iCare Adult Diaper Review

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

 

Summary

The iCare Adult Diaper is a plastic-backed tape-style diaper produced and sold in Thailand. This diaper features a design common throughout Southeast Asia, with a light plastic backsheet, thin but extensive padding, and a tape landing zone that allows you to adjust tapes multiple times with ease. It comes at a very affordable price, but is of low absorbency and, in practice, I found it won’t even absorb a single wetting without leakage. For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend this diaper for anything more than moderate incontinence, otherwise it should be worn in combination with a good booster pad.

Key Features:

• Plastic backsheet
• Patterned landing zone
  
• Repositionable tapes
• Standing inner leak barriers
  

Pros:

• Great heat dissipation
• Comfortable/extensive padding coverage
  
• Durable design/doesn’t sag
  
• Good profile/noise discretion
  

Cons:

• Low level of absorbency
  
• Padding susceptible to tears
• No wetness indicator

Product Details

For the purpose of this post I will be reviewing and referring to the medium-sized iCare Adult Diaper. However, other available sizes are listed below:

Packaging

Brand: iCare
Manufacturer: Modern Soft Products Co., Ltd. 1/48.
Origin: Thailand
Units Per Bag: 10
Cost Per Unit: $
Dimensions (L x W x H): 26 cm (10.2") x 16 cm (6.3") x 24 cm (9.5")
Weight: 0.78 kg (1.7 lbs)
Available Sizes: M, L
Advertised Absorbency: Heavy

 

1.1 iCare Adult Diaper Packaging

Diaper

Backsheet: Plastic (poly)
Wetness Indicator: No
Standing Inner Leak Guards: Yes
Leg Gathers: Yes
Product Style: Tab-Style Brief
Refastenable Tabs: Yes
Number of Tapes: 2
Repositionable Tabs: Yes
Outer Color: White (checkered tape landing zone)
Inner Color: White
Front Waistband: No
Rear Waistband: No
Folded Thickness: 2 cm (0.79")
Folded Length: 22 cm (8.7")
Dry Weight: 75 g (2.7 oz)
Fragrance: No
Diaper Dimensions (L x fW x mW x bW): 80 cm (31.5") x 67 cm (26.4") x 30 cm (11.8") x 66 cm (26")
Wing Shape (Front, Rear): Rectangular, Rectangular
Padding Dimensions (L x fW x mW x bW): 67 cm (26.4") x 27 cm (10.6") x 17 cm (6.7") x 36 cm (14.2")
Padding Wing Dimensions (fPW x fPH x bPW x bPH): 5 cm (2") x 18 cm (7.1") x 9.5 cm (3.7") x 20 cm (7.9")
Padding Wing Shape (Front, Rear): Semicircle, Semicircle
Total Padding Area: 1699 cm² (263 in²)
Tape Spacing (t1 x t2): 9 cm (3.5") x 15 cm (5.9")
Tape (W x L): 3 cm (1.2") x 4 cm (1.6")

1.2 iCare Adult Diaper

Laboratory Absorbency Tests

Total Absorption Volume (after press out): 700 ml (24.7 oz)
Total Absorption Volume (before press out): 710 ml (25 oz)
Time to Absorb Wettings (first to last): (68 s, 93 s, 77 s)
Wet Folded Thickness: 3 cm (1.2")
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 80%
Total Padding to Absorbency Ratio: 0.41 ml / cm² (0.09 oz / in²)
Press Out Volume: 10 ml (0.35 oz)

Surface Dampness Rating: 2

The iCare Adult Diaper demonstrated surface dampness even after the first wetting during the lab test. On the second wetting it was clearly saturated. I can’t quite say this is the worst performance I’ve observed, but very near the worst. The dampness was also noticed in real world testing, but since it only took a single wetting before leaking it was hard to truly gauge compared with other diapers.

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: 350 ml (12.4 oz)
Total Wettings: (1 standing)
Leaked After Sitting: Yes
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 72%
Padding to Absorbency Score: 0.21 ml / cm² (0.05 oz / in²)

Standing-Sitting Rating: 1
The iCare diaper performed poorly on the standing sitting test. It did manage to absorb the first wetting completely while standing, but upon sitting shortly after there was a moderate leak through the left rear leg gather. The diaper still had quite a bit of unused padding up the rear at this point, but effective wicking was likely prevented due to the thinness of its padding. Even at the point of leakage the diaper still felt fairly comfortable, probably as it contained only limited moisture and wasn’t too different from its dry state. I wouldn’t recommend this diaper for daily wear unless used with a good booster pad for extra absorbency or otherwise used for only moderate incontinence.

Lying Down

Total Absorbed Volume: 525 ml (18.5 oz)
Total Wettings: 1
Used to Total Padding Ratio: 95%
Padding to Absorbency Score: 0.31 ml / cm² (0.07 oz / in²)

Lying Down Rating: 1

The iCare diaper demonstrated relatively low absorbency when tested while lying down. It leaked on the first wetting, which was unexpected. Initially there was substantial pooling, which took several minutes to be fully absorbed/wicked through the padding. In that time there was a modest leak through the rear/left leg gathers so I stopped the test afterward. Overall, it did a decent job at wicking and may be sufficient for those who aren’t heavier wetters, but most diapers should take at least a single wetting without leaking, regardless of whether it was heavy or not. I wouldn’t recommend using this diaper for bedwetting, unless used in combination with an absorbent booster pad.

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

Daily Wear and Bedwetting

The iCare Adult Diaper is best suited for moderate urinary incontinence or perhaps bowel-only incontinence. It doesn’t quite have the level of absorbency to take a full wetting without leaking and should be used together with a booster pad if used for heavier incontinence. It has a similar design to other Southeast Asian diapers, in particular the Certainty Adult Diaper. It features a checked landing zone with a plastic backsheet, thin but extensive padding and standing inner leak guards. Interesting enough, this one doesn’t include a wetness indicator. Like many other diapers in the region, this one feels well suited to hot weather in spite of the plastic backsheet. I found it to be highly effective at heat dissipation and didn’t notice much in the way of clamminess. This diaper also proved incredibly durable, with the tapes holding up to multiple refastenings and no sign of sagging. It’s a shame it’s not more absorbent, as it could be very economical for daily wear. Unfortunately, with the level of absorbency I can’t recommend it for bedwetting and would only recommend it for daily wear if you can change almost immediately.

Suitability for Bowel Incontinence: 8

I rank this diaper similar to the Softex Adult Diaper when it comes to suitability for managing bowel incontinence. It has some key features like a plastic backsheet and decent inner leak guards as well as extensive rear padding. But the padding itself is thin and I have some concerns about its durability and ability for containment. It also lacks waistbands, which can be helpful for containing odors, though I found this diaper has a snugger fit than the Softex diaper.

Wear & Tear Tests

Fitting

The iCare Adult Diaper features a plastic-backsheet with a checkered pattern landing zone and four repositionable tapes. This means tapes can be applied and reapplied multiple times at different positions so it’s easy to fix an incorrect fit. 

3.1 iCare Adult Diaper Fastener

Ease-of-Use Rating: 8

I found the iCare Adult Diaper quite easy to use in terms of application. Due to its landing zone, it’s easy to apply and reapply the tapes to correct positioning or remove the diaper when you can make it to the bathroom on time. The landing zone has a helpful pattern so the tapes can be consistently applied once you learn the correct positioning. I had no issues getting a consistent snug fit, even without the presence of waistbands. It’s also easy to remove and close up when you’re done with it. However, it doesn’t have a wetness indicator, which could make it more challenging to determine when it’s time to change (particularly in a care environment). I’d also say the very limited absorbency could make it a bit trickier as you’d likely want to use it with a booster pad, but I didn’t let absorbency deduct from general ease-of-use as it's well captured in other metrics.

3.2 iCare Adult Diaper Fit

 

Comfort

Comfort Rating (dry): 10

The iCare Adult Diaper gets top marks when it comes to dry comfort. I rank it the same as the Certainty Adult Diaper, given the very similar construction. The backsheet is plastic, but feels surprisingly breathable and doesn’t retain heat, though this is probably also due to the thinner padding. It also features extensive padding coverage. I also found the tapes held up remarkably well and it retains a snug fit. A waistband might be slightly beneficial but not so much to detract from my scoring.

Comfort Rating (wet): 5

This diaper has very limited absorbency so it will quickly reach saturation and feel quite damp, even after a single wetting. I found the thin padding gets a bit of a squishy feel when wet. I do give it credit for otherwise holding up well when wet, as the tapes showed no sign of weakness and there wasn’t considerable clumping or sagging. It also does a good job at distributing heat and feels surprisingly breathable for a diaper with a plastic-backsheet. With a bit more absorbency, it would surely earn a higher rating in terms of wet comfort.

3.3 iCare Adult Diaper Topsheet and Backsheet

Durability

Dry Padding Deterioration Proportion: 13.9% (topsheet), 11.8% (backsheet)
Shake Deterioration Test: 9 shakes to deterioration

Durability Rating (dry): 5
The thin padding of iCare Adult Diaper makes it particularly susceptible to padding tearing. The extensive padding area coverage does help offset this a bit and it’s far from the worst performer in this regard (e.g. the Attends Poly Briefs). Otherwise, the tapes held up incredibly well with multiple refastenings and the diaper never showed signs of looseness. However, I did notice that after a while the landing zone had a tendency to loosen slightly. In terms of deterioration it was again very similar to the Certainty Adult Diaper.

Durability Rating (wet): 5

The wet durability of the iCare Adult Diaper isn’t much different from the dry durability. Even though the padding is thin and susceptible to tearing, it continues to resist clumping and I experienced no sagging when the diaper was wet. It also held up well in the wet durability shake test, though I haven’t found that metric to translate well into actual durability. It’s a shame the padding isn’t a bit thicker/more absorbent because it would likely hold up better, and aside from the padding condition, the tapes were exceptional.

3.4 iCare Adult Diaper Dry Test Deterioration

Discretion Tests

Profile

Front Rise Above Waistline (Jeans, Sweatpants): 4 cm (1.6"), 4 cm (1.6")
Back Rise Above Waistline (Jeans, Sweatpants): 9 cm (3.5"), 6 cm (2.4")
Side Rise Above Waistline (Jeans, Sweatpants): 7 cm (2.8"), 6 cm (2.4")

Profile Discretion Rating: 9

The iCare Adult Diaper has a surprisingly discreet fit, likely owing to its thin padding and snug fitting design. I feel it could easily be worn out with all but the tightest fitting outfit without being noticed. The primary downside being that it rises pretty high above the waistline.

4.1 iCare Adult Diaper Jeans Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)

4.2 iCare Adult Diaper Sweats Profile (left) vs Normal Underwear (right)

 

Noise

Noise Rating: 8

This diaper surprised me when it came to noise discretion. Typically plastic-backed diapers, particularly those with thin padding, produce loud distinctive crinkling during movement. However, the backsheet in this diaper is soft and doesn’t seem particularly prone to noise. I confirmed this during testing when standing and sitting there was only minimal noise. I rarely noticed noise when walking, though it’s more likely when the diaper is wet.

4.3 iCare Adult Diaper Noise Profile

Odor Reduction

Odor Reduction Rating: 6
The iCare Adult Diaper performed similar to the Certainty diaper when it came to odor reducation. Its structure does a good job at preventing odors from escaping, having a snug plastic-backsheet. However, the padding itself is thin and doesn’t do a great job at preventing the formation of odors.