Seymour Totti’s Foreign Policy

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Be prepared. It was a credo I learned in the boy scouts. But if you are travelling it is especially important and being prepared to me means having plenty of condoms handy. If you are travelling to Southeast Asia the best advice I can give you will always be bring them with you.

Condoms are available all over Asia but what you find in one 7-11 maybe different from what the 7-11 down the road has in stock and even if you do find what you want this week there is no guarantee it will still be in stock next week.

Having said that, I know from my own experience that it is not always easy or convenient to grab a few boxes before you fly but if your itinerary takes you to Hong Kong or Singapore you are in luck. Both places have a wide range available. Everywhere else it’s a case of trawling the pharmacies and 7-11s. I haven’t been up to Taiwan or Korea for some time but I would expect both to be reasonably well supplied.

Here is a rundown of brands to look out for. I’ve tried all these with at least two different ‘research analysts’, in some cases three.

Durex Avanti Ultima (polyisoprene - 0.045mm)
These are really good if you are prone to premature ejaculation or if you worked yourself into a state heightened excitement and just know you will explode shortly after penetration. But I wouldn’t recommend them for an extended rut. They’re contoured to the shape of your dick and actually feel good when you first put them on. But they loose elasticity and softness and become rather baggy after several changes of position.

Durex featherlite and Featherlite Ultima (latex - 0.05)
Durex had been my brand of choice many years ago, largely because that was the only brand I knew about back then. So, after years of monogamous, condom free relationships, this was the brand I gravitated back to.

These two are the best of the brand. I was told they are the same condom packaged differently for US and UK markets. Both seem to be readily available around Asia and even on the same shelf in Hong Kong. I certainly couldn’t discern any difference between the two. They are good, comfortable and they go on relatively easily. They are also comparatively inexpensive.

Fuji Zero-0 (latex - 0.03mm)
Once you get them on they’re not bad. They are contoured with a very slim fit shaft. The latex is soft and has good elasticity but they are still tight. The opening ring doesn’t have much play either and if fingers slip in the lubricant and it snaps back you’re going to be spending ten minutes nursing your boner back to life. I speak from experience. There’s a big reservoir at the tip for the hose-pipes of the world. I wondered if this might get in the way but in the heat of battle, I must admit, I didn’t notice it.

Jex USUI 0.03 (latex - 0.03mm)
These have a lubricant jelly made from marine collagen stored in the teat which helps to reduce allergic reaction in those susceptible. They are also very good condoms. They are soft, have good elasticity and very little odour.

Lifestyles
This brand seems to have disappeared from the shelves over the last year or two. In Hong Kong and Singapore I would have put this down to flagging sales in the face of stiff competition from the Japanese. But this wouldn’t explain why they have disappeared elsewhere. If they return I’ll expand here

Okamoto (latex - 0.03)
The flagship of the Okamoto brand is the Platinum, a conventionally lubricated model. There is also the Aloe, lubricated, as you might have guessed with aloe vera, and the Dry Powder. As with most Japanese brands the opening is narrower than on western brands. With these, however, you can easily just pull them open and plonk them over the end and unroll from there. Just keep an eye on your girls (or boys, or ladyboys) fingernails.

The Aloe appears to have become my condom of choice and has been praised by my favourite Bangkok massage girl (who is an excellent masseuse as well as a very sexy lady). She now asks me to bring her a supply every time I fly down.

The dry powder variant would be good for those that like long foreplay sessions allowing them to get their girl suitably wet before any penetration. One girl said it was nicer to give a blow-job on a dry condom. Since anal intercourse usually requires additional lubrication these would be pretty pointless in that situation.

Okamoto Nude(polyurethane - 0.03mm)
After having tried the latex versions I had high hopes for these but they don’t have the elasticity of the latex version making it difficult to get on. And like the Durex Avanti they don’t seem to be very durable.

Sagami Original L-size (polyurethane - 0.02mm)
The cum reservoir on these is tapered rather like the point of a pencil. It’s not a bad condom though but I do find the opening ring still very tight even if it is wider than the Okamoto. If it wasn’t for that it would probably be the best of the polyurethane bunch but I found it just a little too uncomfortable to wear. The packaging is a little different. These come in little blister packs with a peel off top rather like the little portions of butter you get on airplanes. Being a non-latex condom oil based lubricants should be safe.

Sagami Premium (polyurethane - 0.02mm)
The most expensive condoms in the world. At least as far as I know. I wrote-up my encounter with them here.

Trojan (latex - 0.07 non-lubricated )
These suckers are really hard to find in Asia. So far I’ve only found one outlet in Hong Kong. They had the regular, non-lubricated and the Magnum XL. I scored 12 of the former. Getting them on was a breeze, they go over the head and unrolled really easily. But there the party stopped. They are called ultra-thin but at 0.07mm they are more than double the thickness of the Japanese brands and you can feel that with your fingers even before you put them on.

I have been told that thicker condoms are more secure for anal but I didn’t get to put it to the test. The first girl I proposed the idea to suggested I negotiate the services of a ladyboy.

Local condoms
Until further notice, avoid them. They may be cheaper but how cheap do you want to be. Local brands are the standard issue massage parlours and brothels but if you are paying a young lady for her services it silly not to budget for a decent packet of three. It’s not a lot

Bottom line
Non-latex brands are a godsend for anyone who is allergic to latex and they are pretty good. But I do prefer the extra elasticity that latex affords particularly with the slightly smaller Japanese brands.

See also: Condom Capers
See also:The World’s Most Expensive Condom