Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I'm going to be purchasing a new binder sometime this week but I'm having trouble deciding on one (which we all know is extremely hard since we don't have an option of SEEING how they look on us before we order).

If the perfect binder for me was real (we all know there is no such thing lol) these are the things I would look for:

-Something breathable or lightweight to help prevent sweating
-Length is an issue!
- Something that isn't really noticeable or doesn't stick out at the bottom making a line (similar to what it would look like if you were wearing a sports bra under a skin tight shirt).

And now I'm sure there are other things that were important too and I've forgotten them :( These are really my three main issues though.

I know a lot of guys believe that anyone with a smaller sized chest (I am a small A cup) is lucky, but it just isn't true. Any binder I've found has some kind of issue due to my body shape. I end up with a lot of rolling up or I have to buy something super tight and end up with it cutting into my underarms and squeezing in my stomach making my hips more noticeable (I'm kind of an hour glass figure just a bit smaller on top). With my rib cage being larger than my waist shorter binders tend to really flare out at the bottom and cause a line/roll in my shirts. The only way I've been able to prevent this is by layering my binder, an A-shirt and then a t-shirt or button up over this.... which just leads us back to sweat.

I have an abnormally high body temperature and summer is a time I really suffer through. When I get overheated (which happens very easily for me) I get ill, I also have really bad acne on my back, shoulders and chest. When you combine both of these things heat becomes a bigger issue than most people may realize, Nebraska also has very humid heat. You basically spend 5-10 minutes in your car before your back is drenched with sweat in the summer.

I'm looking at Underworks most likely but will check out any other product you guys recommend. I'd rather shop around for a couple of weeks and find something that will work better for me than what I have now.

My current one is the tri-top extreme chest binder waist length (ends a few inches below my rib cage on me). I altered it on the lower portion by adding a small V of material so it would hug less at the bottom of my rib cage and not roll as much. I can look for my sewing kit and get some basic measurements to help with any ideas if someone thinks they might be about the same size as me :)

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Post Merge: February 22, 2010, 11:43:50 AM

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Also I can get some pics of my current binder and any examples you need of how it looks on me. It may be the way I altered it that causes some of the crease through my shirt, maybe someone else has a better way to do this.

I've been wearing a Frog Bra to bind over a white cotton T-shirt (the shirt underneath is to keep it from digging in so much, and it mostly eliminates the lines). One more medium-loose-fitting T-shirt and I'm cool and comfortable. There's zero roll-up issue, it's ultra-short, it's breathable, and since you're wearing a shirt underneath it, you can just change the shirt daily and reuse the binder.

If I layer another white T-shirt over the binding and under my outer shirt, I get a boxier body shape and the line across my back essentially disappears even when I bend and stretch (but at that point you're wearing three layers of T-shirt plus an extra layer over the problem area. At least they're all cotton, though.)

I just got some Underworks binders - the double front and one of the cotton muscle tees - about to go get them out of the box and see if they give me as much trouble as it sounds like they're giving you.

Quote from: kyril on February 22, 2010, 11:55:47 AM
I just got some Underworks binders - the double front and one of the cotton muscle tees - about to go get them out of the box and see if they give me as much trouble as it sounds like they're giving you.

Let me know what you think of the muscle tees, I've been curious about them since the design (theoretically) is something you can wear without another shirt over it.

I tried the muscle tee, and it not only doesn't bind, but it's not even remotely something I'd be able to wear without another shirt. It's also thick and very warm. Here's a pic (I did the measurements as directed and ordered the correct size, and the double front I ordered in the same size works fine although slightly looser on top than I'd expected)
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi209.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb164%2Fkaosgrace%2F100_1032.jpg&hash=304e97fdec951f12898d2579a970f4b17af243e2)
Maybe if you have a different body type from mine you might like it more. At best, for me, it's something I might wear under my sweatshirts so I don't have to wear the tighter binder when my shape wouldn't show anyway.

Wow, that definitely does not work as well as they claim. What size is your chest to begin with? Does it really offer any compression?

34C (but squishy, easy to bind) and no, not at all. Even if it's a bit too big, the material is just so soft and pliable that I don't get any binding action even when I grab it and pull it taut.

I think I'm just going to send it back and ask for a tri-top in a size smaller than I got my double front. It's odd, I should have been right in the middle of a medium, but I'm clearly not.

Uh, Kyril... that binder is WAY too big. Try a smaller size, and it should work. I swear by the cotton concealer muscle tees, and I'm about a 36 B/C... do your measurements as it says on Underworks, then go one size down from what they tell you you should be. I've tried a few different Underworks options, and still think the cotton concealer is the most comfortable and effective.

SD

Sebastien's right in that many times if you take your measurements and compare them to Underworks' charts you'll need one size down. Sometimes you don't though. At any case that binder is way too big for you.

From my experience I thought the cotton concealer didn't bind as well as wanted but did better than yours is doing. I myself swear by the double front compression tank tops. They work great, are comfortable and breathable. I also have an extreme chest concealer FTM chest binder which is O.K. but not as comfortable. It still compresses just as well as the double front though.

I find that with any long shirt (binder or not) that is spandex type material I just end up with it rolling up instead of staying tucked in because of my hips.

I'm kind of curious about their new extreme chest concealer that has the relaxed midsection. Maybe without all of the pressure along the stomach and hips it wouldn't roll up as much.

I, too, use a Frog Bra. So far it's the best in the sense it's easy to put on and wear. No fuss. I throw a loose tee with graphics over and i'm good to go. The only problem i have is that i get the uni-moob action on occasion and it is noticeable depending on the shirt. Compresses great and VERY little "bouncing" , though, and sometimes it does look like muscle... or so i like to think.

I also have a binder from t-kingdom that works well enough (though i find i dislike the velcro feature) and a compression tank that is "okay" with the binder/frog under or over it. I'm going to be ordering one from Underworks at some point as well.

Just FYI i'm a D.  :-\

I don't expect much hiding of the moobs going on at this point so i try to work around it. We'll see what happens when i go on T.

I swear by the Tri Top. I got the small, when it was a size too small for me, it made me bleed and cut into me but DAMN was my chest flat...oh the things I put myself through....

I currently use and go between using an abdominal binder, 2 sports bras with a belt overtop, and a different abdominal binder that I think is more intended for surgical purposes but gets me the flattest. I do advise that I need someone to help me get it tight enough to my liking to where it hides my junk...I'm a 34ish C I think, but my tissue is broken down due to years of binding.