I’ve tried a bunch of binders over the years, and my current favorite is a gc2b tank binder, but it’s a little clammy in hot weather. I’ve mostly been getting by with cotton sports bras at a band size two inches smaller than my actual size, with a square-cut, loose overshirt to disguise the lumpiness. That’s good enough for a quick trip to the store, but I think have an excuse to buy a new one. (Never mind the… uh… several others in my closet, lol). Any recommendations?
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Seconding tape! I have what’s considered to be a larger chest but mine are not very dense. I’ve noticed that helps me a lot with getting my chest to look right with trans tape. From what I’ve heard/seen online, tape is harder to use if you have denser chest tissue.
The other thing I do in hot weather is wear a moisture wicking under shirt under my binder. It helps a lot with general sweat and making sure things aren’t too swampy under there. I like the Uniqlo Airism shirts, but anything moisture wicking and thin will work great.
I have never tried a moisture wicking shirt under a binder, because I thought they didn’t work if there was no airflow. Good to know they do! I know I have at least two lying around somewhere, I’ll just have to see if I can find them before the weather turns again, lol.
I got myself a sleeveless hoodie which is decent enough to hide things
Or if small enough you could try tape although can be trial and error. I’ve had some success however only managed to reduce it rather than flatten completely
Ooh, I wish I could wear hoodies in warm weather! I have zero tolerance for warm weather (like, anything over 70F and I start taking off layers). Tape is a good thought, but I think I’m too big and floppy for it to work, tbph. I also usually have trouble keeping anything strapless from bouncing, sliding down, or both.
… but if I did try tape, possibly with tape “straps,” what kind of tape? I know kinesio tape is supposed to have very firm hold, but I’ve never tried to use it.
hey! so i live in a hot climate (50F is a winter temperature for us). i used to deal with the binding issue by just wearing very loose and baggy clothes with a sports bra (tomboyx compression top). my chest was too big to bind effectively and my chest tissue was too dense for tape. good luck buddy! no matter what you do, dont forget to drink a shit ton of water :)
Baggy clothes/sports bra does seem to be pretty good for hot weather, I just wish it looked good enough on me for social occasions, sigh. I remember considering a TomboyX product at one point, but I don’t remember if it’s what I actually bought. I took off the label, lol. My sports bra go-to is just cheap, front-close cotton fruit of the loom racerbacks, because I can just throw them in the washer if they get sweaty. It would be even cheaper if I got the plain ones instead of front close, but I get a suspicious-looking shelf from regular ones.
And yes, water! I totally don’t forget to do that (spoilers: I totally do forget to do that, lol).
aw I feel ya buddy. (the tomboyx one has branding along the band and a printed-on label so it’s not the one you have!) yeah, shelves…i feel u. what i liked about the tomboyx one is that, at least for my build and tissue density, it provided support while keeping shit out of the way. it wasn’t shelfy but also my tissue was more of a ‘two heavily divorced households’ situation rather than a ‘friends who meet in the middle all the time’ one hahaha.
is top surgery something you’re planning on having? :0
Thanks. <3 Yes, surgery is definitely in my future, it’s just not easy to make it work logistically and financially. I should look into the TomboyX options again. “Two heavily divorced households” sounds like about what I’m looking for, though, sadly, “two estranged sovereign nations” is probably more accurate.
Hawaiian or guayabera shirts are good summer counterparts to hoodies! You can wear them alone or unbuttoned over a muscle shirt. I still wear a binder under that but I can get away with one that’s a size too big so there’s more air circulation.
I love those! I wear them open over a black T-shirt (for camouflage) most of the summer, partly for silhouette, partly because I like having my torso covered in giant flowers etc (my signature everyday style is best summarized as “dad jokes,” lol). And it definitely helps, but I find I sometimes get “ma’am”ed by people who only see me from the side in those, because I just have too much of a balcony going on for a shirt to drape on.
Ahh I 100% feel you, I hate having to choose between being cool and being comfortable!
As for the tape, floppy may work in your favour haha I think tape tends to work with less dense chests.
I’m in the UK so here we can’t easily get transtape but I used to buy sport tape or rock tape in the largest width (7.5cm or 10cm maybe) which was about £20. however now I buy it from Shein which is only £11 but the quality is lower. If you’re in the US you can use transtape and get whichever width is suitable for you, usually the widest is best for large chests! Alternatively any breast tape will work as these are all just KT (kinesiology tape) just rebranded.
I managed with the shein tape whilst being in and out of the swimming pool and this lasted 3/4 days before needing t replace it.
My method is start lying down, on each side - two pieces pulling each to the side (towards the armpit) and a long piece starting underneath and going over my shoulders to hold the weight, as I tended to feel it pulling without this piece. I haven’t heard anyone else use this method so if it doesn’t sound safe someone please let me know! I can draw a diagram for you later if it helps! You can also look at YouTube videos for tutorials for larger chests that may help, and unfortunately will take trial and error! It took me a whole roll to figure out a way that works for me.
The most important thing is leaving an ‘anchor’ about 1 inch which isn’t stretched at the start and end of each strip.
Also please be careful when taking it off, you can use any oil from the supermarket to help remove the adhesive and I don’t get blisters or sores unless I over tighten it initially
Thanks for the info! I can’t say I’ve ever thought about chest density; what I mean by “floppy” is that the tissue seems to grow outwards and down rather than generating bulk, which makes it hard to flatten them without also lifting. But I also don’t actually have to decrease my circumference to look presentable, so I might try tape. I think 10 cm is going to work better for me than 7.5, I am positive I’d get rollover with 7.5, lol. My go-to for taking adhesive off my skin is isopropyl alcohol, but oil would probably be better for my skin.
