Are there any guys in transition here that do not pack in public?  Not because of lack of finances, but because you just simply don't want to.

I have a packer to wear around the house at times when I feel really dysphoric, but as far as transitioning in the future, I don't think I'll be packing much in public.  It would just be too much for me to deal with.  Not knocking the guys who do it though. 

Any non-packers?  What are your reasons for not packing?

I tend not to pack.  I find it very uncomfortable.  Sans packer I can generally just ignore the whole situation down there, but a sweaty rubbery latex mass rubbing up against me constantly makes things 100 times worse.  I've never liked tight clothes, and I don't feel like anyone could tell in my day-to-day dungarees. =p

I did pack when I used to to jiu jitsu because of the close contact involved.  It was uncomfortable (and I'd have probably been better at it without it), but it seemed necessary at the time. 

I don't know if I'd back for martial arts again... only if I had to wear a cup (my old school made the guys tap their cup to prove it before sparring. I'd rather have some padding between me and that hard plastic thank you very much =p) 

I stick a sock in my underwear when I go to the gym (not all the time though). That's just so people won't notice anything weird when Im laying down.
Sometimes also when I'm wearing khakis or dress pants,they tend to outline the crotch area.

Otherwise, I dont really have a reason to.
Although, I get aroused when I actually have something in my pants that feels and resembles a penis. Even thinking about it is really arousing for me. I wear it at home when I'm alone just for the imagination.

Since ill be living on campus in two years, I plan on getting a lifelike prosthetic for about a grand,that has an STP device built in. That way, I wont have anything to worry about and can be seen as a typical male, clothes on and clothes off.

I do pack, but not every day. Usually only in tight pants or when I feel like it.

I never pack. It just seems like it would be one more thing to worry about. I live in a warmer area and wear shorts 75% of the year so I'd be more worried about my wiener falling out the leg of my shorts than anyone somehow noticing I don't have a bulge. I mostly wear baggy cargo shorts but sometimes I'll wear basketball shorts. Nobody has ever approached me to ask why it doesn't look like I have a penis. I think wearing one would make me more dysphoric and be a constant reminder so I don't bother.

I'm 50-50. I have long periods of time where it feels necessary to pack/pack my STP, then as of late, I've been putting it off for comfort reasons. No mater how nice the packer, it's still uncomfortable when you wear it in the boiling hot weather.

Just a question for anyone reading - Do you think many people really notice when you don't pack? I mean, do folks really glance at each others crotches consciously for a few seconds when in conversation? It's not quite like your eyes falling to a woman's breast as you're in conversation, which seems to be "common."

Quote from: dreaming.forever on June 21, 2013, 02:05:12 AM
Also, if/when I ever started dating, I wouldn't want to "falsely advertise" by packing--I'd feel awkward explaining that it was just a packer, and I'd rather just not pack and let guys assume that I just have a very small dick (not too far from the truth).

There's a girl I liked for a while, and the first time we hung out alone I was packing in some tighter pants. All I can say is regret. At some (completely inappropriate) point it totally looked as if I had an erection, and it made her really uncomfortable. One of my "dear god, why" moments.

*Raises hand* I'm a non-packer. I've tried it, but it made me feel more dysphoric because it was artificial; it just reinforced the fact that I'm missing something that should be there and it made me feel even more incomplete.

For the same reason, I don't use an STP or anything else along those lines. If it isn't mine, I don't want it. I'll wait until I've had my surgeries so that I can feel complete.

I packed in the start but not anymore,
I think I stopped because packing actually gave me more dyshoria and worries than not packing. the whole thing about being worries about what if other feel this or that or if it falls out?

I dont think it make a big diffrence for me, I always have something in my puckets so some people belive im packing.

Packing complicates the process of getting ready... once I don't have to bind anymore I want to have the option of tossing on clothes to leave the house without making a production of it in anyway.

Also -- the anxiety of packing far outweighs the anxieties it would reduce for me. I would be paranoid it would fall out, or look wrong. Binding is enough of a hassle as it is,  but I could never leave the house without binding, so it has to stay. No packing for me though.

Having something not attached to me in my pants seems more awkward and uncomfortable than any potential benefits.

Another non-packer here. Like others mentioned, it would just make me feel more dysphoric + I really don't want to falsely advertise.  Plus my bottom dysphoria's really nothing to write home about. Maybe if it was, I'd pack.

And I can't think of any situation where it would be better to pack, given that that would just introduce another anxiety about it falling out, looking right, etc. I don't wear skinny jeans or anything where a lack would be obvious. And even if there was, people are going to assume 'small package' rather than 'no package' and maybe even feel bad for noticing. 

Quote from: Not-so Fat Admin on June 21, 2013, 05:28:01 PM
And I can't think of any situation where it would be better to pack, given that that would just introduce another anxiety about it falling out, looking right, etc.

This is exactly why I never packed.

Quote from: GnomeKid on June 20, 2013, 06:42:26 PM
I tend not to pack.  I find it very uncomfortable.  Sans packer I can generally just ignore the whole situation down there, but a sweaty rubbery latex mass rubbing up against me constantly makes things 100 times worse.  I've never liked tight clothes, and I don't feel like anyone could tell in my day-to-day dungarees. =p

this ^^^

I vary from packing to not packing.  If it's near that time I won't back, because I'm terrified of it getting ruined, and if I don't have any clean boxers, which happens too often because I have to handwash them and wait for them to air dry, I won't pack because I feel like I've got a dirty crossdressing secret or something, having all male clothes and a dick but female underwear.  It's just a feeling that's really not me.  Then other times I'll pack because the feeling of having something down there feels better, and oddly it helps me to sleep.

I recently bought a packer, but I'm only planning on wearing it to sleep.

For whatever reason, bottom dysphoria only seems to bug me when I'm home in my pjs.

Quote from: BearGuy on June 20, 2013, 06:48:38 PM
I stick a sock in my underwear when I go to the gym (not all the time though). That's just so people won't notice anything weird when Im laying down.
Sometimes also when I'm wearing khakis or dress pants,they tend to outline the crotch area.

Otherwise, I dont really have a reason to.
Although, I get aroused when I actually have something in my pants that feels and resembles a penis. Even thinking about it is really arousing for me. I wear it at home when I'm alone just for the imagination.

Since ill be living on campus in two years, I plan on getting a lifelike prosthetic for about a grand,that has an STP device built in. That way, I wont have anything to worry about and can be seen as a typical male, clothes on and clothes off.

If you want a more comfortable (and less arousing) alternative for the gym try swim shorts with a velcro fly.  I run/lift in those all the time.  the velcro makes it so your fly doesn't "collapse" on you even sans packer.  its far too stiff and rumply for anyone to take notice of whats really going on down there.  I've seen other dudes at the gym in them too, and I doubt they were also transmen. 

I go without packing when I'm at home but I pretty much need to do it when I'm out in the public. It gives me some confidence boost which I desperately need being pre-op and feeling like the hormones haven't really done enough for me to feel confident about passing.

I actually noticed this need when I once decided to go get some groceries quickly (it's just a five minute walk from our house to the store) and whoopsie-daisy, I forgot to wear the packer. It was pretty awful trip to the store feeling extremely self-conscious and paranoid all the time.

I also don't usually wear my packer when I go to bed but when I'm at my Mom and stepdad's or staying over at a friend's house, I tend to keep it in my pants. I doubt they want to see a dismembered penis lying on the floor/table/chair.

I used to pack every day, all day - especially before being on T.  Now, because of the sweaty nature of my job - it's just not do-able.  I can't find any comfortable way to wear a harness and packer all day with sweaty balls without constantly adjusting or feeling gummy.  It makes me more dysphoric to constantly feel the harness pulling or chafing me and the sticky, tacky grossness of the sweaty packer after a hard day's work.

I plan on getting the Real Magik prosthetic - because it's "glue-on", so to speak - it may be better.  But those harness-type packers - I can't stand them.

I only pack now when I'm feeling dysphoric without doing so - or when I am wearing jeans or when I am in a situation where my crotch could be observed up-close by others.