www.incontinentsupport.org

Abena is going to see a big sales drop if they change to all cloth backing. Looks like Dry 24/7 may become my new mainstay.

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~~PuddleGuy

I've been in diapers since the mid-80's and after dealing for years with the sub-standard retail brands like Depends, I've settled on the Abena X Plus. I'm aware of the criticisms of the "cloth" backed diapers, although I've never used them so I have no first-hand experience. I like the X Plus, so I think I would try it, even if Abena went to the cloth-backed, and so long as they didn't change the absorbent padding. I wear plastic pants so I don't think the chafing or minor leakage would be a problem, unless the leakage was around the edge of the diaper and got the elastic on the plastic pants wet. The plastic pants also help trap the odor that escapes around the legs and waist of the diaper, although this may be more of a problem with a "breathable" product. Anyway, I'm not sure I buy the idea of a breathable disposable...my guess is that this is just more marketing spin. You've got to have plastic to waterproof the diaper, and I think all that the manufacturers do for the "breathable" products is flip the plastic sheet over and place the "cloth-like" side on the outside, and the plastic on the inside.

Due to the rave reviews for the Dry 24/7 I have tried them on a couple of occasions, but had leakage problems. They still seem to be popular, so maybe I should give them another try. The mediums were a bit big on me, so maybe I was a bit careless with the fit. Has anyone else had a similar problem with this diaper?

I've been using the Dry 24/7 for a year now and really like them. I used to wear the Abena and before that the Molicare, but I've gained weight over the years (caused by the meds I take, my story and I'm sticking to it ) and the Abena mediums don''t fit as well as they used to. The Dry 24/7 are a little bit bigger and I fit real nice in the mediums. I still have several cases of Abena and Molicare, but until I can lose some weight, they will be sitting around. Is there a shelf life for disposable diapers?

I think the adhesive can lose the ability to hold after a certain number of years but the absorbancy does not change AFAIK. You should be fine.

In response to mhedman56...

Drys are cut larger than other diapers, they fit big. I like that because it provides a lot of additional absorbent area if I am lying down. If you feel that the fit of the medium is too big perhaps you should try the small... those are only available direct from the manufacturer though.

In replay to dangoch...

I've tried Abena's cloth-backed line before, and I don't like them. #1: The cloth backing stretches after a while, and the diaper starts sagging... this is especially obvious on the X-plus, which can absorb quite a bit before it needs changing. The extra weight makes the sag even worse. #2: The cloth backing is supposed to be more "breathable". If air can get in air can get out. All wet diapers smell to some degree, but the Abenas smelled terrible when they were wet. If I can notice the smell others around me can too... and I really don't want to go around smelling like that all day.

If Abena switches to all cloth backing my money will be going to another manufacturer.

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~~PuddleGuy

Thanks for the response, "PG". The Dry 24/7 are bigger than the Abenas that I am used to, but the fit should be okay if I'm careful. I'm having XP Medical ship me the Dry 24/7 this month, so I'll see how it goes.

Consider the Wellness Brief, you know the one....the NASA inspired diaper! Still plastic backed and with excellent absorbancy that rivals Abena and Molicare. Go right to the Wellness site and ask for the sample pack in either large or small/medium and they send you two diapers free....not even a postage charge. That is really effortless and it lets you see which size works, and two diapers give you a decent chance to assess the performance in comparison to what you are currently using.

I read folks complaining about the cost....but just as when the Abena first came on the scene....it seemed expensive until you took into account the fewer changes needed and the "expensive" diaper turned out to be less expensive on a daily basis than the less costly diapers that you need to change more frequently.

After you try the sample and decide to order, watch for promos and Facebook, where they usually offer a coupon to help bring the cost down to the $1.25 to $1.30 per diaper which is reasonable for premium diapers. And, shipping is free for case lots; with a case being 60 diapers.

And, no! I do not work for Wellness; I just like what I am finding after being first, a Molicare fan, followed by becoming a long time Abena X-Plus fan.

JoeK

Hi there. I mostly sit in the corner here to listen and learn, but my experience between the three brands is this:

Abena: The cloth-like x-plus style are not my favorite. They stink, they wick urine, they cause chaffing and they are really stiff. I like the plastic style X-Plus. I'm saddened that they may be going away.

Wellness: I've tried these on two occasions based on opinions from this forum. In my opinion, these diapers are only slightly better than Attends. They had a strange fit and the padding completely fell apart the second they were wet. In fact, after one small wetting, the diaper was useless because all of the padding fell to the crotch of the diaper. This makes them my least favorite diaper of the three.

Dry 24/7: While these are really pricey, I think they are the best of three diapers mentioned. They have good absorbency, they don't tend to smell once wet, and the padding doesn't fall apart very easily.

The padding in the Drys is indeed extremely durable. They're not my favorite diaper for daytime use because of the thickness, but on days I have used them the padding has held up quite well, no clumpage issues like I see with other disposables.

As I've told others, Dry is right there on the verge of too much diaper... and IMO they're a bit pricey... but if Abena goes to cloth backing I may not have a choice.

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~~PuddleGuy

I had a bad situation last week with Dry 24/7 bunching up. I was doing a bunch of picking up stuff at work and found that my Dry 24/7 had bunched up in the crotch but since I wasn't wet, I didn't change. Then shortly before leaving for the day, I had a BM. I didn't think twice about it and got in the car to drive home. When I got home, I noticed that fecal matter had come out over the back and messed my pants. I didn't imagine that would happen. I'll be more careful next time if I notice my diaper is bunched up. Otherwise, I really like the Dry 24/7. I normally don't notice any bunching problems like I've had with other diapers. They give me a little more room so I can still wear mediums where others don't fit right. Every diaper fits differently, so YMMV.