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Northshore AirSupreme Briefs at a Glance

Fit

Ease of Putting it on

Comfort while dry

Absorbency

Rewet Absorbency

Comfort While wet

Keeps skin dry

Ease of Removal

Cloth Backing strength

Very Good

Very Good

Very Good

Very Good

Very Good

Very Good

Very Good

Very Good

Very Good

Good

Good

Good

Good

Good

Good

Good

Good

Good

Average

Average

Average

Average

Average

Average

Average

Average

Average

Poor

Poor

Poor

Poor

Poor

Poor

Poor

Poor

Poor

NORTHSHORE AIRSUPREME ADULT BRIEFS FULL REVIEW










SIZING


The Northshore AirSupreme Diaper comes in five sizes:


    •X-Small 16" to 25" waist or hip

    •Small 22” to 32” waist or hip

    •Medium 28” to 44” waist or hip

    •Large 40” to 58” waist or hip

    •X-Large 48” to 64” waist or hip


*NOTE:  This cloth backed brief has received the highest ratings of any cloth backed brief we’ve reviewed yet! 


The fit of the Northshore AirSupreme brief will definitely fit what their sizing says.  I wear a large, as I have a 40” waist and prefer the larger fit of a large diaper, and I have NO doubt that the side wings are plenty large enough to go up to a 58” waist or hip.  The only reason it got a “good” rating, not a “very good” rating is that like all cloth backed briefs, the side wings do tend to stretch a little the longer you wear them or the wetter they get.  This is an unavoidable problem for all cloth like briefs.  That said, the hook tabs can be unfastened and refastened to tighten the fit up if you need to.  The leg openings are large enough, but not so large as to be loose if you are at the smaller end of the sizing.   


CONSTRUCTION


The Northshore AirSupreme Brief has a white cloth-like outer covering.  They have a printed wetness indicator, that is printed in liquid soluble ink that disappears when the diaper gets wet to indicate a need for a change.   They also have the single line yellow “glue based” wetness indicator that indicates when the brief has reached a higher capacity than it takes to dissolve the water soluble ink indicator.  The usable capacity of this diaper is SO high that the ink soluble wetness indicator vanishes before full usable capacity is reached.  The wetness indicators are very faint though, and really should not be visible under a pair of thin white pants or shorts.  There are two single layer white hook tabs on each side.  These tabs can be unfastened and refastened anywhere on the brief over and over again without losing their strong grip. The tabs are VERY strong and DO NOT slip at all.  The AirSupreme diaper has very tall and effective standing inner leak barriers IF you make sure to “activate” them when you go to put the diaper on.  This is not at all a complicated process and pretty much involves just stretching the diaper out to make them stand up.  There are directions for this on the bag.  There is no elastic waist band at all on the Northshore AirSupreme Brief. 


Cloth-Like Backing

The Northshore AirSupreme Brief has a cloth like outer covering that is breathable ONLY on the sides.  The center of the brief (where the padding is) has a non-breathable sheet of plastic UNDER the cloth like backing, which makes NO noise whatsoever (to understand this process, see our Paper or Plastic? article) which means NO pinhole leaks and NO damp or clammy feeling on the outside of the diaper when it is very wet!  This is a VERY rare thing for cloth like disposable diapers.  This helps to contain odor too, which is usually a problem with cloth backed diapers as well.  If you’re still sold on plastic backed diapers only, check out the review of the plastic backed Northshore Supreme Briefs.


Elastic Leg Bands

As previously noted, this diaper does not have an elastic waist band at all.  What I have found is that the absorbency and rewet absorbency are SO fast and SO complete that wetness does not have a chance to run out of the waistband unless you have saturated EVERY INCH of the padding..and since the padding wicks so well, this IS possible before the diaper leaks.  More on that later.  The elastic at the leg openings is VERY effective at giving a snug fit around the legs and in the leg creases.  If you fasten the lower tapes TOO tight, you will get some binding of the leg elastics which will pinch the skin.  You should not tape the bottom tapes of this product THAT tight, as you will hurt its’ performance, as the leg gathers should flex and move with you to keep a good seal.  My experience with the elastics is that if taped comfortably snug but not tight, they protect INCREDIBLY and don’t bind, chafe or cut the skin.


Standing Inner Leak Barriers

The standing inner leakage barriers on this product are incredibly effective.  Really they are more for bowel containment than urine, as the padding absorbs SO fast that there is no need.  They only come up a little over halfway up the front of the diaper but better than 3/4 of the way up the back, where they are truly needed and VERY effective.  I have not found any standing inner leak barriers stuck to the inside of the diaper like I have on other brands.  usually you have to run your finger along the leak barrier before putting the diaper on so that the barrier stands up.  No need with these!  Just “activate” the polymer and standing leak barriers by stretching the diaper out (directions on the bag) and they stand up!


Padding Size, Shape and Thickness

The padding shape on this diaper is the “figure 8” shape with good padding out toward the wings!  While the padding does not wrap all the way around the sides, it comes far enough past the elastic in the front and back to catch any wetness or stool that might get past the standing inner leak barrier.  The padding that extends out toward the wings in the front is about 1” to 2” narrower than it is in the back.  This allows a good, less bulky fit but still gives enough padding to make this a very protective product.


The padding on this product is not all that bulky at all, as most of the absorbency comes from super absorbent polymers, which, judging by the fact you can not feel the polymer bumps on the outside of the diaper, must be either mixed in the paper pulp or sandwiched between two layers of paper pulp padding..  The padding is deceptively thin for as absorbent as this product is!  Under everyday clothing, this product would not be obvious at all.  The padding absorbs VERY quickly and wicks like crazy!  I have managed to soak every inch of the diaper padding and still had no leaks out of the leg openings.  In fact, I think the diaper would have actually leaked out the back of the waist first!  I have never seen a disposable diaper that wicks THAT fast and that well.  Usually that kind of wicking performance comes form cloth diapers. but does not wick well at all.  The padding does swell to about 3 times its‘ dry thickness when soaked, but again, stays quite discreet under clothing due to the strength of the tapes and the cut of the product.It almost seems like the wetter the diaper gets, the faster/better it absorbs and wicks!  It is really strange for a disposable...in a good way! 


For those who are wondering about padding bunching up...the padding on this diaper DOES NOT bunch up!  The construction of the padding and amount of polymer keep the padding in place and it does not even clump anywhere!  I have not had padding quality problems either overnight/in my wheelchair or walking in my braces.


Refastenable Hook Tabs

As noted above, these diapers have a one piece refastenable hook tab system, which consists of two hook tabs on each side of the diaper.  I found that the tabs are VERY strong and do not stretch or break, even when fastened very tight.  They do not slide across the cloth like backing either.  The end of the tab has a large area for grasping to fasten and unfasten and should be quite easy for those with limited dexterity or arthritis to use.  You can position the tabs anywhere on the brief for a custom fit and then move them to another place on the brief for a better fit if needed and they do NOT lose their ability to grip!


QUALITY


The quality of the NorthShore AirSupreme Brief is amazing so far!   I have found NO other quality issues...no padding outside of the are it’s supposed to be in, no hook tab problems, no pinhole issues and no elastic issues on the standing inner leak barriers OR the leg elastics.  As I noted above, there was no feel of dampness or clamminess on the outside of the diaper even when it was soaked!  Odor was no problem either, unless like other briefs, it is worn way too long.  Time will tell if this kind of quality control will hold.  If it does, there are many brands that could take some notes on this kind of quality!


APPEARANCE


Again, this diaper is all white, so should just look like regular underwear under a pair of thin white pants.  The wetness indicators are faint enough that they should not be visible under even thin white pants or shorts.  Now, as the yellow strip wetness indicator turns dark blue, it MAY be able to be seen, but I doubt it.  So overall, appearance is decent.  Being that this product is offered in a X-Small (youth) size, this should be a huge relief to children who need to wear diapers past the average potty training age, as this product does look like underwear, as there is no shine from a plastic backing and definitely NO sound at all from the backing.


COMFORT


The Northshore AirSupreme Brief is comfortable when put on dry AND when extremely wet!  The lining on the inside is very soft to the touch and the standing inner leak barriers, while tall and super effective are soft and pliable and do not chafe.  The tapes hold very well, so there should be no sagging or looseness as the diaper becomes wet.  There is no elastic waistband to bind or chafe, so no worries there.  Unlike other cloth backed diapers, I did not have any issues with chafing of my legs from the cloth like backing.  The backing is super soft and smooth and glides across the skin easily.  This is a nice change.  Overall comfort is fantastic!


VALUE FOR THE PRICE


This brand of diapers is only available at Northshore Care Supply.   The prices run as follows:  $0.85 per diaper for the x-small, $0.99 per diaper for the small, $1.33 per diaper for the medium, $1.55 per diaper for the large and $1.60 per diaper for the x-large.  These prices are DEFINITELY worth it for this kind of quality and performance!  Don’t believe me?  order a bag first and see.  Drop an email to me and let me know what you think!

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picture of a northshore airsupreme adult diaper with two white and blue tapes on each side and arrows pointing through the side panels to demonstrate breathable side panels
picture of a bag of northshore airsupreme adult diapers

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