I was just thinking….

[Zeke]

Recently I ordered (3) pair of snap-on plastic pants from Protex Medical. Generally I wear pull-on pants, but thought the snap-on pants would be more convenient for changing away from home. Well I decided to try them out the past couple of days and find that it’s quite easy to slip a finger in between the snaps to see how my diaper is wicking and to see how wet it is. This led me to wonder if there isn’t a better way than snaps to close the seam that closes the back to the front. Velcro strips would do a better job than of making a leak resistant seam than the (4) snaps they currently use. Plus the snaps are hard enough to separate that I’m concerned about tearing them out of the vinyl and with Velcro I don’t believe that this would be as much of a problem. They have located the seam forward from the sides which is nice because it does reduce leakage when I sleep on my side, but I still believe that the idea of Velcro strips on the seams has merit. Of course a better name would have to be thought of than “Velcro-on” or “hook and loop-on” plastic pants.

 

[PupSpaz]

I imagine hook and loop might be prone to retaining some moisture? The loop part is kinda fabric like.

Disposable diaper wearer, so kinda naive about this, you do use the same plastic pants for multiple diaper changes, or do you swap them out at every change to rinse and dry them?

 

[foxkits]

If it was over wet it could leak Velcro is not water proof

 

[Edgewater]

Diaper covers, plastic pants or even adult baby pants are historically seen as paired with cloth diapers as that combination has a long history. But in the IC world, they are commonly used to prevent leaks that all disposable diapers are faced with. Yes, efforts to assure that one is correctly wearing them helps greatly, but whether by user error, manufacturer product failure or a flooding event can and do over-whelm them and leaks happens. Diaper Covers are that extra safeguard of not having a leak.

Snap-on plastic pants have in fact come a very long ways in their design and setting the snaps higher on the side helps. As stated above, velcro is not water proof. Great idea, but not without like problems that side snaps have. Personally, I like the product as it greatly easies changing, especially out and about, but as an IC leaks from any source is not wanted.

 

[Zeke]

I imagine hook and loop might be prone to retaining some moisture? The loop part is kinda fabric like.

Disposable diaper wearer, so kinda naive about this, you do use the same plastic pants for multiple diaper changes, or do you swap them out at every change to rinse and dry them?

Reuse depends on if the pants are soiled or becoming odorous. If they are in need of cleaning I wash them in mild liquid hand soap with aloe vera and warm water and hang them over the shower head to dry. As to the Velcro fabric absorbing urine I don’t believe that it would be any worse than the uncovered elastics of pull-on pants and around the legs and waist of snap-on pants. Good points, thank you.

 

[Zeke]

If it was over wet it could leak Velcro is not water proof

No it’s not, but neither are those snaps that are spaced far apart. It would be similar to the elastics used at the waist and legs which if exposed to free liquid begin to seep or wick. This is the reason most of my pull-on pants and a few pair of Haian snap-on pants that I’ve got have enclosed elastics. The only reason why I thought Velcro might work better is that you wouldn’t have the gaps between securement that gives moisture an easy way to escape.

 

[Zeke]

Diaper covers, plastic pants or even adult baby pants are historically seen as paired with cloth diapers as that combination has a long history. But in the IC world, they are commonly used to prevent leaks that all disposable diapers are faced with. Yes, efforts to assure that one is correctly wearing them helps greatly, but whether by user error, manufacturer product failure or a flooding event can and do over-whelm them and leaks happens. Diaper Covers are that extra safeguard of not having a leak.

Snap-on plastic pants have in fact come a very long ways in their design and setting the snaps higher on the side helps. As stated above, velcro is not water proof. Great idea, but not without like problems that side snaps have. Personally, I like the product as it greatly easies changing, especially out and about, but as an IC leaks from any source is not wanted.

Being dual ic I share your concern for leaks developing from any source. The only time that liquid leaks have proven to be a problem for me with snap-on pants is when sleeping, or laying, on my side. With bowel ic there is also the concern of venting trapped odors through the gaps in between the snaps when the pants are compressed. For this concern Velcro, though not a totally air tight seal, may well hold the odors more effectively than do the snaps.

 

[Belarin]

No it’s not, but neither are those snaps that are spaced far apart. It would be similar to the elastics used at the waist and legs which if exposed to free liquid begin to seep or wick. This is the reason most of my pull-on pants and a few pair of Haian snap-on pants that I’ve got have enclosed elastics. The only reason why I thought Velcro might work better is that you wouldn’t have the gaps between securement that gives moisture an easy way to escape.

It's not just about free liquid getting through those gaps, if you have a good diaper underneath any free liquid should be soaked up before it gets that far, the only time that really becomes a problem is if you have the fitting wrong and pee right out of the diaper or from compression leaks which would mean you don't have the right amount of absorbency to begin with or are peeing too much in one diaper. The overlap those snap seams usually have should be enough to keep smaller dribbles inside where they can be soaked up.

The snaps themselves are also either plastic or metal and the hole they need to attach is compressed solidly enough between the two pieces that no liquid is getting out through there.

The problem with velcro is that you add hundreds of little holes to the cover where you have to sew it on and where the thread simply sitting against the cloth can wick moisture outside, the velcro itself is not waterproof either and would either be touching the diaper (causing wicking) or have a large enough overlap of plastic to create a pocket that catches leaks and lets the velcro wick it out.

Velcro also can have a pretty firm grip and requires just as much pulling to undo as a snap and all that strain goes into the thread which as the plastic becomes more brittle over time will act like perforated paper tearing it right off.

Another alternative would be to use magnetic strips, these could be sewn into a seam case in a similar way to the elastic on the waist and legs, they can be made quite flexible, would be waterproof and not create extra holes in the plastic and would seal the sides completely but they may not be strong enough to hold the cover together under pressure and motion and would make it quite a bit more expensive to produce.

 

[Zeke]

It's not just about free liquid getting through those gaps, if you have a good diaper underneath any free liquid should be soaked up before it gets that far, the only time that really becomes a problem is if you have the fitting wrong and pee right out of the diaper or from compression leaks which would mean you don't have the right amount of absorbency to begin with or are peeing too much in one diaper. The overlap those snap seams usually have should be enough to keep smaller dribbles inside where they can be soaked up.

The snaps themselves are also either plastic or metal and the hole they need to attach is compressed solidly enough between the two pieces that no liquid is getting out through there.

The problem with velcro is that you add hundreds of little holes to the cover where you have to sew it on and where the thread simply sitting against the cloth can wick moisture outside, the velcro itself is not waterproof either and would either be touching the diaper (causing wicking) or have a large enough overlap of plastic to create a pocket that catches leaks and lets the velcro wick it out.

Velcro also can have a pretty firm grip and requires just as much pulling to undo as a snap and all that strain goes into the thread which as the plastic becomes more brittle over time will act like perforated paper tearing it right off.

Another alternative would be to use magnetic strips, these could be sewn into a seam case in a similar way to the elastic on the waist and legs, they can be made quite flexible, would be waterproof and not create extra holes in the plastic and would seal the sides completely but they may not be strong enough to hold the cover together under pressure and motion and would make it quite a bit more expensive to produce.

You are most certainly correct that plastic pants were never meant to contain free liquid, only to be a barrier between your wet diapers and dry materials they may come into contact with. Added absorbent materials, i.e diapers, are needed to prevent any free liquid from occurring. If you use synthetic thread it won’t wick and if the ends of the Velcro extend a small amount beyond the seem it gives you a place to get a hold of and to get the separation started. This is especially true if that area just has the backing and not the hook and loop fabric attached. As you probably can tell I have an engineer’s compulsion to constantly fix or improve things although it doesn’t always workout that way.