okay so it’s okay if your not comfortable answering this question but how do you get and apply packers/binders without your parents noticing and getting angry at you? It’s also okay if you can’t answer I just wanted to ask
No problem!! I actually love answering questions like this!
BUYING
Back when I was a wee lad and not out to my family, I saved up pocket change and lunch money in a bigass ziploc bag for MONTHS. Then i’d take it to one of those coinstar things where it counts it and you can convert it to cash. Then I’d use the cash to buy a visa giftcard.
Then I’d use that visa giftcard to buy whatever it is I needed online, and I’d have it shipped to a trusted person’s house. If you buy a (SAFE!! REPUTABLE!!!!FROM UNDERWORKS!!!!!) binder or packer off Amazon, you also have the ability to have it delivered to an Amazon locker nearby so you can pick it up there.
WASHING
When it comes to washing both the binder and packer, theres a few options. The way I did it was by either machine washing the binder at a friend’s house, or taking both the binder and packer with me into the shower and handwashing them both with a gentle soap. Packers are more forgiving (I washed both my first TPR packer as well as my expensive silicone ones with shampoo several times before), but make sure you use a mild soap or diluted laundry detergent to wash the binder. The packer can just be patted dry, the binder needs to be gently squeezed out to get as much of the water out as you can (works really well if you squeeze it inside a towel), and then hang drying it overnight. You can even put it in front of a fan if you really need to.
STORING (or hiding)
Storing a binder is pretty simple since most tend to look like a tank top or undershirt, so it can be pretty easily explained away if someone sees it. They’re also compact and can be hidden easily, like under a bed, in a closet, under furniture, under clothes in a drawer, anywhere really.
Packers are trickier and more risky. They’re bulky, they’re difficult to hide unless your parents aren’t constantly looking through your stuff, and on the off chance they happen to see it, there’s really no good way to explain it away like you could with a binder.
I really recommend just making a packer with some socks: it’s a free diy option, it’s comfy, it’s discreet, and when it’s time to wash it you just take it apart and throw it in the laundry, because it’s socks.
WEARING
If wearing them and your parents noticing is a concern, you can always have designated places to wear them I guess. I’d put them in my backpack and put them on when I got to school or to my friends’ houses or whatever, and then would take them off before I went home.
SAFETY
I also cannot stress this enough, DO NOT BUY A CHEAP BINDER FROM A RANDOM UNKNOWN/NONREPUTABLE SELLER.
PLEASE don’t do what I did: I bought and wore a stupid cheap amazon binder (that had good reviews!) when I was 16, wore it out for a couple hours, popped a rib and suddenly couldn’t breathe, and passed out in a public bathroom stall. My ribs are permanently disfigured to this day because of the choice I made to wear that binder. It’s been over 10 years.
I don’t care how many good reviews the cheap options on amazon or aliexpress or temu or shein or whatever have: Best case scenario, it rips or falls apart after a single use or wash. Worst case scenario, you seriously injure yourself. Either way, you wasted money that could have gone towards a quality, SAFE binder, and your body is not worth that risk.
Iiii know that this is a lot of info to digest, but I hope I answered your question! This is literally my irl job, so feel free to ask others too.
