Updated routine that works for me
Hey Y'all. Bit of a long read, but I just wanted to make a post about what seems to be the best method for my use case. I understand that this is just for me and everyone is different, but hopefully some others may be able to take info away from this post.
So I've been back to work for a couple months now. I work in construction, roofing to be more specific, all day out in the heat, getting into weird positions just to get each job done. So with that I had a problem. The sweat made every gripper fall off at some point through the day and made it hard to put back on. I only tried RIC Packers and Mantor Classic grippers, so others may work better. The only exception being the Car-1 that was able to stay on during the sweat. That had it's own issue of getting uncomfortable after a few hours of wear. I tried using that last year but taking it off and reinstalling was awkward since I had to sneak my inflator out of my bag every break and it would take 5-10 mins just to piss behind a tree.
So something needed to change. I introduced T-tape into my routine and liked that it was able to stay on for a couple days at a time, basically providing 24 hr tugging. But of course, it had a problem too. Whether strapping around the leg or around the waist it was uncomfortable while wearing at work. Although it's perfectly fine when I'm not working so I put it around my waist when I'm sleeping. Weights are also a great addition to the Tape and the Car-1 but are dangerous to wear while working. A slight jolt becomes a major jolt even hanging only ~100grams and is very uncomfortable when it happens.
So what to do then? Well I came here and asked this question a few weeks ago and the answer was simple. Packers. I already had everything I needed to create "my perfect device". I install the T-Tape normally then place the smallest RIC packer (slightly modified as I cut off the "flare" at the end to make it rounded at the top and don't use the gripper as the tape is doing the gripping) then I use a bedsheet/suspender clip to close it all up.
And man oh man does this work wonderfully. I don't even feel like I'm wearing anything and I'm starting to see progress again. Very hopeful that over the course of this year I can finally grow enough outer skin to finally get over this damn ci-4 hump!
After work I keep it mostly the same although I add a masterlock as a weight, then, as mentioned before, I use a bed sheet strap around the waist to sleep. After a few days of use when I remove the tape in the shower I use the Car-1 with the weight as a "little treat" until I put my next tape on. During a shower I wear a silicone toe protector to cover the tape which keeps it 100% dry and able to be used for 3 days easily.
So, thank you if you read this far, and thank you to anyone who has given me, or anyone on here for that matter, any advice. This is an amazing community with a common goal of regaining what was stolen from us, whether consensually or non-consensually and I really hope we all can acheive our goals. If any of this info can help even 1 person, it'll make me extremely happy. It's working for me, so maybe it can work for you. Be smart and be safe everyone. K.O.T brothers. We got this!