When I fasten my extender and lie down, the base ring of it hangs about an inch from the pubic base. Is this normal, or should it always be pressed into the flesh? Am I doing something wrong?
Most extenders are spring loaded. One compresses the extender, fastens in, releases the extender & the springs apply a pulling force to provide tension/pull/stretch force.
Most have an adjusting mechanism where one turns the adjusting screws/knobs, and more length is achieved, to increase tension. Penis's will relax in an extender after the first 20 minutes or so, resulting in less tension being applied. It is up to the wearer to adjust accordingly.
Some extenders come with an assortment of additional rod lengths to "build" the extender to a length more suitable to their penis length.
A few extenders have etched lines on the rods to give an approximate reading of the grams of tension.
It sounds like your extender is too short.

