Whats the point of packing?

[Inkwe Mupkins]

is it to make it look like you got junk cause i look like i got junk and i dont pack or is it for something else. Dont mean to be rude but i didnt no there were things for ftms i always thought i was alone or that there were too few ftms to matter

[Devin87]

Like I said in the "wearing your sister's pants" thread, I've noticed that with most male pants you can't really see much junk anyway, so I don't pack for that reason.  I don't pack all the time, but when I do mostly it's for disphoria reasons.  It feels like it should be there, so I put it there.  Kinda like someone who wears a fake leg even though they're riding in a wheel chair-- it just feels right to have it there, even if it's not serving any other purpose.

[Osiris]

Part of it is for looks, another part is for your own comfort. It can be discouraging to feel down there, or move and realize there's something missing. A packer while it's not perfect is a good substitute.

Personally I don't have a soft packer so I don't pack 24/7. I would like to get one though because there are times when my dysphoria spikes and not having a convincing look and feel down there really gets to me. But most of the time I think of what I already have down there as my junk even though it's not huge or anything it does what it's suppose to.

[Autumn]

Boys and their packages.

I'm not FTM, but since you're new to not feeling alone, I'll relate a story. The first Endo I saw thought I was FTM in early transition (the long hair and blouse should have clued her in, but...) because, even though she had years and years of experience treating transsexuals... they were *all* FTM. That practice was in Dallas, she's now in Houston.

I think the FTM movement is growing a lot. People have hypothesized that it's easier for FTM to cope without transition due to looser aesthetic/behavior restrictions on women versus men, socially. But as knowledge and resources grow and society shifts, more people transition.

[LordKAT]

comfort

[Wolf Man]

Personal preference.

I usually go without it and then find myself missing it if I'm around the usual group of guys in college. I feel like something is missing because I notice more that I don't have the bulge that they all do. I've been going somewhat crotch crazy as of late, noticing or taking the time to see other men's bulges. I'm now trying to find a way to securely and comfortably wear my packer all the time, or at least while I'm out.

It just makes up for the feeling and look that I know should be there and see should be there.

[Ryan]

I pack because it makes me feel more confident in myself. I dunno why, but it does.

[TheCG]

Why to have sex, of course! 

[Carson]

Firstly to make my crotch look like its supposed to, secondly to make it feel like it is supposed to.

[s1ncere]

comfort....and....girls grab lol 4real.
always gotta pack when going clubbing.

[Jamie-o]

The only reason I would likely pack would be A) to have a realistic(ish) STP device, or B) on those occasions where having no junk would be really obvious (like when getting measured for a suit, for example). 

But to be honest, I really don't like packing.  It just feels weird to me.  Having that heavy, warm, soft thing weighing down my underwear just makes me feel as if I've taken a dump in my pants, but on the wrong side.    But, to each his own.  Maybe if I had a harness for it I'd feel differently.

[Nero]

The only reason I would likely pack would be A) to have a realistic(ish) STP device, or B) on those occasions where having no junk would be really obvious (like when getting measured for a suit, for example). 

But to be honest, I really don't like packing.  It just feels weird to me.  Having that heavy, warm, soft thing weighing down my underwear just makes me feel as if I've taken a dump in my pants, but on the wrong side.    But, to each his own.  Maybe if I had a harness for it I'd feel differently.

um just out of curiosity because I'm about to have some things tailored and I don't pack at all - in what way exactly will it be obvious? just the way it looks or is he going to be messing around down there or what?

[Jamie-o]

um just out of curiosity because I'm about to have some things tailored and I don't pack at all - in what way exactly will it be obvious? just the way it looks or is he going to be messing around down there or what?

Well, if you're having pants tailored, he'll be measuring your inseam, which can get a little ... personal.  Or so I've heard.  I've actually only had a couple jackets tailored at this point.  Maybe he'll just ask you to hold the end of the measuring tape up  there yourself, in which case it probably isn't an issue.  (Or you can offer to do so.)

[mr_marc]

I think it's the paranoia if some one looks that closely.
I don't bother packing cause the jeans i wear are really baggy and come half way down my ass lol.

But like, theres always that one off chance some one might decide to grab your crotch so i suppose its a good idea?

[Radar]

I do it for piece of mind. It feels natural and correct down there when packing. Without it I feel empty.

FYI for a tailor he'll probably insist on holding the tape measurer to get a proper measurement and he'll ask you what side you wear dress on.

[tekla]

A tailor, a good one anyway, will ask 'what side you dress on' not what side you wear.

[zombiesarepeaceful]

I pack because without something down there, I feel like there's something missing. When I pack it feels natural. And for my peace of mind, since I spend alot of time in a gay bar...incase somebody grabs me. And when I've grinded up on people, they've said they could feel my packer. Lol. They said it felt natural. In most of my pants, I can obviously tell that I'm packing, and when I'm not. And with most other people I can tell. Unless they're smaller (I mean bio guys here). But most people can't glimpse at your crotch long enough or even bother to. But I'm not normal.

[Arch]

This thread might also give you some insights if you read it all the way through:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,70538.0.html

[Vanessa_yhvh]

A few comments from an early M2F....

A good tailor will be concerned with providing a good fit, and not with one's lack of a package, and the tailor will do all the tape holding. However, if you plan to pack while wearing tailored slacks, it's a good idea to wear the packer during fitting and when trying on the slacks after tailoring to make sure the fit is true.

As my package came with the rest of me, over the years I have noticed that at completely random times people will turn out to have been checking out my package either intentionally or for any of a hundred reasons that one's eyes might wander that way (BBQ sauce spilled in the lap, or whatever).

If it's any consolation, mine leads to not infrequent discomfort in routine life activities. It's not a dysphoria thing, as much as a "geez, this thing is inconvenient!" thing.

[Snowdoggy]

This is just from my own experience...

I have spent a lot of money on various packing products and have found most of them disappointing.

I know this thread is about packing but I would like to share some of my experiences of all ftm packing, STP and ones for the "other" use. I have also tried to gain advantage of other uses from these types of products.

I even spent near on £800 on a "made to measure" product with skin swatch matches from a plastic surgeon in Australia which was absolutely brilliant but...

1)  I bought a "Mango" stp device. Not realistic in the slightest BUT to be fair they do not (or did not) advertise it as such. Hit and miss to say the least. When it was good it was very very good but when it was bad it was rotten. No-one wants to take their partner out for the evening for a romatic meal or to a club with wet pants. I ended up buying 3 of these in the end because I thought I was not using or dealing with them properly.

2)  The prosthetic I bought from Australia was another matter. Cost a lot of money AND looked the part. They send you skin sample swatches, realistic veining etc. You don't need strapping or anything to use it. It is connected to your body all the time using surgical glue and you can shower etc and it does not ever come away from your body (they claim). This plastic surgeon makes ears for people who have lost them in fires ets. All sounded very good. It could not be used to stand to pee but could be used for the other business (has an erectile device).

It sounded like a good prosthesis but I had not thought it through. To be able to affix it to your body you have to shave off a lot of your pubic hair. I worked out how it fitted and thought that the hair above (in that area) would cover up the join. What I (and they, at least don't admit) is that your new hair that grows through forces the prosthesis off your body. Showering is fine, bathing is fine but unfortunately your pubic hair growth (the stubble) breaks the bond to your skin and you have to keep re-applying it AND the glue is very strong and it hurts like hell pulling it off your body when it is only half affixed until you get used to it.

Anyway, going back to original topic... What's the point in packing?

I would say none whatsoever unless you are wanting to go any further than just wanting to pass. If you wear the right clothing no-one can tell.

I have just gone through the first stage of phalloplasty and the only reasons I have done this is mainly to be able to stand to pee and lesser so for sexual reasons AND mainly, I think for peace of mind. Worrying about what people CAN see in that area rather than what they REALLY can.

John