it out. It's all in your head. No one cares.

Do me a favor, go to Northshorecare. Purchase a bag of Northshore Megamax briefs. They're $25 for 10, yes, it's indeed more expensive than store brand when you buy by the case the Megamax cost $2.00 each. Considering you use 3 changes per work day I'm pretty sure you're spending $3-$4 on the 3-4 briefs. Not to mention per 24 hours, 6-8 per day? So depending on the briefs, you're spending anywhere between $6-$10 per day on cheap briefs. However, Megamax is designed to last you 10-12 hours. I personally use 2 per 24 hours. So it costs me $4 a day. They're not much thicker than store brands, but they're designed to hold 6500ml and with that earlier math they'll realistically hold about 2000ml of urine. You won't need to change at work. You can keep a spare in the car, just in case. You'll most likely will be able to go home in the privacy of your own home and take care of it there.

I would also suggest getting snap crotch shirts. I'll recommend a plain one from Tykables because they're designed to stretch and fit softly and snug around the curves of your body and briefs, they'll hold them comfortably in place, and they're easy to open and close, they'll keep them from peeking over your pants so you don't have to worry about being exposed, they're also good at toning down the noise a lot, and by the time you put your other clothes on, they're pretty much undetectable. No they're not just for babies, they are a diaper's best friend.

Don't let the supposedly cheap briefs lie to you. They're not good, they'll always leave you with that insecure feeling. You'll always fear leaks. You'll always worry. I guarantee when you switch to a premium brand, your stress level will disappear. You'll find that you can go about your day without worrying about your incontinence issue. You'll also actually save money over time. You won't have to carry a bag with you every where you go.

Go ahead and give this a try and report back if it actually does make you happier or not.

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tiny said:
I'd suggest trying Lille Maxi booster pads. They're quite thin, but wick well, so you can use much more of the diaper's capacity.

https://www.abdlmarketplace.co.uk/lille-healthcare-classic-pad-maxi-pack



Ehh... To me pointing down seems a very strange idea that my body wasn't made for! :p
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Your body is made to go in a certain way, strangeI never heard anyone say that it was really disturbing to point it down, it seems to be more psychological than anything else
 
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