Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I finally have money to buy a chest binder and I'm so so so so so excited I'm gonna order it for a time when my mother isn't home so I can collect in without her knowing. I don't know whether to get a short binder that stops and leaves a bit of your belly out which I think is called a tri-top binder, or a full length tank top binder. Either way I will be ordering from underworks. Any tips or ideas will be very very much appreciated -Ethan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey Ethan! This is super exciting. When I got my first binder, I got a full length because I have a bit of a belly and I was worried the tri top wouldn't stay down. Have you ever had a sports bra roll up on you? It was pretty much what I was scared of.
My full length ones do the same around my hips so definitely size yourself properly before buying one.
Also consider how tight you will have it and how much of a range of movement you will need when picking them. Some are stronger compression than others and can stop you from bending over fully (full size, I have not experienced the tri top). So if you plan to wear it at work or school and you have to move a lot, consider one of the lesser strengthened ones. 

Hope this helps! Good luck Ethan :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm a fan of the half length ones. It's less stifling; especially when wearing a binder all day and in the summer; you'll be thankful for the less material.

Btw have you looked into GC2B binders? The material is a lot softer than under works and I found it bound better too.

Quote from: aves on December 29, 2017, 08:00:35 AM
Hey Ethan! This is super exciting. When I got my first binder, I got a full length because I have a bit of a belly and I was worried the tri top wouldn't stay down. Have you ever had a sports bra roll up on you? It was pretty much what I was scared of.
My full length ones do the same around my hips so definitely size yourself properly before buying one.
Also consider how tight you will have it and how much of a range of movement you will need when picking them. Some are stronger compression than others and can stop you from bending over fully (full size, I have not experienced the tri top). So if you plan to wear it at work or school and you have to move a lot, consider one of the lesser strengthened ones. 

Hope this helps! Good luck Ethan :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thankyou!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: Elis on December 29, 2017, 08:05:51 AM
I'm a fan of the half length ones. It's less stifling; especially when wearing a binder all day and in the summer; you'll be thankful for the less material.

Btw have you looked into GC2B binders? The material is a lot softer than under works and I found it bound better too.

I have looked into GC2B binders but since I'm in the UK, GC2B is an American brand and I'd have to pay a lot for shipping and I'm not sure if they ship to the Uk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: erintilly14 on December 29, 2017, 09:23:51 AM
I have looked into GC2B binders but since I'm in the UK, GC2B is an American brand and I'd have to pay a lot for shipping and I'm not sure if they ship to the Uk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm in the UK too :). Plus shipping my half top cost me around £30. Which may seem a lot but only started losing its elasticity/falling apart after 2/3 years of constant use.

Quote from: Elis on December 29, 2017, 09:56:28 AM
I'm in the UK too :). Plus shipping my half top cost me around £30. Which may seem a lot but only started losing its elasticity/falling apart after 2/3 years of constant use.

Oh wow okay yeah that sounds pretty good. I might get one from GC2B instead then -Ethan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would say short - most men's trousers are low waisted, so it would cause less constriction around your tummy area (theoretically; I've never tested this)  :P

My suggestion is GC2B over Underworks. Underworks is an awesome company, but if I could go back and spend the money I spent with them at GC2B I would.

I would also go with short. I assumed that I could tuck it in and that would work for hip compression as well. It constantly rolled up, and no amount of tucking helped. Also I have reflux and found it almost impossible to eat with a long binder compressing my stomach.

i got one of the tank top binders from underworks a few years ago; the only binding part was the chest area and the rest was more like a snug-fitting shirt material, slightly stretchy/clingy but also kind of loose in places.  it doesn't fit me well any more, so this might affect the results when i last tried it on, but what i didn't like about it last i tried to wear it was how clingy the shirt material was.  i could see the "separation" of materials in where the binder part was (like a defined dip beneath the chest/binder area that made it stand out), and the shirt material hugged around my hips/belly in a way i did not care for.  i'm sure that would be less of an issue if yours fits well and you wear clothing over it, but even when i first got mine i remember having some problems with it.  the stiffness of the binder part was also an issue, as it didn't lay against my body in some places and would poke out awkwardly under my shirt. 

i have a gc2b half-binder, the short one, and i haven't had any issues with that.  it's not as stiff as the underworks one, yet i feel it actually binds better.  it's more comfortable overall and i definitely prefer having less material under my clothes when i'm working.  i do still want a longer one (that fits) in the future, so if/when i go for one of those i'll be sticking with this brand. 

haven't tried a short binder from underworks, but i would guess that it's the same as the other, just without the clingy shirt material.

Quote from: virtualverny on December 29, 2017, 12:00:37 PM
I would say short - most men's trousers are low waisted, so it would cause less constriction around your tummy area (theoretically; I've never tested this)  :P

Ah thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: Pao on December 29, 2017, 12:34:19 PM
My suggestion is GC2B over Underworks. Underworks is an awesome company, but if I could go back and spend the money I spent with them at GC2B I would.

I would also go with short. I assumed that I could tuck it in and that would work for hip compression as well. It constantly rolled up, and no amount of tucking helped. Also I have reflux and found it almost impossible to eat with a long binder compressing my stomach.

Oh my gosh so do I, I never really considered that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: meatwagon on December 29, 2017, 12:43:00 PM
i got one of the tank top binders from underworks a few years ago; the only binding part was the chest area and the rest was more like a snug-fitting shirt material, slightly stretchy/clingy but also kind of loose in places.  it doesn't fit me well any more, so this might affect the results when i last tried it on, but what i didn't like about it last i tried to wear it was how clingy the shirt material was.  i could see the "separation" of materials in where the binder part was (like a defined dip beneath the chest/binder area that made it stand out), and the shirt material hugged around my hips/belly in a way i did not care for.  i'm sure that would be less of an issue if yours fits well and you wear clothing over it, but even when i first got mine i remember having some problems with it.  the stiffness of the binder part was also an issue, as it didn't lay against my body in some places and would poke out awkwardly under my shirt. 

i have a gc2b half-binder, the short one, and i haven't had any issues with that.  it's not as stiff as the underworks one, yet i feel it actually binds better.  it's more comfortable overall and i definitely prefer having less material under my clothes when i'm working.  i do still want a longer one (that fits) in the future, so if/when i go for one of those i'll be sticking with this brand. 

haven't tried a short binder from underworks, but i would guess that it's the same as the other, just without the clingy shirt material.

Okay thanks haha seems as if everyone is saying GC2B is better, I think I'm gonna order a GC2B binder now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I always go with a full length binder. They are kind of a pain sometimes when they tend to roll up but I don't like the half length binders because they remind me too much of a sports bra which causes me dysphoria. That's just my personal preference though.

I also use the full length ones.

There's the full length of it pulling the chest area flatter downward, and for some reason it doesn't hike up. Must be the type of material it is.  But I also use a sport halter as well under it so it doesn't completely wreck my skin elasticity and keeps everything "in place". So basically I'm wearing two binders, both of similar easy-sliding material, so they don't bunch up and there is minimal friction between the two when I move around.

Quote from: Contravene on December 29, 2017, 04:44:58 PM
I always go with a full length binder. They are kind of a pain sometimes when they tend to roll up but I don't like the half length binders because they remind me too much of a sports bra which causes me dysphoria. That's just my personal preference though.

Ah makes sense. Thanks -Ethan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: Viktor on December 29, 2017, 04:54:05 PM
I also use the full length ones.

There's the full length of it pulling the chest area flatter downward, and for some reason it doesn't hike up. Must be the type of material it is.  But I also use a sport halter as well under it so it doesn't completely wreck my skin elasticity and keeps everything "in place". So basically I'm wearing two binders, both of similar easy-sliding material, so they don't bunch up and there is minimal friction between the two when I move around.

I've been thinking of a full length one but am too scared of it rolling up a lot -Ethan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I much prefer the half-length ones. Binders don't breath well and get really sweaty and gross in the summer. You're very likely to get acne under the area it covers. The less skin it covers, the better. Another factor is that rolling up is much more of a problem for full-length binders, and having to adjust them constantly is annoying.

Also, since everyone is championing GC2B, I'm just throwing it out there that different brands are better for different body shapes. GC2B doesn't work for me, regardless of the size I get, because the armholes are cut too low. So while your first order will hopefully work out fine, remember that there are other options if it doesn't. (Underworks' new cotton-lined stuff is the same price as GC2B and pretty comfortable too.) Don't assume you'll just never be able to bind or something.

Quote from: widdershins on December 30, 2017, 12:02:56 AM
I much prefer the half-length ones. Binders don't breath well and get really sweaty and gross in the summer. You're very likely to get acne under the area it covers. The less skin it covers, the better. Another factor is that rolling up is much more of a problem for full-length binders, and having to adjust them constantly is annoying.

Also, since everyone is championing GC2B, I'm just throwing it out there that different brands are better for different body shapes. GC2B doesn't work for me, regardless of the size I get, because the armholes are cut too low. So while your first order will hopefully work out fine, remember that there are other options if it doesn't. (Underworks' new cotton-lined stuff is the same price as GC2B and pretty comfortable too.) Don't assume you'll just never be able to bind or something.

Thanks!! Might have to go with underworks because GC2B lees declining my card ;( -Ethan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I completely forgot about binder acne!!
Widdershins is very right - the less skin your binder covers, the less areas that you will break out in. When I first started to bind, I would break out horribly all over my chest; my advice in that field is to invest in a binder that you can wash very often without it getting loose, and to invest in some acne lotions/body washes (African black soap is pretty cheap and very good for acne in the area a short binder would cover)

Quote from: virtualverny on December 30, 2017, 04:06:24 PM
I completely forgot about binder acne!!
Widdershins is very right - the less skin your binder covers, the less areas that you will break out in. When I first started to bind, I would break out horribly all over my chest; my advice in that field is to invest in a binder that you can wash very often without it getting loose, and to invest in some acne lotions/body washes (African black soap is pretty cheap and very good for acne in the area a short binder would cover)

Thankyou! Did this acne leave scars/visible marks? -Ethan


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't have any scars, actually. The acne I get from binding is very soft (at the risk of sounding gross) and isn't particularly deep, so it's pretty easy to get rid of. Exfoliating is a good way to lessen it; binding causes a lot of sweat and dead skin build up, so if you really don't want any spots at all it's best to just get rid of that dead skin asap.  ;D

Quote from: virtualverny on December 30, 2017, 07:04:12 PM
I don't have any scars, actually. The acne I get from binding is very soft (at the risk of sounding gross) and isn't particularly deep, so it's pretty easy to get rid of. Exfoliating is a good way to lessen it; binding causes a lot of sweat and dead skin build up, so if you really don't want any spots at all it's best to just get rid of that dead skin asap.  ;D

Thank you[emoji1]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk