Absorbency Tests for Quality Diapers - Race Car Diaper and Star ...

Absorbency Tests for Quality Diapers
We have had many questions on how well does the Star and Race Car Diapers work, how many wettings does
it keep you dry for, and many more such questions. The answers are not simple as we will discuss below.
The Star and Race Car Diapers are essentially identical and
thus we will lump results together.
Wetting and how much a diaper holds depends on a host
of issues including how you are measuring the capacity
and your criteria for saying it is leaking. It depends on the
fit of the diaper. Putting on either a too small or too large
a diaper will impact how well the leg gathering work. Too
small a diaper will mean that the front-side absorption
zone will not extend around enough. So the first thing is
that the Diaper must fit properly if it is to prevent leaks!
We tried a number of tests. The RCD X-Large weighs 54
grams (5.4 oz) brand new and fully saturated weighs
2,154 grams (76 oz). The difference is 72 Fluid oz or about
or about 4.5 pounds of water. This is effectively the total
weight if you drop it in a bucket of water and let it absorb
as much as it could.
The second test was a little more realistic. The RCD was
filled with water until water penetrated back up through
the absorbent mat to the stay-dry lining (when pressure or
force was applied downward). In this case, the RCD XL
could absorb up to 10 times it weight or 54 Fluid ounces
(about 3.5 pounds).
We ran another test. We poured water in the diaper under
test until the water began to puddle. On small Star Diapers
and small Tranquility ATN, they each held, fully soaked, 40
oz of water. We measured Underjams and Goodnites XLs
at the same time. The Underjams held 20 oz and
Goodnites 24 oz. All of these numbers are corrected for
the starting weight of each diaper.
Finally, we got a subject to see how much a diaper would
hold if it was worn and fitted properly. He lay down on a
mat and then he inserted a tube down the front of his
diaper. Warm water was then allowed to flow
through the tube, gradually soaking the diaper.
When water leaked out the top or thru the leg
gathering, the test was called and the weight
was measured. He did roll a little bit back and
forth as he normally would do in his sleep as
the diaper filled.
We tried this, a couple of times, and, in one
case, we got 48 oz (3 pounds) and, in the
other case, 54 oz (3.5 pounds) before the
diaper started to leak around the legs. We also
did a test with the Star Booster Pad and that
increase the capacity to 83 oz or 5.25 pounds.
This subject normally wears a RCD XL or Star
Adult Medium. We wanted to see what would
happen with the RCD Large. It actually fit him
but when we tested the Large RCD, the point
where leaking occurred dropped to between 32
to 36 oz. We were disappointed in this result
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until we figured out the cause. This was NOT related to
the holding capacity but rather an improper fit on the leg
gathering. We tried a third time after he carefully fitted
the diaper and got 40 oz. This seems to make sense when
compared to the XL at 48 to 54 oz. The XL should hold
more water. We just want to emphasize, however, that a
proper fit is essential for determining true capacity and
assuring a dry bed in actual use.
Thus, with a couple of different tests, we have come up
with about a 48 to 54 oz (3 to 3.5 pound) holding capacity
for the RCD XLs. Therefore, if the person goes an average
of 12 ounces, the diaper should be good for at least 3 to 4
wetting. With the Star Booster, this was increased by a
little less than additional 32 oz, or a total of around 83 oz.
The Large RCDs will have a slightly lower capacity than
the XLs do but because the user is smaller, he will likely
wet less and thus need a little less capacity.
What these tests do not take into account in normal use is
if the diaper was fitted properly initially, if the subject
sleeps on his back or side, if the natural stream points up
or down or to the side. We did not run tests on the speed
of wetting either. This can impact the capacity. Further,
we did not look at how the diapers do if wet once, wait a
while, and wet again.
We did want to know on average how much a person who
wears RCD XLs would go overnight so we asked the
subject to weigh his RCDs each night for a week. He
averaged 32 oz liquid weight with a low of 20 oz and a
high of 42 oz. Thus, with a target of 48 oz to 54 oz
maximum, he sometimes came within 20% of the limit.
However, in a year of wearing Quality Diapers, he has had
only 4 minor leaks. He said in each case he had not
adjusted the diapers properly; so even with the 48 to 54
oz capacity, he did have a fair bit to spare. When asked if
anything caused the higher peak, he said he had had a
little more soda at an evening event than he should have
and now he would use a Diaper Booster if he has too
much to drink before bed. The other option, of course, is
to use Star Plastic Pants to minimize leaks if you
occasionally reach the capacity of the diaper.
For people who find that the diapers have leaked, we have
a few questions:
� Was the diaper fitted right? We already noted the
issues there.
� Were things pointed in the right direction? For
smaller boys, it may not matter but for older boys
and teens it does.
� How do you lay in bed? While the Quality Diapers
do have an absorbent area to the sides, the
padding is not nearly as heavy as down thru the
center. So while the wings do provide a lot more
protection from side-ways leaks than other
diapers, the wings still cannot hold as much as the
center.
� How much did you go compared to a “normal”
night? As we also noted above, our subject had
one night where he wet more than normal
because we recorded his norm. He realized why
and said he will be using the Star Booster in the
future for those occasions.
Editor’s Note: This is strictly a rough estimate of the
capacity of the Star and RC Diapers. Results may vary
person-to-person and from even day-to-day depending on
many factors.
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