So I would like to start packing, and would greatly appreciate any advice. Some specific questions I have are as follows:

- What is (in your opinion) the best packer for a first-timer to use? And I am specifically looking at packers, not prosthetics.
- What size would work best for discrete packing? I've read that some of the shorter ones tend to stick out and not lay down as nicely.
- Balls or no balls? Flat back or 3D?
- Should I just use a regular old jock-strap or boxer-briefs to secure the packer, or should I use something more specialized (for example, Rodeoh briefs)? For me, the more secure, the better.

That's all the questions I have for now. I realize some of these are probably subjective, but any and all recommendations or preferences you have would be very helpful.

Honestly, I feel the best packer for a first timer is a 3.5 inch Mr. Limpy.  It's realatively cheap.  It does tend to stick out like a boner some but I still think it can be managed.  A Mr. Limpy is my first (and only) packer and I enjoy it.  It curbs my dysphoria some.

My opinion (keep in mind I've only tried one so far) is that the MASHO is great. It's a realistic size, it's got 3D balls, and it's cheap. It's slightly more expensive than an x-small mr limpy, but it doesn't stick straight out. It lies down nicely.

For holding it in place, I just put it in briefs or trunks and it's fine. looser boxer-briefs are a little less secure though, but still doable. I find that most packing underwear I've tried holds the packer too high and makes a more obvious bulge, but when I put it in my own pants it sits where I like it and where the bulge is hardly noticeable unless you're wearing tight pants.
It only comes in one size, 4 inches, which I think is perfect. It comes in different 'hardnesses' but none of them are hard by any means. I have a firm which I personally think is a little tiny bit too firm, but I've never felt a cisguy's penis so I don't know.

also to my knowledge the Rodeoh is for hard packing (I may be wrong), but there are some great other harnesses I'm sure guys can recommend if that's what you'd prefer. There's TONS of 'em out there.

I'd say the best first time packer would be a MASHO. Most people are going to suggest the Mr. limpy because it's cheap, but like you said, it tends to stick straight out. Masho is just about in the same price range plus it sits flat and has 3d balls.
A jockstrap would work best.

Does anyone know where I can find the MASHO? I've had no trouble finding the Mr. Limpy...

They're primarily sold by Queen Cat Adult Toys, but I got mine from tranzwear. You can find both of those on google, I think. (:

Tranzwear is where I got mine- if you want a harness or packing underwear they've got lots of options that you can order it with too.
I've never looked at Queen Cat, so I don't know much about their site and what they sell, but I believe they offer all the firmnesses while Tranzwear only has hard and soft, not regular.

I am personally a big fan of the 4" Sailor. Depending on what underwear I wear I use a Aslan packing strap. It's designed for Mr Right but I use it with my Sailor and it works just fine.

I've used and liked both the mr. limpy 3.5" and sailor 4" and i prefer mr. limpy because its more realistic and more durable. it only looks like a boner if you wear boxers and loose pants at the same time. if you wear briefs, boxer briefs, or jeans it will not look like a boner. the sailor never looks like a boner. i use a simple elastic string harness and its super comfy and holds my packer nicely.

I'd go for the MASHO, like many other guys have said. It's not a lot more expensive than the xs limpy. If you do go for the MASHO, go for the hard one, which is actually as soft as a limpy. Anything softer I feel would not last long, anyways, but I've never owned the soft/regular MASHOs. If not the MASHO, I'd say the sailor. I like the sailor better, but a MASHO is good for first-time packing, since it's not as large and likely handles harnesses better, though don't quote me there.

Mr. Limpy 3.5" or MASHO are your best bet. You decide.

I liked Mr. Limpy because of the size and the weight. The flat backed balls were meh, but at least helped keep my guy from flipping over. I'm a boxer brief guy so I never had the sticking out issue, but I did notice it would do that. I still think even that would be better than a Sailor 4" though.

Every time I used the Sailor I would have immediate boner issues. A bulge is one thing, but this was just a straight chub sticking down a pant leg. Very obvious looking boner. The balls on this guy were pathetic and contributed to the shaft slipping down and out from my harnesses. Bigger balls would have helped, but just the general feel of the shaft on the sailor is very unrealistic to me.

Penises are a little solid, but pretty mashable. The MASHO is a nice fix with its 3D balls and flat lying shaft. It is, however, smaller than the Mr. Limpy in general. If you held them in your hands you would see and feel that each would belong to different sized person essentially. I think I had gotten the regular firmness, mostly for the color, but you'd be better off with the hard since even the regular was at least twice as squishy as the Mr. Limpy. Being that soft led to it nearly splitting in half after a couple weeks of daily use.

TL;DR
3.5" Mr. Limpy is your best bet in size, durability, and realisim. MASHO works, but it'll probably be destroyed within a month. 4" Sailor will give you a forever boner.

Hope this helps dude.

I got the MASHO packer and I liked it. It was the soft one and I thought it was pretty small but it worked well. If you want to get a cheaper one then go with Mr. Limpy. I regret getting my packer because I thought it would be for me but I don't really like using it and it makes me uncomfortable. Get a cheaper one to be safe and test it out.