Etsy seller: Terra Pads Cloth Pad Review 2013
WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS DETAILS OF MENSTRUAL SANITARY PRODUCTS, IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH OF THIS TOPIC OR ARE LIKELY TO TAKE OFFENCE TO THIS DO NOT BOTHER CONTINUING
Made in America Terra pads offer a huge range of options with their pads including 6 or possibly more different topper fabrics (cotton, flannel, jersey, suede cloth, OBV, and minky) , several different choices for absorbency fabric (flannel, terry cloth, zorb, cotton battling), a choice in the backing fabric between regular anti pill fleece or super high quality windpro fleece. She offers a range of sizes from 6 inches long right up to 17 inches long, there are two poppers on all pads 8 inches or longer and the extra popper give you an adjustable width for different sized women or different style underwear, the regular width when snapped is 3 inches or can be tightened to 2.5 inches, the narrow style pad is 2.5 inches but can bee narrowed to 2 inches. There are also many other extras and custom options available for you to get exactly the pad you want!
i went with two 9 inch pads, one jersey after enjoying the stay dry feel of my soya jersey Angelpadz so much and one suede cloth pad because I have never tried suede cloth before but have heard good things about it. I got both in the heavy absorbency with the zorb core as I know zorb in my favourite if those choices. I also got windpro fleece backing for both as i find it slimmer and slightly more waterproof than regular anti pill fleece despite not really being available in patterns.
Karma, the maker of Terrapads, completed my custom order within 24 hours and sent me a photo just to make sure I liked them then had it posted out the next day, so I was very impressed!
When they came they were wrapped in pretty tissue paper and came with a free key ring of scrap material and some washing instructions and info on RUMPS (reusable menstrual products).
The pads themselves are beautifully made and I think they will last a long time though I obviously don’t know for sure yet. They have a rectangle of top stitching to centralise the flo which works really well. The cores in mine are 2 layers of zorb sandwiched between two layers of flannel, this makes them quite thick bur they are super absorbent and are now my favourite pads for my heaviest day. They don’t fit me brilliantly I do tend to prefer contour shaped pads but these are so absorbent I’m happy to wear them.
Suede cloth is a really nice fabric that feels much drier than OBV, flannel, and definitely cotton. It is synthetic and therefore can get a bit warm despite being low pile but no warmer than OBV in my opinion and definitely cooler than minky. It’s not as soft as OBV, flannel, minky or cotton but its not scratchy or uncomfortable and I’d be happy to but more suede cloth tops.
The jersey topped pad was awesome! It is my favourite pad because it stays feeling dry for far longer than any of my other pads! It isn’t absorbent in itself but its similar to airtex fabric and has breathable holes which wick the moisture away. It’s a synthetic fabric so it doesn’t hold water at all and therefore doesn’t feel damp until the core is no longer absorbing. I loved this topper so much that im going to get 3 more!
I always do a ‘water test’ on my pads after washing them, I use my small Lunette menstrual cup (approx 20 ml capacity) and count how many cups the pad can take, I do this over the course of 10 minutes so pads with a core that is not a ‘fast’ absorbent core are likely to get a lower score in this test but may in fact hold more if left longer. I pour the water from a full small Lunette cup over the length of the pad, let it settle, then check the underneath and sides for leaks, these pads both take 6.5 cups worth of water before leaking! this is brilliant! For reference I do the same test on an overnight Always disposable pad, this pad can take 5 cups worth before leaking.
Overall the customer service was great, custom order turnaround was amazing, there we’re free gifts which is always nice, the pads themselves are very well made, they’re very absorbent, there’s A LOT of choice for custom orders in terms of fabrics etc, and the fabrics all feel very high quality. The only down point I can think of is that they’re quite thick (but I only own heavies) and they aren’t contoured, but that’s just a personal preference.
I would recommend these to anyone with a heavy flow particularly but she has so much choice on her store inm sure there would be something for everyone!
ecoladyuk 
Hi ecoladyuk!
Do have any suggestions for cloth pads that are thin and contoured cloth pad for a heavy flow because I am teen whose going to make the switch soon but I want to find some pads that won’t be seen though tight jeans/clothing. I use the always infinity heavy flow pads and they were “nice” but not worth the the chemicals and irritation.
Thanks,
Jada
Hi Jada!
I used to be an Always girl and have now realised how badly they affectd me as I have gone from a VERY painful VERY heavy 8 day cycle, to a practically pain free, manageable 5 day cycle! I have generally found that 2 layers of zorb are the best for heavy flow, my favourite thinner heavy flow pads are Rebecca’s reusables on etsy, terrapads on etsy, and trojacek farms also on etsy, these all have 2 layers of zorb (though you my have to request a custom order in the length/width you like) they all have different top fabric choices as well. I would avoid cotton if you have a heavy flow as it doesn’t absorb very quickly, I wouldn’t recommend flannel as it wears really quickly, organic bamboo velour is lovely and soft and has antibacterial and antifungal properties but can get a bit warm in summer, minky again is soft but can get warm, suede cloth is very absorbent and stay dry, and jersey is great for summer keeps you feeling dry but is not soft. So its personal preference really depending on lifestyle, I would say the trojacek farms are the thinnest and would show through the least as they have PUL instead of fleece as a waterproof, if you go for terrapads be sure to get windpro fleece backed as this affects the thickness quite a lot. Also be aware of the length of pad you actually need, I used to wear 11 inch Always night pads purely as they were the most absorbent available. Since switching I’ve discovered that I bleed straight down not to the front or back so can use a high absorbency cloth pad in an 8 or 9 inch length which makes it much less noticeable through tight clothes and also saves a bit of money!
None of these pads are as thin as Always but they are more comfortable and much better for your body, good luck with the switch and if you have any more questions or need links to any if those pad sellers feel free to ask, nothing is TMI here 🙂
Also Tree Huggers in Canada and Eco Rainbow in the UK sell pads with 2 layers of zorb in their heavy pads, the 2 brands are quite similar though tree hugger offer a petite/teen width that might be more suitable though Eco rainbow would probably do you a smaller width as a custom order.
Thanks so much for the suggestions! I have few more questions. Would it be best to start out with a pul pad and what are other brands besides trojaeck farm that have pul as a option. Is zorb good if your flow gushes a little. What are the best shapes for a heavy flow?
Look forward to what you think
Jada
To be honest i dont find that PUL pads are any more leak proof than fleece backed pads, so they are necassarily better for beginners, some people feel more secure with PUL but I’ve never leaked through a fleece backed pad, I suggested PUL purely because it does make the pads slimmer but unfortunately there aren’t that many pad makers that use it as they prefer to steer clear of plastics. Carolines Creations, eco owls on facebook, handsewnbyme, and the silver liner are all apparently very good although i personally dont own any (I’ve seen good reviews though), If you’re in the UK Angelpadz and Jimmy Riddles also offer a PUL option but they don’t have a zorb core.
Zorb is ideal if your flow is gushy, mine is and zorb absorbs quicker than any other core apart from Jimmy Riddles’ core (can’t work out exactly what’s in theirs) so if your have sudden ‘splurges’ zorb is definitely best as long as you have the right top layer. I’d say jersey is the best top layer if you’re a gusher but the only shop currently doing jersey tops with zorb core is Terrapads and they’re shut at the moment, my second choice would be suede cloth so Rebecca’s reusables would be the ideal there, then as a 3rd choice OBV there are many many pads with this option.
The best shaped pad depends on whether you bleed straight down, to the sides, to the back, or to the front, you’ll need a pad with coverage in that area. If you’re a gusher then I’d definitely recommend a pad that’s at least 2.5 inches wide at the gusset, regardless of whether you’re petite or not you’re likely to need that coverage, I’d also recommend a wrap style pad(where the top layer extends onto the wings) just in case of leaking off the sides. Gushers tend to have this problem, most pad makers will do this for you as a custom order even if its not their usual style. Sorry that’s such a long reply I didn’t want forget anything lol if there’s anything else you’re unsure of feel free to ask again 🙂 It’s nice to feel useful for once haha!
On a side note have you considered menstrual cups at all?
Thanks again for all great the advice and suggestions! I can’t wait to try some of these brands. I have considered a menstrual cup but I’m a little intimidated by them.
I really liked the sound of these from your review but after checking them out on Etsy the shipping costs put me off 😦
Hi! Did you ever think of trying the Terrapads ultra thin style? Instead of zorb, she uses birdseye cotton. I think it would be interesting to see how the same absorbances of different materials compare!
Hi it would be interesting trying the different styles and comparing but unfortunately I have such a huge stash now I can’t really justify buying any more pads unless I specifically need them (everything I have reviewed on this blog has been bought with my own money) however I think the pad maker may have done a video of the absorbent cores of her pads on her youtube channel harvestkarma you might find helpful 🙂