How Can Adult Pull-Ups Become So Popular?

[d_drew12]

I just don't get it. Adult pull-ups or known more as "protective underwear" have taken over the incontinence market it seems. They've replaced most of the standard briefs on nearly all shelves throughout the country whether it be your supermarket, drugstore, or any other retail store who sells incontinent supplies. Not only that but also online. Finding a tape style brief in the mix of them is like looking for a needle in a haystack now, especially in stores!!!! How can this be!?!

In this entire community it's hard to find anyone who doesn't have some sort of major complaint with them, not just because they're not their thing but because they don't perform. They leak, fit bad, poorly designed, lack any amount of absorbency for most, not only that they look worse than a brief in my book!

I've tried dozens of different ones, mixed in sample packs from certain places I've ordered from or just ordered a pack or sample pack to try out. Depend, Tena, Tranquility (even ATN's), Abena (have yet to try abri-flex special boxer style maybe some hope there), Attends and several generics. Nearly all of them available in the US. Some have leg cuffs, are super absorbent, for men, adjustable tabs (depend), blah, blah, blah. They've ALL LEAKED!!! Even the tranquility ATN pull-up that’s supposed to hold a ton leaked on me nearly instantly! There always seems to be gaps in the crotch area or thigh area and the padding never, NEVER, is high enough in the front for a male user, even the ones for "men"??? Why can't they be like a regular brief where the padding comes to the top of the waist? Or like the children’s style??? They also all seem to leak right through the cloth as it's breathable so if I don't aim it right into the pad, it's shooting out the smallest gap or onto the fabric leaking right through. Some of the pads are so short they don't even go up your backside! Yeah, I know, some of them are just for little accidents but at that point for a male or female user, wouldn't you much rather use a pad that will do the same job or better without having it attached to some specialty pull-on underwear, diaper looking thing?

I just don't get it. Maybe there are soooo many that just need the light protection for the few dribbles so this is what they want and need so the market responded. It's also almost like everyone is brainwashed into thinking "these aren't diapers, there pull-ups, totally different". Ehhhnt, wrong, to me they're still a form of a diaper, call it whatever you want. Color it whatever color, put underwear like prints all over them. It absorbs your urine....it's in the form of underwear, it's.....a DIAPER!!! It's almost as if it's politically incorrect to say the "D" word now. They're "briefs", "pads" or "protective underwear". That's like calling your socks "feet warmers" or something.

How does this garbage referred to as "protective underwear" or "adult pull-on/ups" sell so well???!!! And why do they seem to suck so BAD???!!!

I realize they're not all meant for heavy incontinence but some are and even those seem to suck! I know you’re not really supposed to flood them but even if I don't, they seem to leak. They market some of them like a total replacement to the tape style briefs yet not a one I've found can come anywhere close. They're not even in the same league. Yet they're taking over the market!?!?!? I just don't get it!!!

Thanks for reading my rant. Feel free to add your take.

[KittenAB]

Actually, they haven't become popular, popular styles sell out. The industry has been ruined by the companies that think they are so great not the people who actually need them. Since the major brands have made the switch Secure Personal Care and others like it that still offer choice run out of stock a lot in the US now because of the overload.

Manufacturers in the US thought they could con people into them with some really bad lies:

1. More discrete ... they aren't.

2. Environmentally friendly ... they aren't.

3. Better qaulity ... they aren't.

Really, for their effectiveness you're better off just using a pad. But really they aren't selling much at all, you see them on the shelves all the time because they sell so few. Even decent hospitals don't use them.

[Juliabam]

it's probably/most certainly, because the incontinent users of mentioned products do not have a need for better protection since their incontinence is not anything close to as severe as a DL's emptying of a full bladder at once in a nappy. Besides that, most incontinent pee ple change often, they do not aim for wearing pee soaked underwear longer than necessary, therefore they do not need anything that holds more feels thicker or crincles more, those features are for them just annoying and unwanted,

[Dougie]

Not all incontinent users dribble so little all day. I have not been dealing with incontinence for even a year and I still have some flooding episodes that surprise me. Sometimes it so much urine leaks out of the best diapers. Other times it is very little. I have read several places, even here, that the bladder will eventually just dribble all day long. That could take many years according to my doctor.

[KittenAB]

My incontinence is also a flooding type, which the doctors at the hospital I went to for gallbladder surgery know for sure it's nerve damage now. The "dribble" type incontinence isn't the only one, so sorry Juliabam but it's not just the ABDLs that need such products. Many others have similar types as well, and then there's nocturnal wetting issues which is almost always "flooding" and many cannot control it. The way the market made this sudden shift is almost conspiratory, IMO. Dribble incontinent can be taken care of with pads, of which there are many already, diapers were never needed for them anyway.

[Juliabam]

My incontinence is also a flooding type, which the doctors at the hospital I went to for gallbladder surgery know for sure it's nerve damage now. The "dribble" type incontinence isn't the only one, so sorry Juliabam but it's not just the ABDLs that need such products. Many others have similar types as well, and then there's nocturnal wetting issues which is almost always "flooding" and many cannot control it. The way the market made this sudden shift is almost conspiratory, IMO. Dribble incontinent can be taken care of with pads, of which there are many already, diapers were never needed for them anyway.

what I said was they were the largest group, there are products for other types of incontinence too they work well I use them myself, but they are not so many as the types of pads and light pulll ups because that is the largest market and that is the reason they outnumber the more nappy like products. It's not some conspiracy thing, but it is virtually impossible to create a product, atleast not a very practical one, that can take a full bladder emptied into it and absorb it all at once because the material doesn't work that fast, and even more impossible to make one that can do it 2 or even 3 times. However it is my impression, that it is exactly what many DL pee ple expects and wants, It is not so that there are none products at all that atleast mimics some of those features the best possible way, and it's my owm impression that they can function, a good nappy can handle a bladder spasm atleast up to a certain level of capacity, Personally, I do intermittent catheterization simply to avoid bladder filling for several reasons, one is that when keeping the schedule, my bladder seldom hold more than 500 ml fluid, so even when a spasm occurs it's not more than most adult nappies can take, and being unvillingly in soaking myself in pee and therfore change it when things like that happens, I really don't have to worry bout "rewetting" duriing days. At night I wear thick monsters but I really don't care then I'm not going to sit on it and I'm not going to hide it under clothes.

I do not agree on the argument that there are no good products, But I also believe that the future still will be towards lighter and thinner products, even though it means some few may be be disappointed as long as it's in the interest of the majority withing all ranges.

Besides all this, the reason the pads and light products are seen more often is, that supermarkets have main interest in having things on the shelves as short period as possible, and the products with the shortest shelf life are the light products that most pee ple use. One can go to a pharmacy speak up and say I need a product with a good absorbancy and they most likely will help you either find it or order it home for you.

On top of that again, where I live, an incontinent rarely buys their products if it's a continous need and they have been diagnosed by the doctors, they get the option to have them sent on the health systems account, I know it's not like that everywhere, but it does affect to shelf availability in many places.

As answer to the original posters problem, I have o idea about aiming right, I can imagine some have gotten it right since there is no higher demands for it, I hope you get your thing worked out.

[KittenAB]

what I said was they were the largest group, there are products for other types of incontinence too they work well I use them myself, but they are not so many as the types of pads and light pulll ups because that is the largest market and that is the reason they outnumber the more nappy like products. It's not some conspiracy thing, but it is virtually impossible to create a product, atleast not a very practical one, that can take a full bladder emptied into it and absorb it all at once because the material doesn't work that fast, and even more impossible to make one that can do it 2 or even 3 times. However it is my impression, that it is exactly what many DL pee ple expects and wants, It is not so that there are none products at all that atleast mimics some of those features the best possible way, and it's my owm impression that they can function, a good nappy can handle a bladder spasm atleast up to a certain level of capacity, Personally, I do intermittent catheterization simply to avoid bladder filling for several reasons, one is that when keeping the schedule, my bladder seldom hold more than 500 ml fluid, so even when a spasm occurs it's not more than most adult nappies can take, and being unvillingly in soaking myself in pee and therfore change it when things like that happens, I really don't have to worry bout "rewetting" duriing days. At night I wear thick monsters but I really don't care then I'm not going to sit on it and I'm not going to hide it under clothes.

I do not agree on the argument that there are no good products, But I also believe that the future still will be towards lighter and thinner products, even though it means some few may be be disappointed as long as it's in the interest of the majority withing all ranges.

Besides all this, the reason the pads and light products are seen more often is, that supermarkets have main interest in having things on the shelves as short period as possible, and the products with the shortest shelf life are the light products that most pee ple use. One can go to a pharmacy speak up and say I need a product with a good absorbancy and they most likely will help you either find it or order it home for you.

On top of that again, where I live, an incontinent rarely buys their products if it's a continous need and they have been diagnosed by the doctors, they get the option to have them sent on the health systems account, I know it's not like that everywhere, but it does affect to shelf availability in many places.

As answer to the original posters problem, I have o idea about aiming right, I can imagine some have gotten it right since there is no higher demands for it, I hope you get your thing worked out.

Actually, many stores here are decreasing the stock level on these products due to a lack of sales, really. When they were first introduced they sold a lot, but now the patients have tested them, and none are happy, so they sat there for a long time, slowly diminishing, strangely at the same level as one would expect for gag gifts and such but not at the level a popular product would. Most who require diapers are now buying online, and are often informed that if you want a quality product, as the ABDL, that's how I found the good ones, I followed the ABDL reviews. The clothlike products were put out without any real research into what would sell, but now they are seeing the error in that. Even Attends has increased the smooth plastic production and almost stopped their clothlike production, because as I said, if you can use the clothlike or pullup adult ones, you would be better off with a pad for comfort and security. The pullup ones are just so bad in many ways that they won't work unless you wear something tight over them anyway, and the clothlike briefs fall apart too quickly so you wind up wasting a lot.

[Juliabam]

Actually, many stores here are decreasing the stock level on these products due to a lack of sales, really. When they were first introduced they sold a lot, but now the patients have tested them, and none are happy, so they sat there for a long time, slowly diminishing, strangely at the same level as one would expect for gag gifts and such but not at the level a popular product would. Most who require diapers are now buying online, and are often informed that if you want a quality product, as the ABDL, that's how I found the good ones, I followed the ABDL reviews. The clothlike products were put out without any real research into what would sell, but now they are seeing the error in that. Even Attends has increased the smooth plastic production and almost stopped their clothlike production, because as I said, if you can use the clothlike or pullup adult ones, you would be better off with a pad for comfort and security. The pullup ones are just so bad in many ways that they won't work unless you wear something tight over them anyway, and the clothlike briefs fall apart too quickly so you wind up wasting a lot.

Ok, I obviously live in a different world, my oppinion is useless, I should have remembered to keep quiet, I'm very sorry. /out

[KittenAB]

Ok, I obviously live in a different world, my oppinion is useless, I should have remembered to keep quiet, I'm very sorry. /out

We all live in different worlds, but the general idea is, if all you need is a pad, then it's a massive waste getting the adult pullups or clothlike backing.

[heartwood]

Abena (have yet to try abri-flex special boxer style maybe some hope there)

No hope here, they suck. Let me refer you to a blog I made about how to improve the fit of protective underwear.

http://www.diaperspace.com/blog/view/id_14169/title_protective-underwear-modification/

[Bettypooh]

....In this entire community it's hard to find anyone who doesn't have some sort of major complaint with them, not just because they're not their thing but because they don't perform. They leak, fit bad, poorly designed, lack any amount of absorbency for most, not only that they look worse than a brief in my book!

I have no big complaint with them and I wear them daily But I also use them for their intended purpose which is much different than what one expects from a 'regular' diaper. Simply put you don't dig a big hole with a garden trowel if you have a bulldozer available, nor do you plant roses with a bulldozer For maximum discretion and the convenience of using the toilet normally while maintaining protection for minor leakage they are a far better choice than Molicares, Abenas, or Bambinos Heresy? No, just the reality that they are meant for different purposes

....Yeah, I know, some of them are just for little accidents but at that point for a male or female user, wouldn't you much rather use a pad that will do the same job or better without having it attached to some specialty pull-on underwear, diaper looking thing?

You are wrong in your surmise Pads aren't as absorbent- that's why I switched to pull-ups initially. Now part of the reason I wear pull-ups is because I like wearing them and I'm not comfortable wearing anything less like a diaper than this. Even if they came up with a pad that worked better, at this point I wouldn't try it because I wear diapers- not pads or panties or boxers or briefs, but diapers- even if my choice of diapers isn't your choice of diapers And yes, even with their lower absorbency they are diapers. The reason for the other names is that they are being marketed to people who don't want to wear them but have to. Those people are more comfortable with euphemisms while I am more comfortable with the bare-bones truth (plus I the word "diaper" and knowing that is what I am wearing). Why does a business doing the more profitable thing upset you this much? If you were in that business you would do the same or fail, and failure for such a reason isn't generally held to be an intelligent move or a good business practice

I just don't get it....

Well if that's not obvious nothing ever will be What you are doing is getting all bent out of shape because you can't get what you want- and you are demeaning those of us whose choices and needs aren't yours Chill out a bit, there's no need to get wound up over this. If you want to wear something different then do it- nobody else here is going to care one bit! If you want something that nobody makes then you either have to convince somebody to make it or make it yourself- and that goes for anything; not just diapers And in this case there is another consideration which prevents any pull-up from having the absorbency of a premium diaper: For the stretchable waistband to support the weight of that much urine it would have to be so tight that it would not be comfortable enough to wear- and there is currently no way to overcome that while retaining the entire concept of a pull-up diaper with no tapes or belts involved in wearing it.

Boy howdy, I'm sure glad I'm not as stressed out as you over something as insignificant as this You ought to learn to chill before your heart does this:

Bettypooh

[dave_the_baby]

In this entire community it's hard to find anyone who doesn't have some sort of major complaint with them, not just because they're not their thing but because they don't perform. They leak, fit bad, poorly designed, lack any amount of absorbency for most, not only that they look worse than a brief in my book!

Well, I've found that Kroger brand diapers work well. They used to make Belted Undergarments that actually held a decent amount and didn't leak, cost $0.33 a diaper. I loved them, and they stopped making them!!!

I need to ask a manager how to write a letter of complaint to those guys and see about getting that product re-instated...

I have used their pull-up diapers which work fairly well, just so long as you don't flood them too much.

[froggy]

There has been a good point made many times, most diapers are not made for a flooding pee that a fetish person is likely to make. And most disposables are not made for side sleepers. There is no absorbant material on the sides. The best point is to use what fits your need and lifestyle,

wribbit

[heartwood]

Well, I've found that Kroger brand diapers work well. They used to make Belted Undergarments that actually held a decent amount and didn't leak, cost $0.33 a diaper. I loved them, and they stopped making them!!!

I need to ask a manager how to write a letter of complaint to those guys and see about getting that product re-instated...

I have used their pull-up diapers which work fairly well, just so long as you don't flood them too much.

Try the k-mart brand, they go by the name "american fare". There are two types, regular and overnight. The overnights are great. They are up to par with attends extra or better. Besides, kroger brand? seriously?

[Darkfinn]

It's simple really. Popular advertising is trying to convince us that "little accidents" or leakages are OK and happen to everyone from time to time. Total voids (requiring real diapers) are still frowned upon and carry a negative stigma.

[fieldmouse2011]

Pull-ups don't do it for me either medically or after a fashion. I agree about the currency/frequency thing, here in the UK all our pharmacies stock Tena Pants and Attends Pull-ups.

[Bettypooh]

It's simple really. Popular advertising is trying to convince us that "little accidents" or leakages are OK and happen to everyone from time to time. Total voids (requiring real diapers) are still frowned upon and carry a negative stigma.

QFT

Through the increasing openness regarding "little accidents" the door is opening slowly for those with larger incontinence issues though I doubt that we will see mainstream advertising for those products for some time yet. Still, we're further along than 30 years ago when there were no Depends ads on TV so progress is being made

Bettypooh

[Knom]

Me, I like pull-ups (More so the Abena - Tranquility if I must) but then everyone's deal is different. I like them because they work for me. I have a leaky bottom some days, on these days they are great, I can wear them and they protect my clothing, they are discreet and I can easily pull them down for bathroom use. I don't need to flood or even use them for that (except I pee when I laugh, but not much). So for me they are great!

[d_drew12]

Actually, they haven't become popular, popular styles sell out. The industry has been ruined by the companies that think they are so great not the people who actually need them. Since the major brands have made the switch Secure Personal Care and others like it that still offer choice run out of stock a lot in the US now because of the overload.

Manufacturers in the US thought they could con people into them with some really bad lies:

1. More discrete ... they aren't.

2. Environmentally friendly ... they aren't.

3. Better qaulity ... they aren't.

Really, for their effectiveness you're better off just using a pad. But really they aren't selling much at all, you see them on the shelves all the time because they sell so few. Even decent hospitals don't use them.

I appreciate your reply but nearly everything you stated sounds as though it's factual and I'm willing to bet this is just your guess and opinion, NOT fact. I hardly believe much of what you said about mfg's being con people. Products are consumer driven and these products must be appealing to a large market of people because Depend recently reported their pull-ups became their number one seller.

Article from 2010:

Link to Quote Below

Within two years, Depend protective underwear were introduced and they became the #1 seller because they were more like regular underwear while offering a high level of protection.

Article from 1999

Link to Quote from Below

Kimberly Clark recently launched Depend Protective Underwear, which offers incontinent adults a protection alternative providing a close, comfortable fit, which is much like that of regular underwear combined with the absorbency and protection of an extra-absorbency undergarment. The product began shipping in October, and the company reports that initial sales have exceeded expectations.

Clarice Theisen, associate marketing director at Kimberly Clark, said a market volume test prior to the product launch indicated that the market potential for Depend Protective Underwear was 21 million units in 1999. However, "we are now estimating that we will nearly triple our initial projections, which means that we will ship just shy of 60 million pads," she said.

My guess would be and from what some of these above articles have said is the "protective underwear" market has grown so large and so quick because of the aging population and the numerous people out there who have a milder form of incontinence where wearing a full brief was too much and a pad not enough. This fits the niche in the market and I guess that's why they sell. Somewhat the answer to my question I guess. I'm just surprised personally at how many companies have them but when you consider the company that sells the most in this market in the US (Depend or KC) and they also sell the largest volume of protective underwear, other companies will notice and come out with a similar product to compete in the market.

I'm just surprised at how they've taken over the market it seems but I suppose if these move off the shelf faster than the briefs, the briefs get the axe. Years ago, you only had the choice of briefs but now if you were to have 10 of each type, briefs and underwear, the underwear would likely waaaaaay outsell the brief market especially in a retail setting.

The real surprise for me though is the way some mfg are creating pull-ups as absorbant or more absorbant than regular briefs holding 30-40 oz. To me, it's a diaper trying to fit both markets. For me, they just don't work no matter the absorbancy.

To KittenAB: If you can prove anything you've stated here, I'd believe it but as of now I don't. Sorry, but don't lay your stuff out there in a factual statement format if it isn't.

To Bettypooh: I'm not really that worked up about it. Just a topic starter and a rant. To be honest, I couldn't care less but just find it pretty crazy as to how these products have become so main stream and popular for something that seemingly is so ineffective but it must work for some people as they sell a ton of them! I know my grandfather wears these and I've known others too as well so heck, must work for them. I personally know nobody who wears a full brief. Not only that, these may be much easier for elderly people to work with then a tape style diaper so that may be another selling point to why they sell so many.

[Bettypooh]

We all live in different worlds, but the general idea is, if all you need is a pad, then it's a massive waste getting the adult pullups or clothlike backing.

I need more than pads but less than a brief, so you are suggesting that people like me don't need a middle choice but should be forced to wear more diaper than we need or have wet pants. Hmmmm- FAIL

As it happens, the store where I buy my cheap pull-ups doesn't sell btiefs anymore. I didn't ask but they didn't seem to sell many Now the adult diaper shelves are only full when they stock them- half the time they're out of my usual as well as other pull-up styles and pads The sales of pull-ups seems to be brisk at other stores I go to as well. So Kitten, you'd do well to base your opinions on more than what you see and think personally- especially when you think they are universally factual because the opposite of what you think is true happens here and this ain't no small town so it's not a fluke.

Bettypooh

[Bettypooh]

To Bettypooh: I'm not really that worked up about it. Just a topic starter and a rant. To be honest, I couldn't care less but just find it pretty crazy as to how these products have become so main stream and popular for something that seemingly is so ineffective but it must work for some people as they sell a ton of them! I know my grandfather wears these and I've known others too as well so heck, must work for them. I personally know nobody who wears a full brief. Not only that, these may be much easier for elderly people to work with then a tape style diaper so that may be another selling point to why they sell so many.

Whew- I'm glad you're not stressed out Don't want to lose any people here, especially that way Part of the reason pull-ups sell so well is marketing and the mindset of the targeted buyers. If there had never been any of this style ever made and only tape-on briefs offered, then briefs would have filled the niche and everybody would be happy The main reason these are so popular, even with their faults, is that they are as close to 'regular underwear' as a 'diaper' can be which eases the minds of those new to incontinence and they are pushed hard to them in marketing- everybody knows what "Depends" are but mention "Molicares" and you'll get a lot of blank stares At $3.50 for 20 (that's 17.5 cents each:wub: ) I can afford these everyday and to a very poor DL that matters a lot

Bettypooh