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SIZING
The Northshore MegaMaxl Diaper comes in four sizes:
•Small 24” to 34” waist or hip
•Medium 32” to 44” waist or hip
•Large 42” to 54” waist or hip
•X-Large 50" to 60" waist or hip
The fit of the NorthShore MegaMax Brief gets a “Very Good” rating due to the fact that they not only fit the size range they say, they actually leave a little EXTRA room, for if you are an inch or two larger than the stated size. In my opinion, this is the best fitting diaper on the market per its' stated sizes! The tape tabs are one piece and do NOT stretch at all, so when they are placed, that is the fit you have. Now, on the opposite end of the spectrum, it gets a "Poor" for ease of removal, because the tapes are overly strong and rip the taping zone and plastic backing when being removed. We'll cover this more later.
CONSTRUCTION
The Northshore MegaMax Brief has a white very heavy plastic backing, with a clear, very thick tape landing zone, that makes the tape tabs refastenable....kind of, but we'll cover that later. Off the landing zone, the plastic backing WILL rip when you attempt to unfasten the tapes. There are two single layer adhesive tabs on each side. If you need to refasten the brief, you pull up the tape tab by the blue strip on the end and place it back on the tape landing zone. This is a little easier said than done, but we'll cover that later. This is the reason they get a "poor" rating for ease of removal. These briefs have VERY tall standing inner leak barriers that are quite effective at containing any kind of leakage. There is an elastic waistband in front AND back which is about 1.5” tall. The padding extends out toward the side wings in the front and back, so the padding has an hourglass shape.
Strong WHITE Plastic Backing
The all white plastic backing on these briefs very strong for wearing, but not strong enough to keep it from ripping if you apply the tape tabs directly to the backing, off the tape landing zone. The plastic backing is not stretchy, which leads to a nice snug fit that gives a real feeling of confidence that the diaper will not droop or sag. Even thought it is not stretchy, it moves well with your movement. The plastic backing makes very little noise under everyday clothing. However, the thick and large tape landing zone does tend to make audible crinkling noises under lighter weight pants. Under heavy pants or jeans, this should not be an issue though. There is NO wetness indicator, so the diaper is all white on the outside, with one minor exception. On the side wings, there is the Northshore name in incredibly light blue watermark. You almost miss it, unless you are looking closely for it. No need to worry about it showing through your pants, no matter how thin or light colored your pants or shorts are.
As noted above, this diaper does have an elastic waist band in the front AND back for those of you who like an elastic waist. Personally I do not find this elastic waist all that effective against wetness in the front when the diaper is saturated, as the waistband is affected by the tape landing zone and does not stretch and flex as it should. It IS better than the RearZ Inspire though. HOWEVER, since the waist band in the back is not affected by the landing zone, I have found it very effective in incidences of bowel incontinence, along with the higher fit of the MegaMax diaper in the back. The elastic at the leg openings is VERY effective at giving a comfortable and snug fit around the legs and in the leg creases without binding or cutting into the skin. If the lower tape is fastened comfortably snug, the elastic will flex as you move, keeping the diaper snug against your skin without allowing leakage. Fasten the lower tape too tight though, and leakage at the legs can become an issue, as the leg elastic will no longer flex.
The standing inner leak barriers in this diaper are very effective! Like the RearZ Inspire, they are actually some of the tallest leak barriers I've ever seen! The nice thing is that when you stretch the diaper out to put it on, the standing inner leak barriers stand up on their own with no extra attention needed.
Padding Size, Shape and Thickness
Again, like the RearZ Inspire, the padding shape on this diaper is a lot bigger than the the “figure 8” shape we’re all used to with padding out toward the wings a bit farther in the back and front than many other diapers with the “figure 8” padding shape. The padding also comes up much higher in the front and back than most diapers on the market which is great for those who sit all the time (such as wheelchair users) for wetness protection at the waist in front, and bowel protection at the waist in the back. While the padding does not wrap all the way around the sides, it comes far enough out toward the sides in the front and back to catch any wetness that may run around to the side while sleeping on your side or sitting. The padding that extends out toward the wings in the front is about 1” narrower than it is in the back. This allows a good fit but still gives enough padding to make this a very protective product.
The padding on this product is fairly non bulky for its' absorbency! The padding is thinner than the Northsore Supreme Brief, but absorbs about 2/3 or better what the Supreme does. The padding does not tend to “fluff up” the longer the diaper is out of the bag, like other diapers do. The padding stays pretty dense and compressed, which can be a bad thing for absorbency speed. I have found that if you fold the diaper, message the padding, etc, it gets less densely packed and really increases the absorbency speed and capacity greatly! While I don't think this (or any) diaper could ever get to the 6,500 ml absorbency rating of this diaper, this IS one of the higher absorbency diapers on the market. You could get up to about 80 oz. (2,366 ml) out of it with no leaks easily. This is a HUGE amount of liquid that 99% of the diapers on the market can not even come close to! Under everyday clothing, this product nearly vanishes! Now, as it gets near usable capacity, it may become a little obvious, due to its' swelling as it gets wetter and wetter. Under heavier pants like jeans or cargo pants though, it should not be an issue. The padding seems to absorb very quickly if you message it, as noted above, but it does not wick as quickly or as well as it looks like it would, but it still keeps the skin very dry! The padding does NOT bunch up or come apart when wet! This diaper is a fantastic pick for heavy incontinence during the daytime for both men and women and would work FANTASTIC for women at night, but may be a little bit of an issue for men at night if the wearer is a heavy wetter. Due to very large and wide padding area and a very good rear waistband, this diaper is ideal for bowel incontinence for both men AND women.
OK, here is my only real complaint about this diaper, although it's not necessarily a BAD thing. The tapes are CRAZY strong. By that I mean, if you have a weak grasp, you very likely will have trouble unfastening these tapes. This is why this diaper receives the "poor" rating for ease of removal. The tape tabs (two per side) are EASILY double the size of any tape on any other diaper on the market! They are clear with a blue grasping strip at the end. The tapes are strong enough that they can (and often do) rip the tape landing zone off of the diaper and are very noisy when you pull them loose. They do leave adhesive residue behind on the tape landing zone when you unfasten them, but can be refastened over and over and over again without a problem. In communicating with Adam from Northshore Care Supply, he states that due to the massive absorbency of the MegaMax, such a strong tape is necessary to keep the tapes from popping off as the diaper nears capacity.
Overall, the quality of the Northshore MegaMax diaper is very good, with no stray padding pieces outside of the padded area, tabs that hold very well and great absorbency. The product seems VERY consistent case to case. I have found that the quality consistency is EXCELLENT. You never feel clumps of padding or polymer, no polymer granules poking the backing, etc.. I have been really amazed at the consistency of this product. If it works well for you once, it will work well for you again and again!
The padding of these diapers does NOT break up or clump, no matter how active you are! I’m not sure how they do it, but I have never had a tape, padding or plastic backing problem with them no matter what I'm doing!
For those who prefer an ALL WHITE diaper, this product is perfect for you! As you can see in the picture above, these diapers are ALL WHITE with no wetness indicator. The only hint of color is the blue end on the tape tabs and the SUPER light Northshore name on the side wings. This product would not show through a pair of white pants, other than its' white color, which would not look unusual.
These diapers fit amazingly! They fit the sizes indicated with room to spare, if needed. They have VERY generous padding size which leaves plenty of area for absorbency and bowel protection and a secure feeling to their fit. The interior of the diaper is very soft to the touch, and the exterior is very smooth. I have had no problems with chafing of the thighs when walking in my braces. You can fasten them as snug as you like and they will hold. I give these VERY high marks in the comfort department, even when wet!
VALUE FOR THE PRICE
Considering the average cost of these diapers can be in the $2.60 PER DIAPER range after shipping, I find the cost to be a bit of overkill. While they perform very well and are amazingly comfortable, you can get the Northshore Supreme at under $2.00 per diaper. Definitely give this diaper a try, and then decide what you are willing to pay for the protection you get.
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