PROTECBriefs review! (spoiler alert: I kinda like these things...)

[FreeFlowin]

Hey there! So, originally, I had a much longer intro written for this, but since the review itself got so long, I'll cut the intro down to the meat-and-potatoes!

I've been looking for good nighttime solutions for quite a while here, and all roads seemed to lead back to plastic pants. But, for many reasons, I really wanted to avoid them if at all possible... the non-breathability, the crinkle, the bloomer-like appearance, and the idea of waking up to a puddle of unabsorbed pee was just so unappealing to me. Surely there had to be something else out there, some other option, right?

That's when I kept seeing the PROTECBriefs pop up. Just upon first viewing, they seemed to be everything I was looking for in a diaper cover and more. Yet I kept seeing the comments here pop up over and over about how "crazy expensive" they were compared to a plastic pant. But even so, I knew I had to try them anyway. Just on the appearance alone, they already hit so many of the marks I was looking for that plastic pants did not deliver on, and if they provided the actual protection to go along with it, I figured it would be worth the money spent.

What I found after the first few days of wearing, as well as my brutal test I put them through, is that the ProtecBriefs might just have been THE single best addition to my entire DL lifestyle I've ever made. Sorry if I sound biased here, but I just want to remind you all that this is NOT a paid review, and I made all my conclusions based on days of comfort and protection tests. I really love them, and I wish more people would give them a chance. 


So let's get into the real core of this review and break down the PROTECBriefs piece-by-piece!:

Build Quality: The stitching and the materials used are top-notch all around here. I didn't find a single loose stitch or errant thread sticking out on the entire brief. The materials are soft on both the inside and the outside, and the whole thing has a subtle thickness that reminds you that it's much more than just a pair of shorts, and that it's meant for absorbing diaper leaks. Theres also a laundry tab included. Considering what you would pay for most other well-built articles of clothing, I feel like I absolutely recieved what I paid for just in the construction alone. 

Appearance: These don't look like a plastic pant at all. In fact, they look more like a pair of neoprene biker shorts or part of a diving suit, and you could probably use them practically for the former, given how absorbant they are on their own. I could easily see myself walking around the house and wearing nothing but these and a diaper (not even a t-shirt), and not feel too exposed, babyish, or worried if someone would accidentally peek into my window. Even my partner comments on how "un-babyish" and "short-like" they look.

Noise Reduction: I've tested these with some noisy plastic-backed diapers, and the amount of material each pair of ProtecBriefs is made with has more than enough bulk to silence even the noisiest diapers. There is a little bit of a "rustle" that is made when the outer layer rubs against cotton bedsheets, but there isn't a "crinkle" like there is with most plastic pants. I feel like only the noisiest of undergarments could still be heard from under these things (high-crinkle diapers, plastic pants, ect.), but most other disposables are going to be totally silenced by these. In fact, you could probaby combine these with a cloth washable and boosters, and have amazing nighttime protection that is also whisper-quiet.

Comfort: Personally, I find these briefs to be extremely comfortable. The inner layer is super soft on the skin and does not grab or pull at any of my leg hairs. I can wear them around the house, during the day, at night, under jeans, you name it, and they feel wonderful, even if they are a bit thick. Even under jeans though, they don't get too hot, mostly because there is no plastic pant sewn into them, and the way they are designed, they don't really need one. I also really love how they come up so high around your back and mid-section. When you put these things on and secure the velcro strap, it feels like you are constantly being given a huge hug by a nice, warm, protective blanket. It's an amazing feeling that goes beyond mere touch sensations.

But one of the most comforting things about these briefs though is that they not only provide support for your diaper on the bottom, but also on the top as well. Lemme explain...

For support from underneath, these briefs allow just enough space in the crotch as to not press the diaper up too hard against your body, but are also not so loose that they don't provide 'sagging support' when needed. As for the top of the diaper, this one is a bit harder to explain... usually if I just wear a diaper under my jeans and put a belt on, I often find that the weight of my pants will gently pull the diaper down little by little throughout the day. The ProtecBriefs go up much higher in the front and back than where you would normally put a belt around your waist, so the ProtecBriefs help hold everything up in place, even as the weight of your pants and your belt is pulling down on your undergarments, which is an extra bonus for me.

It should be noted that I ordered an Adult Small size, even though I usually get Medium size diapers from just about every brand, and I must say, they may have been just a TINY bit on the big side for me. However, there are only two parts of it that actually seem 'big'; the elastic waistband underneath the straps and the amount of space in the crotch area. Despite these two things, the velcro straps allow for a nice secure fit around the waist anyway, and the leg hole openings seem perfectly sized, not too tight or loose. The extra space in the crotch area is noticable with most diapers, especially when they're still dry, but I actually don't mind the additional crotch space, as it seems as though they could accomodate for much larger, gigantic, ultra-absorbant diapers, plus boosters, if I needed them to. 

That being said, in my case, I wouldn't go any size higher than a Small, and I may even find adult Xtra Smalls to be a better fit. But I don't regret ordering the size that I did, given that the additional crotch space should allow for some super-bulky disposables and even cloth diapers with boosters for maximum poofiness   (note: I'm also not sure how sizing, fit, and feel will change after several washes, but I could update this if needed later if I felt the need!)
 
Protection: So, right off the bat, I could tell from the moment I put these on that there is a substantial level of protection to be found here. It was something I could just feel intuitively without even testing. It's the same feeling you get when you first try on a MUCH more absorbant diaper than you've ever tried previously. There's just so much material here it's hard to imagine where they could leak from. 

But they had to be put through the paces to know for sure... so I put them through the one of the most brutal tests I could think of, focusing on two main areas; laying-down leak protection and sit-down press-out. The goal would be to soak these briefs as much as possible when laying down (to guage sleeping protection), and test how well they handle press-out when sitting down.

So here's how the test went. In the mid-afternoon, I changed into a Molicare Slip Maxi. By the time it got to be around 11:00 at night, it was very soaked, to the point where it was puddling without absorbing, so it was nearly at max capacity already... and this is where the test REALLY began. I threw the ProtecBriefs over them and proceeded to drink a couple liters of water and about 3 tall beers and just sit back and let things happen.

More specifically, every time I began to pee, I laid down, either on the couch or the floor, and didn't get up until I was finished. Then, I would go to any chair and just sit down. Simple enough tests, right?

Well, after only my first flood, I could tell the Molicare was already leaking badly, and I could feel it gushing out the sides and bottom every time I sat down. But then I proceeded to flood again... four more times. After each time, my leaking diaper just got worse and worse. Not a single particle of absorbant material went unused.

But the crazy thing is, I never left a spot on any of the chairs. I never left a spot on the carpet. I never actually "leaked out" in any way through all the tests. Everything my bottom came into contact with stayed totally dry, despite the fact that I felt like I was a walking water balloon. The ProtecBriefs protected unbelievably, and the thing about them is, I never felt like they were "pooling" in any area, since nearly the entire pant is absorbant. My Molicare itself was pooling, sure, but the insides of the ProtecBriefs just got a bit damp and never felt too swampy, despite having absorbed a LOT of urine.

The ProtecBriefs finally leaked after my fifth huge flood... but it was only by maybe one or two drops. What happened was, as I went to stand up off the floor after my fifth flood, my body and my pant leg must have shifted in just such a way that it allowed one or two drops of pee to narrowly fall between my leg and the insides of the ProtecBriefs and escape... But that was it. I never had any huge streams running down my leg or puddles forming on the floor or anything like that, just a drop or two that escaped via sheer luck. As a final test, I squeezed my legs together and tried and press out whatever I could from my absolutely flooded diaper, and while I could feel the liquid press out from the Molicare, none of it actually ran down my leg or onto the floor. It was all being caught and absorbed by the ProtecBriefs before it got that far. 

After that, I got cleaned up and gave them a wash. I wanted them dry for when I actually went to bed that night, not just because... who knows... what if... but also just because they felt so darn comfortable and secure. Pulling a warm and toasty pair of ProtecBriefs fresh out of the drier and wrapping them around my waist was yet another wonderful feeling that was hard to describe with words  

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Conclusion:
Overall, I cannot recommend the PROTECBriefs enough. Sure, they may be a bit pricier than your average plastic pant (I only paid $71 with discount code PROTEC10, and got free shipping), but two packs of premium diapers will cost you more than that anyway, and the build quality, absorbancy, protection, and numerous other benefits these briefs have were absolutely worth the price for me. I feel after the brutal test I did, that you could throw these things over the top of any diaper and feel adequatly protected all throughout the night. I would buy another 6 pairs right now if I had the cash. I feel like buying these saved me so much time and money on trying out different cloth diapers and nighttime protection that probably would've just ended up needing plastic pants anyway, and having these allows me the freedom to wear whatever protective product I want under them to bed (cloth, disposable, ect.), and it'll give them the support they need to protect your bedsheets and chairs.

Personally, my biggest complaints are that I just wish other companies could start producing similar products (and maybe at a more competitive price) so that these types of briefs could become more common, and that there wouldn't be just a single source or company to buy a product like this from. I also wish they had pockets, because, since they feel so much like gym shorts, and I find myself subconsiously rubbing the sides of them with my hands trying to find pockets on them when they simply aren't there! But those are my only complaints, and I think there isn't much else to say at this point, other than to show some pics... So, just try them! They might just change your life.  
 

[DailyDi]

Unique invention, I hope it sells well for them, many in the incontinent and AB worlds could use them!