Anyone Use Pul Pants? We Need A Review Please!

[WetDad]

I see these used for infants, so they must work well. Now I'm seeing them show up occasionally in adult sizes, but they are rather expensive. Has anyone been using them? How do they fit? Do they breath well- and are they comfortable in hot weather? How about leaking? How do they last in the wash?

[baby63]

they are very good, I have four pairs and they last a lot longer than pvc pants

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

I've got some Comco that are almost 10 years old and the only reason they need to be replaced is because the elastics are worn out, the material is still in fairly good condition

[PeeDeePants]

I bought a pair a couple of months ago to try out. I find they are very quiet and I have not had any leaks. Also, they are very comfortable and not "hot" during warm weather. The only draw back might be for some might be that they just aren't plastic pants or rubber pants therefore not very babish. The only plastic pants I wouldn't want to wear out in public would be the newer Peva Gerber pants as they are very noisy and would let everyone know you have on baby pants! But take you choice. They do cost a bit more but appear that they should wear for a long time w/o any problems. Also, I could only find them in White - perhaps colors will come out somewhere later.

[dljim95]

Gary Manufacturing is coming out with Pul pants in colors, they have been test marketing them the past few months. I have seen blue, grey, pink and black. The problem I have with them is I use cloth diapers and over time the wetness will wick through the pul lining to the cloth outside. Not enough to cause a leak just enough to have to change your pul pants with every diaper change.

[Honu]

Having experimented with making pocket diapers with PUL and other diaper fabrics, I tried making PUL pull-on diaper covers. I rolled the edges to enclose the elastic and found that the shiny side (laminate) is very uncomfortable against skin. It sticks to your skin because it is so smooth and waterproof and causes red marks. I don't think the commercially produced PUL pants have enclosed elastics and the polyester side is comfortable, but does wick.

PUL is machine washable which vinyl is not. You can try treating the polyester side that encloses the elastics with Scotchguard or similar waterproofing sprays after they come out of the laundry to reduce the wicking.

I'm interested in what others think of pants made of this material and appreciate the OP for opening it. ProCare is way too thick for baby pants. It doesn't "drape" and its polyester side also wicks.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

As far as anything sticking to the body, use baby powder, that is what I do Good vinyl is machine washable but does not need to be. A laminate may require a more aggressive treatment since one of the materials is not waterproof .Also any composite material is only as good as the interface and all these fancy materials (PEVA, polyurethene and PUL) tend to be more expensive. So while vinyl may not be as abusable as some other materials, it does not have to be and is less costly. Good vinyl outlasts the elastics as my 8+ year old Comco's will attest to. Most of the complaints aimed at vinyl have either been found baseless or at best, unproven: and when the former head of Greenpeace endorses vinyl, that says something (surprised me). Why fix what is not broken?. PUL, in the form of things like Sani-Pant by Salk has been around for decades. There were also many attemtps to use PU to create "breathable" waterproof panties but the PU tended to come off the weave

[babystevie]

I have some and don't like them. I'll take my regular vinyl pants or my new PEVA ones anyday over those!

[BabyJune]

I make my own PUL pants. The material is excellent and very rip resistant. It breathes well and has a slight stretch to it. It's a bit tricky to sew, but done properly, it stays together quite well. As far as leakage, the thicker the diaper, the less chance the pants will leak. (Use a soaker pad). Also, a wider crotch area will help contain leaks. Just remember that babies wet differently than adults. They don't "save up a good one" and then let it go. They squirt and dribble frequently allowing the diaper to absorb over time. And even baby diapers will leak if overloaded. One last tip: if you fully enclose the elastic for the leg openings and waistband, they won't "wick" moisture. Also, there are several types of special waterproof elastics; some specifically for diapering use and others for swimsuits. Using these will help, although I haven't personally tried any of them yet.

[Honu]

BJ,

Thanks for responding with your sewing experience. I've been trying to learn as it is the only way to get really custom things things like adult diaper products at a reasonable cost. I've saved a lot of money when I've ordered yards of birdseye (my favorite cloth diaper material) and made pre-sewn diapers with it . I've bought 2 mil PUL and ProCare as containment materials because both will "heal" from being sewn with a ballpoint needle. It "heals" when run through the dryer on hot. I've also tried "canamist" but it isn't water resistant enough for diaper projects.

CD,

Vinyl is a good material, but does not heal. I think that if you want to get serious with vinyl you will need a sealer, but that's my opinion.

Perhaps baby powder would help for a while, but I don't think it would absorb the sweat over a long period like over night. Vinyl works over night because it has a slight texture. Some vinyls have a much more obvious texture molded into it, but even my vinyl shower curtain has a texture! If you have any advice for making projects with vinyl at home, I would appreciate it.

All - Sorry if I'm putting too much up on this. I've been motivated for too long to make re-useable diapers for my use that have the beneficial features of those available for babies. I've purchased products from just about all the sources that sell homemade or production products, and keep finding that they would be better with a few modifications. I know that there aren't too many others who share this interest, so I apologize to those that are bored by this.

Honu

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

All my vinyl is smooth and maybe it is just me but I do not have a sweating problem save on very hot days Now it might have to do with the fullness of the panty as a full panty will keep more air inside it

[Bettypooh]

I've tried the Salk sani-pant and I didn't like it. The elastics wicked and the material didn't last. Even though it wasn't overstretched, creased, or visibly harmed my second pair of these developed a leak in a line above the right rear leg opening. The first time I saw my pants were wet during a change, and I wasn't all that wet. Plus I'd been out grocery shopping and hadn't peed any since I went there, so I must have been wet the entire time! OK, sometimes you leak- I can handle that. The next time I was at work and noticed the wet spot in a mirror. in the exact same place. It was about the size of my hand and I wasn't hardly wet at all nor had I been sitting, which might have made a small leak worse. On checking them in the bathroom they were leaking in a line an inch above the elastic. And I'd worn them maybe 10 times. The first pair of these I tried didn't last much longer, and I don't machine wash or dry these things- I gently hand-wash and air dry only. The last ones I tried were too small and I gave them away before using them. The only reason I bought them was because I had been wearing cheap plastic panties and had torn the last ones so I needed something now, not later. I was also out of cash so I taped up the plastic for a few days till more could be shipped out. And they felt no cooler than plastic to me.Maybe it's just the Sani-pant, but I will take a lot of convincing before I try PUL again. YMMV

Bettypooh

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

BJ,

Thanks for responding with your sewing experience. I've been trying to learn as it is the only way to get really custom things things like adult diaper products at a reasonable cost. I've saved a lot of money when I've ordered yards of birdseye (my favorite cloth diaper material) and made pre-sewn diapers with it . I've bought 2 mil PUL and ProCare as containment materials because both will "heal" from being sewn with a ballpoint needle. It "heals" when run through the dryer on hot. I've also tried "canamist" but it isn't water resistant enough for diaper projects.

CD,

Vinyl is a good material, but does not heal. I think that if you want to get serious with vinyl you will need a sealer, but that's my opinion.

From what I understand, the original vinyl panties were home-made because rubber and rubber panties were not available from about 1943 to c1046. There is some debate as to when they became commercially available. I remember them from 1948 but they could have been homemade. Plastic, being a monofilm has to be sewn in a special way so that the join is strong and does not compromise the material, also you can probably use a silocone based adhesive/refurbisher like GOOP MARINE to reinforce and strain-relieve the stitching. A. C. Medical panties are sewn. Another way to cut down on tearing is to make the design very full so that you have to go some to strain the seams. A thick vinyl. 3+ mil is also a good idea. As far as seams go I recommend setting them up like a regular seam, then folding down against the body of the panty and sewing to add another layer of material for strength. Comco is virtually indestructible. It might be necessary to find outlets for commercial grade rahther than consumer grade vinyl. They started using a very thin mateial, less than 3 mil in the 1970's

[leaky washer]

they came out in the sixty i wore them for a while lots of leaks it felt like wearing oilcloth went to plastic pant to me they are better

[BabyJune]

BJ,

Thanks for responding with your sewing experience. I've been trying to learn as it is the only way to get really custom things things like adult diaper products at a reasonable cost. I've saved a lot of money when I've ordered yards of birdseye (my favorite cloth diaper material) and made pre-sewn diapers with it . I've bought 2 mil PUL and ProCare as containment materials because both will "heal" from being sewn with a ballpoint needle. It "heals" when run through the dryer on hot. I've also tried "canamist" but it isn't water resistant enough for diaper projects.

CD,

Vinyl is a good material, but does not heal. I think that if you want to get serious with vinyl you will need a sealer, but that's my opinion.

Perhaps baby powder would help for a while, but I don't think it would absorb the sweat over a long period like over night. Vinyl works over night because it has a slight texture. Some vinyls have a much more obvious texture molded into it, but even my vinyl shower curtain has a texture! If you have any advice for making projects with vinyl at home, I would appreciate it.

All - Sorry if I'm putting too much up on this. I've been motivated for too long to make re-useable diapers for my use that have the beneficial features of those available for babies. I've purchased products from just about all the sources that sell homemade or production products, and keep finding that they would be better with a few modifications. I know that there aren't too many others who share this interest, so I apologize to those that are bored by this.

Honu

I've never used a ball-point needle on PUL. Those needles are generally used on knit materials because they spread the fibers instead of piercing them. After the pants are sewn, running them through a hot dryer for a couple of minutes will heal the stitches around the thread--so I've read. Never had any stitch issues with the pants I've made.

[redneck diaper boy]

I've tried the Salk sani-pant and I didn't like it. The elastics wicked and the material didn't last. Even though it wasn't overstretched, creased, or visibly harmed my second pair of these developed a leak in a line above the right rear leg opening. The first time I saw my pants were wet during a change, and I wasn't all that wet. Plus I'd been out grocery shopping and hadn't peed any since I went there, so I must have been wet the entire time! OK, sometimes you leak- I can handle that. The next time I was at work and noticed the wet spot in a mirror. in the exact same place. It was about the size of my hand and I wasn't hardly wet at all nor had I been sitting, which might have made a small leak worse. On checking them in the bathroom they were leaking in a line an inch above the elastic. And I'd worn them maybe 10 times. The first pair of these I tried didn't last much longer, and I don't machine wash or dry these things- I gently hand-wash and air dry only. The last ones I tried were too small and I gave them away before using them. The only reason I bought them was because I had been wearing cheap plastic panties and had torn the last ones so I needed something now, not later. I was also out of cash so I taped up the plastic for a few days till more could be shipped out. And they felt no cooler than plastic to me.Maybe it's just the Sani-pant, but I will take a lot of convincing before I try PUL again. YMMV

Bettypooh

I wore the Salk pants as a teenager back in the 70's. They sucked then too!

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

They were not meant to be a real diaper panty, more like a liner and panty, they had a liner that was adhesive backed. I think they were intended to be more of a feminine hygiene thing that an incontinence item although they were often sold as such. The Pro-Pant was the incontinence item and also probably the first AIO except that it had a snap-in insert.

[Fakename4me]

I've tried the Salk sani-pant and I didn't like it. The elastics wicked and the material didn't last. Even though it wasn't overstretched, creased, or visibly harmed my second pair of these developed a leak in a line above the right rear leg opening. The first time I saw my pants were wet during a change, and I wasn't all that wet. *snip*

And they felt no cooler than plastic to me.Maybe it's just the Sani-pant, but I will take a lot of convincing before I try PUL again. YMMV

Bettypooh

I don't think Sani Pants are PUL. I think that Sani Pants are a nylon tricot with a plastic coating to make them waterproof...

And the Salk site says...

Made of soft, white plastic-coated nylon

And Wiki says about PUL (Just a link, I am not saying that Wiki is the end all for information...)

Polyurethane laminate (PUL) is a compound fabric made by laminating a cloth fabric to a thin film of polyurethane.

So, by Salks own description their Sani Pants are not PUL...

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

Is not polyurethane also a plastic as is polyethelene or polystyrene and polyvinyl?