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Sleepsacks are a type of bondage (BDSM) gear. Sleepsacks are primarily used to confine a person comfortably for an extended period of time. [1] Similar to a conventional sleeping bag, a person climbs into a sleepsack and is usually zipped into it up to their neck. Generally sleepsacks are very tight on the body, much like mummification, which adds to the total encasement aspect of the experience.
Sleepsacks are designed so the person is as immobile as possible, while offering a convenient alternative to the time-consuming wrapping of elastic bandages and/or sticky mess of athletic tape associated with traditional mummy-type bondage. There is generally a pocket at the bottom that the wearer's feet go into. A durable zipper runs from below the knees up to the neck. Generally sleepsacks have collars at the top which buckle around the neck, further securing the person in it. Instead of a single pull zipper most sleepsacks have triple zippers which allow for an opening anywhere along the length of the zipper. Sleepsacks with the zipper as described will also usually have internal arm sleeves. With arms in the internal arm sleeves the wearer is unable to have access to any part of their body.
Sleepsacks can be made from several different types of materials. Each type of material offers a different experience. The most popular material is probably leather. Other common types of sleepsacks are rubber, canvas, satin, Darlexx, and Neoprene. Of course virtually any flexible material, from denim to saran wrap, from wool to nylon stockings, or just a sleeping bag and rope, may be used to achieve the desired feel of total encasement. For many BDSM participants the type of material in which they are bound is as much or even more of a fetish than the bondage itself. Here are the most often used types of sleepsacks :
Leather sleepsacks are generally very confining but do not stretch. If they are sized correctly they are very comfortable for long-term usage, and many bondage enthusiasts spend entire nights comfortably confined in them. In order to make the tightest fit possible, many leather sleepsacks have small D-rings down each side of the main zipper along the front of the sack, which allows the sack to be pulled tighter around the body using rope laced between the D-rings. This system of D-rings and rope lacing also protects the zipper from any stress that the occupant of the sack might exert on it. To further add to the confining aspects of the sleepsack, there are usually straps or belts that go around the body at intervals along the length of the sack, starting at the collar and going down to the ankles. To keep the straps in place and prevent them from shifting, they pass through larger D-rings down the sides of the sleepsack.
Leather sleepsacks are probably the most durable type of sleepsack. They often come with bondage hooks or rings along the sides, at the shoulders, and at the feet for attaching restraints, tie-downs, or rope, to further secure the sack and occupant to a bed, bondage frame, or table. Leather sleepsacks can also be suspended upright or horizontal with the appropriate knowledge and equipment.
There are many options that can be built into a sleepsack, including separate zippers or removable flaps at nipples, a zipper from the lower spine to below the buttocks, attachable hoods, removable foot sacks, smooth leather lining, padding, internal arm sleeves, etc. Highly specialized leather sleepsacks have additional strapping and reinforcement allowing the sack and its occupant to be suspended in various positions safely. [2]
Since leather doesn't breathe, some individuals may sweat during their confinement. Depending on the amount of moisture present after use, wiping the inside of the sleepsack with a cloth may be necessary. In all cases, allowing the leather plenty of time to air-out and dry before being stored is very important, as moisture can lead to mould developing inside the sleepsack. Since leather sleepsacks can be very expensive, costing over $2,000, they must be treated with care to ensure the leather isn't damaged.
Rubber sleepsacks are also very confining but do have some stretch. This natural stretch is what causes rubber sleepsacks to be confining and tight. As with leather the sizing of a rubber sleepsack is very important for a proper fit. People who have a rubber fetish interest like rubber sleepsacks for obvious reasons.
Rubber sleepsacks do not disperse moisture at all. For this reason hydration is a very important consideration for people who spend any amount of time in a rubber sleepsack. Sweating can often be profuse even if the occupant is only lying inside it. All fluids from the body accumulate in the sack, which also makes the rubber sleepsack a choice for those who are also have a urination fetish. Rubber sleepsacks are easy to clean as they can simply be rinsed with water. Sweat leaking out from the neck, as well as through any zippers along the sack, can often occur while lying flat and should be a consideration.
Neoprene sleepsacks offer a similar stretch and feel of rubber with less wear and tear damage due to the material's stronger properties. Neoprene does not stretch as easily as rubber offering a firmer restriction approaching that provided by leather sleep sacks. Neoprene is also a cheaper material and can be significantly less expensive as leather while having similar durability. [3] Like rubber, neoprene does not disperse moisture so hydration is an important consideration for people spending time in a neoprene sleepsack.
Darlexx sleepsacks are made of a spandex-like material. Darlexx stretches much like spandex but is much more durable. One main benefit of Darlexx sleepsacks is they are significantly cheaper than leather and rubber, and can accommodate a wider range of sizes due to how much it can comfortably stretch. Although still very confining Darlexx does not put as much compression on the body as rubber, making it more comfortable to stay in for longer periods of time.
Satin sleepsacks [4] have no ability to stretch, are somewhat breathable, but lack the durability of the other more common materials used for sleepsack construction. Given the low durability aspect, satin sleepsacks are rarely marketed and are generally home-made, but BDSM enthusiasts with a fetish for satin, or for that matter any other particular fabric, may find its well worth the time and effort creating their own.
Sleepsacks are an effective way to secure somebody comfortably, but also tightly, for long periods of time. Generally someone will need to be assisted into and out of a sleepsack by another person. There are neck-entry type sleepsacks which are open at the top and do not have a full zipper. [5] These types of sleepsacks are good for those who want to have a similar experience on their own.
The immobility that sleepsacks cause to the occupant is a major reason they are popular. Sleepsacks also provide a great way to secure someone for many types of bondage and BDSM play, which may or may not include sexual activity.
As with any type of bondage, there are considerations that must be taken prior to entry into sleepsack bondage.
BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged in by people who do not consider themselves to be practising BDSM, inclusion in the BDSM community or subculture often is said to depend on self-identification and shared experience.
Bondage pornography is the depiction of sexual bondage or other BDSM activities using photographs, stories, films or drawings. Though often described as pornography, the genre involves the presentation of bondage fetishism or BDSM scenarios and does not necessarily involve the commonly understood pornographic styles. In fact, the genre is primarily interested with the presentation of a bondage scene and less with depictions of sexuality, such as nudity or sex scenes, which may be viewed as a distraction from the aesthetics and eroticism of the sex scenario itself.
Bondage, in the BDSM subculture, is the practice of consensually tying, binding, or restraining a partner for erotic, aesthetic, or somatosensory stimulation. A partner may be physically restrained in a variety of ways, including the use of rope, cuffs, bondage tape, or self-adhering bandage.
Fetish fashion is any style or appearance in the form of a type of clothing or accessory, created to be extreme, revealing, skimpy, or provocative in a fetishistic manner. These styles are by definition not worn by the majority of people; if everyone wears an item, it cannot have fetishistic, special nature. They are usually made of materials such as leather, latex or synthetic rubber or plastic, nylon, PVC, spandex, fishnet, and stainless steel. Some fetish fashion items include: stiletto heel shoes and boots, hobble skirts, corsets, collars, full-body latex catsuits, stockings, miniskirt, crotchless underwear, jockstraps, diapers, garters, locks, rings, zippers, eyewear, handcuffs, and stylized costumes based on more traditional outfits, such as wedding dresses that are almost completely see-through lace, or lingerie for men.
Spandex fetishism is a fetishistic attraction to people wearing form-fitting stretch fabrics or to the wearing of items of clothing made of such material. Spandex garments are often worn by swimmers, gymnasts, ballet dancers, wrestlers, rowers, cyclists, contortionists and circus performers, and spandex fetishists may incorporate fantasies about these activities into their particular fetish.
Rubber fetishism, or latex fetishism, is the fetishistic attraction to people wearing latex clothing or, in certain cases, to the garments themselves. PVC fetishism is closely related to rubber fetishism, with the former referring to shiny clothes made of the synthetic plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and the latter referring to clothes made of rubber, which is generally thicker, less shiny, and more matte than latex. PVC is sometimes confused with the similarly shiny patent leather, which is also a fetish material. Latex or rubber fetishists sometimes refer to themselves as "rubberists". Male rubberists tend to call themselves "rubbermen".
A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activities in or on water. Its purpose is to provide thermal insulation and protection from abrasion, ultraviolet exposure, and stings from marine organisms. It also contributes extra buoyancy. The insulation properties of neoprene foam depend mainly on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material, which reduce its ability to conduct heat. The bubbles also give the wetsuit a low density, providing buoyancy in water.
A sleeping bag is an insulated covering for a person, essentially a lightweight quilt that can be closed with a zipper or similar means to form a tube, which functions as lightweight, portable bedding in situations where a person is sleeping outdoors. It is also commonly used indoors for people who do not have beds or at sleepovers. Its primary purpose is to provide warmth and thermal insulation through its synthetic or down insulation. It also typically has a water-resistant or water-repellent cover that protects, to some extent, against wind chill and light precipitation, but a tent is usually used in addition to a sleeping bag, as it performs those functions better. The bottom surface also provides some cushioning, but a sleeping pad or camp cot is usually used in addition to that purpose. The bottom surface of a sleeping bag may be moderately water repellent, but a plastic tarp or groundsheet is often used to protect against moist ground.
A dry suit or drysuit provides the wearer with environmental protection by way of thermal insulation and exclusion of water, and is worn by divers, boaters, water sports enthusiasts, and others who work or play in or near cold or contaminated water. A dry suit normally protects the whole body except the head, hands, and possibly the feet. In hazmat configurations, however, all of these are covered as well.
Cock and ball torture (CBT) is a sexual activity involving the application of pain or constriction to the male genitals. This may involve directly painful activities, such as genital piercing, wax play, genital spanking, squeezing, ball-busting, genital flogging, urethral play, tickle torture, erotic electrostimulation, kneeing or kicking. The recipient of such activities may receive direct physical pleasure via masochism, or emotional pleasure through erotic humiliation, or knowledge that the play is pleasing to a sadistic dominant. Many of these practices carry significant health risks.
A gag is a device used in sexual bondage and BDSM roleplay. Gags are usually associated with roleplays involving bondage, but that is not necessarily the case. The person who wears the gag is regarded as the submissive partner, while the other is regarded as the dominant one. People may wear gags for a variety of reasons. Some people derive erotic pleasure from a gag, either in a submissive or dominant role. When combined with other physical restraints, the wearing of a gag can increase the wearer's sense of helplessness and anxiety level within a BDSM scene by rendering them unable to speak during sexual activity, which some people enjoy.
Dominance and submission (D/s) is a set of behaviors, customs, and rituals involving the submission of one person to another in an erotic episode or lifestyle. It is a subset of BDSM. This form of sexual contact and pleasure has been shown to please a minority of people.
Total enclosure fetishism is a form of sexual fetishism whereby a person becomes aroused when having their entire body enclosed in a certain way. Total enclosure is often accompanied by some element of bondage.
A sex swing is a type of harness designed to allow sexual intercourse between one partner suspended by the swing and another who moves freely. Though there is considerable variety in the design, the most common sex swings have a support for the back, another for the buttocks, and stirrups for each leg, which can be adjusted whilst the user is suspended.
A type of bondage suit, also commonly called a gimp suit or gimpsuit, is a form-fitting garment designed to cover the body completely for Role-playing purposes. The acronym GIMP stands for a "guy in mask permanently"; although, the acronym is commonly treated with gender neutrality in its' usage. It can have an attached hood; nevertheless, if it does not, then it is often worn with a bondage hood, or a "gimp mask." The purpose of the hood, or mask, is to limit the human capacity for facial perception allowing the wearer to assume the consensually agreed upon role. The purpose of the entire bondage suit is to temporarily alter the executive functions of all persons involved through perception. The suit may be made from any material—leather, PVC, rubber, spandex, and darlexx are the most usual.
Latex rubber is used in the manufacture of many types of clothing. It has traditionally been used to make protective clothing, including gas masks and Wellington boots. Mackintoshes have traditionally been made from rubberized cloth. However, rubber has now generally been replaced in these applications by synthetic polymers.
A tuilik is an Inuit watertight jacket, used when paddling a kayak. It is sealed at the face, at the wrists and around the cockpit coaming. In this way the paddler can capsize and come back upright without getting wet, and without getting any water into the kayak.
A neck corset is a type of BDSM collar. Unlike a normal corset which compresses the waist, a neck corset is usually not used to compress the neck, except in breathplay. It may act as a posture collar that incorporates stays.
Clothing fetishism or garment fetishism is a sexual fetish that revolves around a fixation upon a particular article or type of clothing, a particular fashion or uniform, or a person dressed in such a style.
An armbinder or monoglove is a type of restraint device primarily used in bondage play, designed to bind the arms and/or hands to each other or to the body, usually behind the back, and employing a range of bondage equipment including cuffs, rods, straps, and gloves.