Diaper Metrics

*For more information on how I do reviews see Diaper Test Methodology

Summary

In this review I’m deviating a little from my regular reviews to cover a category of product generally known as “swim diapers”. These products are primarily designed for containing bowel incontinence when swimming or otherwise in the water. Consequently, they will do little to nothing for containing urinary incontinence. For this review I’ll be covering the Tranquility Swimmates Disposable Swimwear, a protective underwear type product, and the My Pool Pal swim diaper, which is a plastic pant type product. For consistency I’ve kept this review to fit within the criteria I’ve established for other reusable and disposable products. Still, I’ll try to take care to point out where an attribute may be more-or-less irrelevant to this completely different category of product.

The Tranquility Swimmates protective underwear are unique in that they’re virtually the only non-reusable style product of this type on the market that targets adult wear (and larger youth wear). There are a few companies like Huggies or Pampers that produce a similar small youth range product. It’s a very niche market and I can’t imagine it has a very high volume of product turnover compared to regular incontinence products, so it’s very fortunate that there are companies that have gone out of their way to produce products specifically for this purpose.This underwear is designed to be submerged so the padding acts more like a sponge with limited capacity that doesn’t clump or fall apart in water. The main focus of this product are the layers of leak guards to prevent fecal matter from escaping. They’re designed to be worn under regular swimwear and will not show a significant profile.

The My Pool Pal definition as a “swim diaper” is a bit of a misnomer because it’s not what you’d think of being a diaper nor does it have any absorbent padding. Instead this is a plastic pant product designed specifically for containing fecal episodes when swimming or in the water. It’s also described as “disposable”, but that’s actually only the case once soiled. In fact, these are marketed as being reusable multiple times if they aren’t soiled. The reason for this is that the inner layer is made of an antimicrobial barrier that neutralizes bacteria from fecal matter. However, this part of the product will only be effective for a single usage. Moreover, this product could alternatively be used like a diaper cover. The company behind this product, Future Products Corporation, has been providing incontinence swimwear since it was approved by public health and swimming facilities in 1992. The plastic-pant type/reusable market for incontinence swimwear appears to be a little more competitive, but as far as I can tell this is the only one with the neutralizing layer and this company has been selling such products for a very long time so they must be doing something right.

This review was one of the most challenging for me as I only suffer irregular bowel incontinence and rarely swim or bathe in a bath in my daily life. Nevertheless, I’ve tried my best to capture the performance of these products and use my past experience combined with testing to give insight into how these products could be expected to perform in the real world. I’d like to give a big shout out for the My Pool Pal donation that introduced me to these product lines and helped make this review possible! As always, suggestions and donations are always welcome!

Key Features:

Cloth-like backsheet (My Pool Pal are plastic)
Flexible elastic stretch fit
Standing Inner Leak Guards (Tranquility Swimmates)
Antibacterial layer (My Pool Pal)

Pros:

Discreet profile
Very comfortable and flexible in water
The fact they even exist (it’s quite a niche area of focus)

Cons:

Low absorbency out of the water
Water discharge when existing water

Product Details

For the purpose of this post I will be reviewing and referring to the medium-sized Tranquility Swimmates Disposable Swimwear and My Pool Pal Swim Diapers. However, other available sizes are listed below:

Tranquility Swimmates Disposable Swimwear Packaging

Brand: Tranquility
Manufacturer: Principle Business Enterprise
Origin: USA
Units Per Bag: 20
Cost Per Unit: $$
Dimensions (L x W x H): 31 cm (12.2") x 15 cm (5.9") x 24 cm (9.5")
Weight: 0.88 kg (1.93 lbs)
Available Sizes: S,M,L,XL,2XL
Advertised Absorbency: Swimwear

1.1 Tranquility Swimmates Disposable Swimwear Packaging

My Pool Pal Packaging

Brand: My Pool Pal
Manufacturer: Future Products Corporation
Origin: USA
Units Per Bag: 3
Cost Per Unit: $$$$
Dimensions (L x W x H): 13 cm (5.1") x 4 cm (1.6") x 21 cm (8.3")
Weight: 0.1 kg (0.22 lbs)
Available Sizes: XS,S,M,L,Adult XS, Adult S, Adult M, Adult L, Adult XL
Advertised Absorbency: Swimwear

1.2 My Pool Pal Swim Diapers Packaging

Protective Underwear (Tranquility Swimmates)

Backsheet: Cloth-like (non-woven)
Wetness Indicator: No
Standing Inner Leak Guards: Yes
Leg Gathers: Yes
Product Style: Protective Underwear
Refastenable Tabs: Yes
Number of Tapes: N/A
Repositionable Tabs: No
Outer Color: Light Blue (white connecting sides)
Inner Color: White (light blue down the middle padding)
Front Waistband: Yes
Rear Waistband: Yes
Folded Thickness: 1.66 cm (0.65")
Folded Length: 25 cm (9.8")
Dry Weight: 50 g (1.8 oz)
Fragrance: No
Diaper Dimensions (L x fW x mW x bW): 72 cm (28.4") x 31 cm (12.2") x 19 cm (7.5") x 30 cm (11.8")
Wing Shape (Front, Rear): Connected, Connected
Padding Dimensions (L x fW x mW x bW): 33 cm (13") x 11 cm (4.3") x 10 cm (3.9") x 15 cm (5.9")
Padding Wing Dimensions (fPW x fPH x bPW x bPH): 0.5 cm (0.2") x 6 cm (2.4") x 2.5 cm (1") x 10 cm (3.9")
Padding Wing Shape (Front, Rear): Semicircle, Semicircle
Total Padding Area: 386 cm² (60 in²)

1.3 Tranquility Swimmates Disposable Swimwear

Protective Underwear (My Pool Pal)

Backsheet: Plastic (poly)
Leg Gathers: Yes
Product Style: Plastic pants
Outer Color: White
Inner Color: White
Folded Length: 38 cm (15")
Dry Weight: 33 g (1.2 oz)
Pants Dimensions (L x fW x mW x bW): 76 cm (29.9") x 43 cm (16.9") x 12 cm (4.7") x 43 cm (16.9")
Pants Wing Dimensions (fPW x fPH x bPW x bPH): 31 cm (12.2") x 18.5 cm (7.3") x 31 cm (12.2") x 12.2 cm (18.5")
Total Pant Area: 3206 cm² (497 in²)

1.4 My Pool Pal Swim Diaper

Laboratory Absorbency Tests

Total Absorption Volume (after press out): 150 ml (5.3 oz)
Total Absorption Volume (before press out): 250 ml (8.8 oz)
Time to Absorb Wettings (first to last): (107 s)
Wet Folded Thickness: 2 cm (0.8")
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 100%
Total Padding to Absorbency Ratio: 0.39 ml / cm² (0.09 oz / in²)
Press Out Volume: 100 ml (3.5 oz)

Surface Dampness Rating: 1

As a product designed for water wear, Tranquility Swimmates have almost no absorbency by design. They’re designed to contain bowel movements without swelling up too much in water. As such they’re highly susceptible to pressout and don’t do anything to contain moisture. In this case having no resistance to surface dampness is actually a positive attribute for performance.

2.1 Wet vs Dry Diaper After Capacity Test

2.2 Used vs Unused Padding After Capacity Test

"Real World" Absorbency Tests

Posture Tests

Standing-Sitting

Total Absorbed Volume: 245 ml (8.6 oz)
Total Wettings: (1 standing)
Leaked After Sitting: Yes
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 100%
Padding to Absorbency Score: 0.63 ml / cm² (0.14 oz / in²)

Standing-Sitting Rating: 1
The Tranquility Swimmates underwear is designed for bowel containment in water so absorbency tests are a bit redundant. Nevertheless, this underwear may be worn in situations before entering the water and it's good to get an idea of how it might perform in such circumstances. As expected, the Swimmates underwear leaked on the very first wetting. Initially there was major pooling as moisture was contained within the leak barriers. Interestingly, the backsheet is moisture impermeable so all the moisture was contained until it reached the leg gathers. Needless to say this isn’t a product you’d use for daily bladder wear or even bowel containment out of the water, though it may contain light leaks.

Lying Down

Total Absorbed Volume: 175 ml (6.2 oz)
Total Wettings: 1
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 76%
Padding to Absorbency Score: 0.45 ml / cm² (0.10 oz / in²)

Lying Down Rating: 1

The Tranquility Swimmates under isn’t well equipped for bedwetting as you might expect based on the results in the standing-sitting test. Even so, I decided to put it to the test for the purpose of review completeness with the understanding that it goes against the purpose of this protective underwear. As expected, it leaked very soon into the first wetting. Moisture rapidly accumulated at the back of the underwear. It didn’t immediately escape due to the leak guards and impermeable section of backsheet above the padding. Instead, there were modest leaks through the rear leg gathers but as soon as I got up there was a rush of moisture out of the structure since very little had been absorbed. I must reiterate that this inability to retain significant amounts of moisture is actually a plus when it comes to providing bowel protection while swimming so take this scoring with a grain of salt.

2.3 Pattern of Used vs Unused Padding Test Stand/Sit (right) Lying Down (left)

My Pool Pal Swim Diaper Additional Protection Score: 6

I’ve followed the same relative rating system to assess additional protection value of the My Pool Pal as I did for the Carer reusable products. These plastic pants by their nature have no built in absorbency so the best they can do is prevent leaks that have escaped from an underlying product. This product is primarily designed for swimming so I wasn’t expecting much. I used the same lab test I used for the Carer W66 adding increments of 15 ml to assess maximum absorbency and it maxed out at about 45 ml when sitting before any leakage occurred. I also tried my standard test for these reusable products where I combined it with a wet Goodnites XL, a product that will often leak when seated if not worn with a booster. Unfortunately, even this combination usage resulted in a substantial leak, more so than I experienced with the W66. The crotch of these plastic pants is relatively narrow, which may be beneficial for swimming and movement but it makes it more susceptible to gaps between the thighs and, consequently, leakage when seated. I’d recommend these plastic pants for use in water overuse as additional protection, but if worn strictly when lying down and not seated you may find they perform a little better.

2.4 My Pool Pal as Additional Protection for Tranquility Swimmates

Daily Wear and Bedwetting

In typical reviews I will try building a product into my daily routine to assess performance outside of a fixed set of tests where variable circumstances might expose issues I wouldn’t otherwise notice. This meant wearing overnight for bedwetting as well as daily wear and assessment for active wear. Doing such testing was pretty pointless for the Tranquility Swimmates and My Pool Pal Swim Diapers because these are primarily designed for water wear. In previous testing I found that neither of these products provided adequate protection against a full or even half a wetting, so if you were in a situation where you’d need to be in swimwear for an extended time before actually swimming then you’d probably want to use these in combination with a high absorbency incontinence pad, which you’d remove before entering the water. This would be easier to do with the Tranquility Swimmates than the My Pool Pals because the Tranquility Swimmates have leak barriers and a snugger fit to hold a pad. To do the same with My Pool Pals you’d probably want to combine them with a meshpant layer underneath to use with the pad, or combine them with the Tranquility Swimmates.

In my case, it was a challenge to review these products for a couple reasons. First, I almost never swim outside of a few months in the summer and second, I only suffer from infrequent episodes of bowel incontinence so the chances of being swimming and dealing with an episode are very low for me. Nevertheless, I’ve tried my best to do an accurate assessment of how this product will perform based on my previous experience and facilities I had available (a large bathtub). To put these to the test, I filled the bathtub and tried to bathe as I typically would do in such circumstances. I tried a diverse set of movements, including getting in and out of the tub while wearing these products.

For my first test I went with a stand-alone Tranquility Swimmates. Entering the water was easy with these and they quickly saturated but continued to feel light and flexible. I didn’t find any significant resistance upon moving around in the tub. In fact I barely noticed this underwear when it was wet, even less so than in its dry state. Getting out of the water was interesting and an area I’d say you’d need to manage with some care if you’d had a bowel episode. What I noticed was that water that had accumulated under the moisture impermeable backsheet can rush outside through the leg gathers as you get up. I imagine the inner barriers would still have enough flexibility to hold back fecal matter, but anything that had got around them may be at risk of escaping. Otherwise, the rear leak barriers are quite well designed in this underwear and I didn’t feel any other situations would put it at high risk of leakage.

I found a similar issue when testing the My Pool Pals as a second test. In that case there was an even larger discharge of water after exiting since the backsheet is looser and able to pick up more water. The My Pool Pals had another challenge in that they could also retain air and form air pockets when entering the water; an issue I didn’t notice in the Tranquility Swimmates. Once the air escaped, the My Pool Pals did a better job at conforming to my body and felt even more comfortable when wet than in their dry state. The backsheet of these is completely moisture impermeable, so they can be used for non-swimming cases, but I felt the crotch was a bit too narrow to provide strong additional protection for another absorbent product when worn outside the water (indeed when I tested them as additional protection with a Goodnites XL they were unable to hold back a leak while seated). The My Pool Pals do have one big advantage over the Tranquility Swimmates in that they’re treated with an antibacterial formulation that can help neutralize bacteria before it can enter the water. Perhaps the best way to avoid contamination when swimming would be to double up the Tranquility Swimmates and My Pool Pals so if anything escapes the Swimmates it will at least have a chance to be caught/neutralized by the Pool Pals. I did a quick test wearing both as combined protection and it does indeed seem like a feasible option given the differences in coverage. In terms of best use case for each, I feel the My Pool Pals could be a better choice if you suffer infrequent episodes but want that extra protection since they can be reused multiple times until soiled. Every time you’re able to reuse it you’d lower the initial unit cost vs the Tranquility Swimmates, which can only be used a single time regardless of if they’re soiled. I’m not sure if this has an impact on the effectiveness of the antibacterial layer. The Tranquility Swimmates would provide more protection and probably better value if you had a higher chance of soiling. The Tranquility Swimmates also have a snugger fit and could be a bit more discreet so they may be the better choice where discretion matters more. Ultimately, it may also come down to if you prefer the feel of plastic-pants or underwear when in the water.

Suitability for Bowel Incontinence: 5* (10 for swim usage)

I’ve ranked the Tranquility Swimmates relatively low for bowel containment outside of the water to be consistent with other ratings on this site. This isn’t a product you’d want for managing bowel incontinence for daily wear, but I doubt you could find a better product for wear when in the water. I don’t expect it to do well for odor containment. However, the rear leg gathers are strong and it has a snug fit. There’s a bit more padding toward the rear and it features inner leak guards for an additional layer of protection. The downside is that the breathability could also easily lead to odor escape, but that may be less of an issue in its limited use-case.

Wear & Tear Tests

Fitting

The Tranquility Swimmates have a high rise underwear-like fit with a thin, flexible and airy cloth-like backsheet. It doesn’t have well defined waistbands. Instead the stretchy wings continue around the entire waist of the underwear. This means they have a pretty consistent fit, without obvious gaps, though this is pretty typical for protective underwear. I would say the fit is slightly on the larger size compared to typical sizing. The suggested fit for this underwear is interesting because there is both a suggested weight and waist range. I went with the suggested weight range, but since it ended up feeling larger I suspect it might be better to go with the suggested waist as a first measure of fit.

3.1 My Pool Pal Fastener

Ease-of-Use Rating: 8

The Tranquility Swimmates are quite easy to use as you might expect for a protective underwear product. You simply pull them up before going to the water and down when you’re done. Alternatively, you could tear the sides to pull them off. They don’t swell up or break apart in the water so they’re quite resistant and perfect for fecal containment. Of course, being a water-focused product they won’t be as good at containment as a typical diaper; the trade-off being that they will be much better than a regular diaper when used in water. One downside to this trade-off is that they won’t provide adequate protection for urinary incontinence on the way to the water if they need to be worn dry for any extended period of time. For those cases it might make more sense to use it with an absorbent pad insert until you get to the water and pull the pad out before entering the water. Aside from that, I found it was difficult to tell the front of the underwear from the back of it. I found the easiest way to tell the difference was to look at where the padding wings were the widest as that would be the back of the underwear.

3.2 Tranquility Swimmates Disposable Dry Fit

3.3 Tranquility Swimmates Disposable Wet Fit

My Pool Pal Fitting

The My Pool Pal has a brief-style underwear fit. It has a lot of interior space and relatively high rise. The elastic at the waist and leg gathers is quite narrow but makes for a snug fit at all the edges. You could easily fit a large diaper under here and will have no trouble doubling it over the Tranquility Swimmates. The sizing seems about average to slightly above. The adult medium size felt a little on the large side for me but I still didn’t have any trouble getting a snug fit. It can also easily be bunched inward for discretion.

3.4 My Pool Pal Fit

Comfort

Comfort Rating (dry): 10

The Tranquility Swimmates protective underwear is about as comfortable as you could ask for in its dry state. It has a fairly thin and breathable backsheet. The topsheet is also very soft but there is a relatively limited padding area. The design is quite flexible so if you get an appropriate fit then it won’t sag at all and the padding is quite resilient to clumping or tearing. I wouldn’t expect anyone to wear this underwear in its dry state for long, but for the time you do wear it I expect it will be about as comfortable as it gets.

Comfort Rating (wet): 10

The Tranquility Swimmates protective underwear are designed to be worn in water and I factored that into scoring these when wet. In a non-swim diaper sense you might find these to be uncomfortable due to the high amount of surface dampness and pressout. But in the water these factors result in the underwear being quite comfortable. It doesn’t swell up or put up any resistance to movement in the water. The cloth-like backsheet doesn’t take on any weight with the water and may even feel a bit more comfortable when wet. Moreover, the padding held up remarkably well without any obvious clumping.

3.5 Tranquility Swimmates Topsheet and Backsheet

My Pool Pal Swim Diaper Comfort Score: 9

The My Pool Pal swim diaper provides a strong degree of comfort for a plastic-pant style protection. I found the material to be great for breathability and heat dissipation. It has quite a roomy design so when you’re not seated you’ll find little of the backsheet comes into contact with your skin. The elastic leak guards create snug fit but I didn’t have issues with chafing. If worn as a diaper cover rather than directly then you’d find it even less noticeable. The plastic in this product is quite flexible and doesn’t interfere with movement. I actually found these plastic pants to be more comfortable when worn in the water than when worn dry. The topsheet took on an extra degree of softness when submerged.

3.6 My Pool Pal Topsheet and Backsheet

Durability

Dry Padding Deterioration Proportion: 1.8% (topsheet), 1.7% (backsheet)
Shake Deterioration Test: 100 shakes to deterioration

Durability Rating (dry): 9
The Tranquility Swimmate underwear isn’t designed for extended dry-wear so this test kind of goes against the purpose. However, I found it to be highly effective after a long duration of dry wear. The padding isn’t susceptible to clumping or tearing but I did notice some minor tears developed over time. The elastic waistband held up well during testing and I didn’t find it came loose or lost flexibility with wear. There was some minor deterioration during testing so I can’t say it was perfect, but this was after a much longer period of dry wear than you might expect to wear it.

Durability Rating (wet): 10

Wet durability was a strong point for the Tranquility Swimmate underwear. Most diapers would quickly clump and tear with significant quantities of water being pushed in and out. The padding in this diaper is unique in that it acts a bit like a sponge. It will take on moisture but won’t swell significantly and will quickly lose moisture when pressed. When I tested shaking it after wet I wasn’t able to dislodge any of the padding after significant shakes. I didn’t notice any difference in terms of clumping or tearing when compared to the dry state. This underwear will be perfect for active wear in the water including swimming.


3.7 Tranquility Swimmates Dry Test Deterioration

My Pool Pal Swim Durability Score: 10

You’re much more likely to replace the My Pool Pal swim diaper because it’s soiled than you’d be to ever encounter any durability issues with it. It’s marketed as reusable until soiled because it has a formulation in the material that neutralizes bacteria when in contact with fecal matter; this loses effectiveness after the first contact. So it’s considered disposable when used for managing fecal episodes, but is otherwise reusable and can be used like regular plastic pants. I tried hand washing it and hanging it to dry and had no issue, though I wouldn’t suggest putting it through a wash cycle. That said, I can’t vouch for what impact this has on the bacteria neutralizing layer.

Discretion Tests

Profile (Tranquility Swimmates)

Front Rise Above Waistline* (Jeans, Sweatpants): 5 cm (2"), 6 cm (2.4")
Back Rise Above Waistline* (Jeans, Sweatpants): 4.5 cm (1.8"), 3 cm (1.2")
Side Rise Above Waistline* (Jeans, Sweatpants): 5 cm (2"), 4 cm (1.6")

Profile Discretion Rating: 9

The Tranquility Swimmates underwear has thin padding and a very thin profile, even when wet. You’re unlikely to notice this underwear if worn under a swimsuit. The caveat being that it rises fairly high on the waist and it might peak out from there. If you want to wear this underwear discreetly when swimming then you will also need swimwear that covers it above the waist.

4.1 Tranquility Swimmates Jeans Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)


4.2 Tranquility Swimmates Sweats Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)

4.3 Tranquility Swimmates Swim Shorts Profile Dry (top) Wet (bottom)

Noise

Noise Rating: 10

Tranquility Swimmates protective underwear is nearly as quiet as regular underwear. I can’t say that I noticed much noise when wearing this underwear in various circumstances (sitting/standing/walking). You certainly won’t notice it in its primary purpose of being worn in water. Nor did I notice when getting out of the water. Though some may notice more water dripping from your shorts than typical because the moisture impermeable section of backsheet over the padding can hold back a bit of water initially.

4.3 Tranquility Swimmates Disposable Swimwear Noise Profile

Odor Reduction

Odor Reduction Rating: 5

It was a bit hard to know what to do with odor scoring for the Tranquility Swimmates. This underwear is designed for wear in water where odor may be less of a concern to matter containment. However, when you exit the water the features that make it resilient for swimming like porous cloth-like material and pressout sensitive padding could make it more susceptible to odors. That said, if it’s soiled you’re likely to change soon after and there may not be much time for the odors to be noticed. All things considered I felt this product fit in about the middle of the scoring in this regard.

My Pool Pal Swim Diaper Discretion Score: 8

I was quite surprised by how discreet the My Pool Pal swim diaper was in spite of what initially looked like a high rise profile. I found that in reality it was easy enough to tuck under the waist. So the rise comparison pictures make it appear less discreet than it could be with clothing adjustments. Moreover, I expected such plastic pants to be very noisy but these were relatively quiet. I did notice noise from these more than in the Carer W66 plastic pants, but it wasn’t particularly loud. Most of the noise appeared to come from “whooshes” of air against the backsheet with certain movements. I can’t speak to odor protection with the same degree of confidence but for the limited time these would need to contain odors I can’t imagine odors being a big concern as the barriers are quite resilient.

4.1 My Pool Pal Jeans Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)


4.2 My Pool Pal Sweats Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)

4.3 My Pool Pal Swim Shorts Profile Dry (top) Wet (bottom)

Want to give the Tranquility Swimmates or My Pool Pal Swim Diaper a try?

Help us continue to produce quality reviews by making a purchase through our Tranquility Swimmates or My Pool Pal affiliate link. With every purchase this blog will earn a small amount of commission at no extra cost to the purchaser.