Shilo is a toy I’ve lusted after for a long time, partly because I adore the other New York Toy Collective products I own, partly because I was curious to feel what NYTC’s dual density silicone feels like, and partly because I was super curious about the pack-and-play capabilities that Shilo has. While I’m personally very content with soft packers most of the time (the Archer and Pierre packers from NYTC are ones I’d definitely recommend!) and not being able to get right into penetrative sex isn’t a huge dysphoria issue for me, I do also really like having the ability to jump from packing to having a strap-on ready to go very quickly for a variety of unwholesome horny reasons[ref]Dark rooms, sex parties, hot dates, cruising, etc[/ref].
Shilo is available in four skin tones and some non-skintone options, including a turquoise. Mine is in the second lightest of the four skin tones, and while I think I definitely prefer having a skintone option, I really appreciate the variety in colour options that NYTC provides, and honestly was very tempted by the cute af turquoise shade.
Shilo is on the more average side in terms of size, with an insertable length of 6.25 inches-some of which will be lost if wearing it in a harness- and a diameter of 1.5 inches. If Shilo is a little too small for you, it has an older sibling in Carter, although I can’t speak to the packability of Carter.
My Shilo was sent to me by Wet For Her, New York Toy Collective’s sibling company that’s run by women for queer women. While I’m a queer man rather than a queer woman, I’m always really excited to see more LGBTQ focused businesses in the sex toy industry. Plus, as a person with a vulva (for now) who mostly sleeps with people who (for now) have vulvas, their product offerings align really well with my wants and needs as a sex toy consumer.
Playing With Shilo
First, I want to talk about the ‘play’ in ‘pack-and-play’. I’ve used Shilo for solo penetrative play, as well as played around wearing it in a strap-on harness. While I haven’t had the opportunity to use it for partnered strap-on play- what with the whole COVID situation- I have tried wearing it and using a sleeve in order to get some idea of how it feels to wear.
One thing I want to really emphasise about Shilo is that it’s incredibly soft. Like, incredibly soft. The shaft feels a little firmer because of the bendable metal core that gives Shilo its pack-and-play abilities, but the broad head is just so squishy. The surface texture doesn’t quite feel like skin in use, but it is pretty close! It’s soft and smooth, but doesn’t feel tacky like some of the other dual density toys I’ve had sometimes do. The base is a much firmer silicone, giving it stability when worn in a harness, but the only firmness in the shaft comes from that core, and the plush soft silicone is genuinely delightful. That softness makes Shilo exceptionally well suited to dildo blowjobs, with the bendable curve also helping in shaping it to fit the curve of my mouth.
However, even with the soft silicone and lacking a core, I will say that Shilo’s head is very pronounced. I’ve mostly used Shilo anally on myself, and while I didn’t have trouble inserting Shilo the head definitely felt large in comparison to the shaft. There isn’t a huge amount of texture on Shilo’s shaft- while there’s some aesthetic vein detailing, it is aesthetic. In use, Shilo mostly feels like a pleasant stretch, rather than overwhelming stimulation. If you’re looking for intense sensation, Shilo is not the dildo for you. But my dildo preferences[ref]For now at least, things shift and change![/ref] are very much ‘something smooth and straight I can insert and feel full with, rather than anything that gives g/p-spot stimulation or has intense texture’. I’m honestly not even super hot on thrusting, mostly just wanting the dildo in there for me to clench around. And Shilo is exactly what I want for that- soft and plush to clench down onto.
That’s not to say you can’t use Shilo for g-spotting, and the large and pronounced head would definitely work well for this. The bendable core in Shilo allows for manipulation of the shape of the shaft into a straighter or more curved shape depending on your preferences. While I was initially worried that Shilo wouldn’t keep this shape at all while being thrusted and/or used for strap-on sex, when experimenting with Shilo in my harness I found it was actually pretty decent at keeping shape! I did have to modify the form and intensity of my thrusts, going for shallower and less forceful thrusts than I would if I wanted the Shilo’s shaft to remain straight, but I could do them and also have Shilo remain curved.
One thing I did notice about the large head is it made it way easier for me to notice when Shilo had slipped out of the sleeve toy I was using it with, which was really unexpected and I’m very excited about! When you can’t feel the dick you’re fucking somebody with, slipping out can and does happen, and I personally have had instances of my strapped on dick slipping out without me realising it, quickly followed by discomfort when I try to still thrust. This almost warning system that Shilo has isn’t something I would have thought of, and it works fantastically.
Packing With Shilo
Because of the whole world situation, I haven’t had much chance to use the Shilo for harnessed partner play. What I have had a ton of opportunity to try is packing with the Shilo. I’ve tried packing it with a number of combinations of underwear, outer clothing, and other elements, and I think I now have a pretty good overview of how packing Shilo does/doesn’t work.
One thing I will say to start is don’t expect Shilo to be anything like a soft packer. Shilo will never be as soft or flaccid shaped as something like the Pierre or Archer packers, and if you’re looking for an everyday soft packer, look to one of those rather than the Shilo. I’ve personally had and used an Archer since 2017, and can speak to its quality.
So when would I pack with the Shilo? In all honesty, I can’t see myself packing with it outside of situations where I know or am pretty sure that sex is going to happen. While it’s totally possible to pack with Shilo (some clothes are better for this than others), it does feel a bit at risk of springing back into an erect shape at all times, probably complete with a cartoon ‘boiiiiing’ noise. If I was in a situation where it wouldn’t be appropriate to suddenly pop a semi, I would personally stick to soft packers- the Shilo is a hot date, cruising, or play party kind of packing toy.
Firstly, if you’re looking to pack Shilo, you will need to start by wearing a harness, as it doesn’t really hold shape without this. I’ve used it with my Packer Gear Brief Harness, my SpartParts Pete Freestyle packing underwear, and my SpareParts Joque harness. The most comfortable of these for me was definitely the brief harness, although the Joque harness was totally serviceable.
The next thing to decide is how you’re going to position Shilo. There’s 3 overall ways of positioning it that I’ve found worked for me, those being:
A) Tucking the shaft between the thighs. This requires a tight layer on top of Shilo to keep it in place. It also led to the creation of this tweet
B) Bending the shaft down a leg. This will require a way to keep the shaft fastened to the leg, unless you don’t mind a Idris Elba microphone moment
C) Bending the shaft up. I know some people pack like this in general, but personally I find it really uncomfortable and awkward, so I didn’t really do this much.
With A and B of these positionings, you will probably have to keep Shilo secured in place, and again, there’s a few options here. What’s worked for me for these methods respectively are: putting a tight pair of underwear over Shilo, or attaching Shilo to the leg using a leather strip or hanky.
With the underwear thing, I’ve found it has to be very tight underwear, and I’ve found most success with what I call my slutty gay boy undies. Even tighter layers like bike shorts or tights would probably work better. The latter technique is inspired by Artemisia FemmeCock’s guide to hard packing.
Finally, what kind of outer clothing is best to wear the Shilo with? In terms of everyday bottoms, I normally wear jeans. I’m not a skinny jeans kind of person, which definitely helps hide the bulge, but also means I have to wear a second pair of underwear to keep the Shilo in place. I have also tried packing the Shilo in shorts (I’m basically living in cutoffs at the moment), a kilt, sweatpants, and tighter jeans.
Tighter jeans definitely helped keep the Shilo in place, although it also makes the bulge much more obvious. I wasn’t a fan of this, although that’s likely because I really don’t like how wearing skinny jeans makes me feel in general. Shorts were a pretty similar experience to looser jeans, with the caveat that packing down a pant leg was not an option with super short shorts (both examples of packing here use the down the leg hanky method). I did have a lot of fun with leaving the Shilo loose in sweatpants- with a little dickprint moment and all- and generally if you wanted to not have to keep the Shilo under tight control, I’d recommend looser sweatpants.
The kilt though? That was an experience, and a really fun one too. I’ve done some exploring with presentation recently, and while I am tragically masc and very much not a fem or femme, I do tend to present in a way I describe as ‘non conforming masc’. What I mean by this is the things I like tend to be culturally seen as masculine, but I also very much am not read as a straight man and do not care to be. Wearing a kilt sometimes has been a really fun way to play with these kind of ‘masc but not in a hegemonic masculinity way’ vibes. And wearing a pack and play under a kilt? And then using a flagging hanky to keep the pack and play attached to my leg? Absolute peak gender expression.
In Summary
If you’re looking for a dedicated packer you can use daily, Shilo is not that, and I would instead point you to Archer or Pierre. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel fantastic to fuck and isn’t packable. While the Shilo is not a toy I’d pack on a normal day, I was surprised by how comfortable it was to pack for being a totally playable-with dildo, and it’s definitely something I’ll pack for hot date nights or cruising.
If you’re a dedicated texture fiend or need targeted g-spot toys, Shilo is again, probably not for you. But for pretty much everyone else, I’d really recommend the Shilo. The soft silicone just feels incredibly good, even compared to the other dual density toys that I own. I do really prefer Shilo for dildo blowjobs over those other dual density toys, and the little warning sign of slippage that the large head creates is something I’ve never really seen before! Shilo may not be the most bells and whistles-y in terms of unique dildo forms, but it has replaced the First Mate in the number one dildo spot it’s occupied for years.
Shilo is available for $149 from Wet For Her
This product was sent to me by Wet For Her in return for a fair and impartial review. No affiliate links were used in this post.
