Sleeping Bag Gloss PVC

[Strappado]

By chance, I got an interesting sleeping bag from an ebay auction, which is made of strong gloss pvc - inside rough, outside highly glossy. It is quite narrow, closes with a long front zipper. The zipper is not meant to be operated from inside, there is no handle, but it is fairly easy to open and close it. It is running smoothly all the way up and down, seems to be good quality, as all the rest of the bag - well, I shall see about that in future. Anyway, I have seen gloss pvc that falls apart when you look at it sharply, this one won't, might actually resist attempts to break free without opening the zipper. Once inside, there isn't much room to move, the arms have something like five centimetres (2 inches) for side movement, length seems to be exactly correct for me. And that's not the best: There are two inside sleeves, sewn to the sides of the bag, to accommodate the arms.

Tonight, I will add to this post whenever something interesting happens - and I am still able to post. The first test is done, I have examined the bag in detail and found nothing disturbing.

   
images from ebay offer

Upper left shows a general view, the views on the right side are a bit boring but you get an idea of the shape. The lower left shows the inside sleeves. By the way, the inside is sort of shiny, but not like that. The sleeve outside is shiny, exactly the same material as the outside.

Test 2

I undressed and got into the bag. The food compartment is small but not tight, I can make 1cm "steps". It felt so "glossy" that I checked, it is not. I pulled the zipper up to my hips or so, then put on the shoulder parts. Perfect length when I am standing. From inside, it was slightly harder to pull up the zipper, but not difficult. With a final "zzzp" it reached the top of the collar. I moved around a bit and found, that I'd rather not sit down on the floor or even kneel, because I am not sure, how strong the zipper is, it might pop open. I will have to put that to the test eventually, but right now, I have more important plans. The width is comfortable, only the shoulders could be a bit more narrow. But perhaps the width is necessary for the arms to get into the sleeves later on.

I opened the bag again and, laying on my bed, inserted my left arm into the left sleeve. Zipping up wasn't any more difficult this way. There wasn't much I could do with my left arm now, the sleeve is narrow and the only realistic movement is up and down. I could probably twist my bottom and reach my parts, but didn't try that. This is not a chastity device. I tried to remove the left arm from the sleeve, but I didn't succeed - good! By now, I was somewhat aroused, but opened the zipper and got out.

Test 3

I mounted a screw at the wall, about 70 cm above the floor. Then I put a string to the zipper handle and put the bag on again. It took me a while to get to another wall hook at face height, which was supposed to serve for closing the zipper. I inserted my left arm into the sleeve again, adjusted the shoulder on the left, then inserted the right arm into the other sleeve. It took me a while to get the other shoulder part onto the right shoulder, but I could do it. The string was attached to the hook, but I knew, I wouldn't do it. However, I stood there for a little while and wondered how it would be to simply try.

Ok, I didn't close the zipper, instead removed the right arm from the sleeve, put the right shoulder part in place and then, with both arms flat against my body inside the bag, tried to close the bag by pulling the string (moving back from the hook). I figured, that I either needed a shorter string or a higher hook, or another method for the last 20 cms. I found another method, grabbed the string with my teeth and got the zipper closed. OK, the first part accomplished, I can get in without using my arms or hands, so I should also be able to get in with both arms in the sleeves.

While closing the zipper, I aeady had noticed that the screw in the wall was too high for puling the zipper down. The string end was even lower than the screw. I looked around and found a bicycle stand with two "hooks" to hold the lower and diagonal pipes of the back-frame of a bike. It turned out, that the upper one was low enough. I had to reshape the noose at the end of the string to get it onto the hook, and fortunately (for later safety), I could do that with my mouth. With a bit of dangling and aiming, I got the noose onto the hook. Then I carefully started pulling. The zipper opened a little bit, then the string was too long again. So I pushed the stand over to get the hook down to the floor. This was low enough, I could open the zipper down to my belly. From my second experiment with both arms in the sleeves, I knew, that this was low enough, and I could have "walked" away to lower the zipper even more.

In theory, I have proven, that both, getting in and out with both arms inside the sleeves should be possible. But just for safety, I will try it a few more times before moving on to the final test. The bicycle stand is a good tool, I won't bother changing the screw. But I will shorten the zipper string a bit.

Test 4

I shortened the string to half its length, but it turned out that that was too short, I could not attach it to the hook on the wall. So I made it longer again and then I noticed that I would not need the wall hook at all. I can pull the string with my teeth, then drop it in a convenient place to grab a shorter length and close the bag. Opening went well so far, but I had to straighten the collar eventually, the zipper bent over instead of opening(1). Good enough for me!

Test 5
Time for the final test, close the bag completely with both arms inside the sleeves. No cheating possible, one arm would stay put even with the help of the second (free) arm, and certainly without help. And so I did. Getting the right shoulder on with the shorter string was a bit difficult, so I let go the string from the grip of my teeth and opened the bag a bit more. Then I got my right arm into the sleeve as far as possible and with some wiggling and twitching, I got the shoulder on finally. Now I had to get hold of the string again. There is a low table nearby, I moved along that table and pulled the string onto its plate. There I could grab it again with my mouth and start pulling up. For the second stage, I had to move to my desk, because the table was too low now. There I put the string down, grabbed a shorter part of it and slowly pulled up until the zipper was completely closed. It didn't hit like a bomb, but rather slowly. I was aware, that I had to open the zipper for a considerable width to escape. At the same time, I was very confident, that I could do that, since I had tried a few times. I laid down onto the sofa. The outside of the bag is so smooth that it doesn't have noticeable friction against a sofa, very interesting feeling! I twisted back and forth, turned to the sides, onto the belly and back etc. After a while I remember the zipper and wanted to demonstrate to myself, that I could not reach it like that. I could reach it with my chin and it opened a little bit. With the help of my shoulders and bending down my head as much as possible, I opened it quite a bit more. Then made an effort and grabbed the string, closed the zipper again. A little later I decided to finish this experiment, which - so far - had gone pretty well. So I opened the zipper again the same way -with my chin - and worked it down as much as possible. At some point, it didn't go any further, after all, I had to use the string, because my arms were still trapped. I did manage to grab the string with my right hand - through the outer "fabric" of the bag, and by bending backwards, I could open the zipper further. Re-grab, further and enough, I escaped.

Preliminary Conclusion

I like the sleeping bag! So far, it didn't prove secure, which is fine, since that would make it unsuited for self-bondage. I do not need hooks on the wall or anything else, I only need a string attached to the zipper. Therefore, this bag can be used anywhere, no preparation needed. Even with a gag, it would be possible to escape, however harder to get in. But, that is the most important point, this could actually be used as a sleeping bag, in either way, with arms sleeved or not. I will most probably be able to refine the getting out until I can even do it in the dark.

I can even think of a more secure trapping: For closing, use a removable string. For complete opening, attach a key-ring to the zipper handle and attach a hook somewhere near floor level. I would have to catch the key-ring with the hook, then shimmy along the hook to open the zipper further. And I could use an ice timer to make this hook available.

In short: Nice sleeping bag for restrained times, but I haven't discovered a real "secure mode" yet. The restraining is serious though, it should be quite enjoyable if you don't need the kick of inescapability. Of course, a helper could secure the zipper to your neck and that would make things much harder, not sure, how strong the material is. Recommended toy!

Ok, happy tonight to all of you, I am going to try sleeping in this bag tonight (probably with free arms though).

By the way, I checked the website that is printed onto the pictures - emoticon-x.eu. The got some fetish stuff, latex, leather and pvc, but not this sleeping bag. I also checked for another one with the same seller, but there are no items at all at the moment. I also checked google for "emoticon-x" but to no avail. If I find anything in future, I will let you know.

In the meantime, I am looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

(1) I have to find a solution to the behaviour of zippers, bending over when being pulled down. On garments made from sewable material (i.e. rather not pvc or latex), I could sew in two small metal rods to keep the zipper upright there.

[Tinker D]

Tried to find one of these on ebay, USA
no luck. Where did you get yours?

[Like Ra]

I bought mine here (US) : http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-...l%2Fm.html

And I recommend both the quality (except the flimsy slider) and the seller.

[Strappado]

Sorry, mine was a unique offer at ebay. As I said, there is a website "emoticon-x.eu", but no such sleeping bag - no sleeping bag at all. But perhaps they make them, you could ask by email. I checked on ebay for quite a while - this one turned up, when I searched for "sleeping bag pvc".

Like Ra, do you mean the bag made from coated lycra? Are the inside sleeves effective? And if so, can you use them and how?

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More about technical stuff now:

It is probably pure coincidence that the zipper works so well. It is hard to call the getting out an escape since it is so very easy. I wonder, if the upper part of the zipper can be modified to be more secure. I have/had Jackets with similar zippers, they open almost automatically on the slightest stress. Other Jackets have zippers that won't ever open unless you pull them down. So far I have no clue why there is that difference, some zippers even look identical but behave completely differently. Perhaps it is the exact position of the end caps. My guess, if the distance between the last tooth of the zipper is too large, the zipper will open more easily on stress. Unfortunately, you cannot simply shift these caps. But it is worth some research, it will also help on the jackets with "bad" zipper. I hate it, when the zipper opens slightly and cuts into the front of my neck.

And I got one idea especially for this sleeping bag: If the "cap shifting" works, it will be more secure. A flap with velcro fastening will make it very secure and it should be easy to close it. From there, I could derive some method for "controlled" escape, i.e. need for a device that could be far away or even timed bondage. It would all have to be based on "remote control" by string, hook and/or keyring.

PS: I lied when I said, that I found the easy zipper opening during the final test only, I found out in a previous test with free arms. I did so for dramatic purposes. I promise, I won't do it again so soon and all my previous test reports about other items were absolutely correct. And I will always admit such lies shortly after.

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Quick find on the internet: I was right in one point: The metal caps at the end of the zipper are important for holding it up. Perhaps the slider is too wide and only needs to be pressed together (top against bottom) carefully. This would explain that the zipper works so very smoothly. But doing this is dangerous in two ways: The slider will be weakened and might break. If I compress it too much, it might not be able to open it without a string and I get back to the bending over trouble.

[Like Ra]

Like Ra, do you mean the bag made from coated lycra?

Yes. Need to post photos.

Are the inside sleeves effective?

It's not possible to use them alone. But if you are helped in, the only method to get free is to rip them off the bag. OTOH, the bag is quite elastic and it's possible that there will be not enough space for that.

[Strappado]

Zipper Expert Information

   

Above you see a basic zipper. There is a carrier cloth to hold the teeth, lower end cap, two upper end caps and something that I cannot find a name to, the two pieces going into the lower end cap, the slider body and the slider handle. I will be using these names in order to make it very clear, what I mean.

"Trouble" with the zipper of the sleeping bag is that it opens on the slightest stress. One reason for that seems to be that the upper end caps don't go far enough into the slider body. But I noticed that I can pull the zipper up a little further and this solves the problem partially. Another reason is that the slider slides too easily. Solved by carefully pushing it together on the narrow end, once on each side that goes over one of the lines of teeth. Pushing too much would make it too difficult to move. Repeating this too often will "tire" the material and the slider will break.

People often complain, that the zipper of their favourite pair of jeans opens accidentally. A very simple solution to this is a short rubber ring attached to the handle of the zipper, then put around the button before closing the button. Alternatively, you can use a safety pin. But I think, a safety pin in that area is quite a hazard.

The top of the sleeping bag doesn't have a button, and even if it had one, it would be quite difficult to attach a rubber ring to it with no hands available. But there is the head. A string around the neck would stop the slider before it goes low enough for escape, and it would push against the back of the neck only, no danger. An elastic ring might even pull it up fully again without strangling the restrained person. It would be quite difficult to remove such an elastic ring, but add a string to the back and you can either pull it over your head or break it. It might also be tricky to get your head inside in the first place, but not too much. A ring of string could be secured with ice on the back of the neck. A collar would be really cool, but hard to close. I am thinking about that too though.

One more idea: There are these fasteners for the strings of hoods on jackets. The string goes through a small hole and is secured by a "stamp" that is pressed against the string with a spring. You have to push a button in order to release the string. Basically, a small cylinder with a hole along its diameter (one design, there are others). Now, feed a string through this hole, one end from either side. Make a big knot in one end of the string, so it cannot go through the hole again. Tie a loop to the other end for pulling. Now you got a large loop that can be made smaller by pulling the loop at the end of the string. The device will hold the string fairly tight, but the string can still be moved. It doesn't do much more than holding a hood in place against normal movement or wind. This should be strong enough to keep the zipper in place but weak enough to be pulled apart when you hook it to something. The picture below is wrong, I changed the design while writing. I still have to test it.

   

The hood string fasteners look like this:

   

[Strappado]

I tested the "string over head/neck" method. Instead of a single strand of string, attached a loop to the zipper that was large enough to open the zipper far enough while holding the string with my teeth. This was just a little larger than needed to get it over my head. Operation works fine, I used a hook on the wall to hold the loop while getting my head inside, nose first. After a "dry" run with arms outside the sleeves, I did it with arms inside the sleeves, no problems at all. The zipper opens a little bit, the shoulder parts of the bag cannot be removed, I cannot get the arms out. Using the hook, I can get the string off my neck again, and get free.

I do not like the open zipper, it is still secure, but it feels wrong. Perhaps you know what I mean. So I started testing the method with the hood string fastener. So far it doesn't work, the string gets inside the collar, gets entangled, it is a complete mess. In the end, I even pulled the slider off. I think, this requires something attached to the collar of the bag rather than a simple string. Right now, I only hope that the slider isn't damaged. I will try to come up with a better solution soon.

And - as always - your suggestions are very welcome. I think, I will start a new thread about zipper fastening...

[Like Ra]

I think, I will start a new thread about zipper fastening...

I can move these two posts to a new thread.

BTW, have a look at these posts:
http://www.likera.com/blog/wp/lockable-c...le-zippers
http://www.likera.com/blog/wp/diy-lockab...hes-part-i

[Strappado]

My escape method is not exactly zipper friendly, the slider came off a few days ago. Now, the real work begins... But I had a lot of fun aeady!

[Strappado]

My escape method is not exactly zipper friendly, the slider came off a few days ago. Now, the real work begins... But I had a lot of fun aeady!

Ok, there is supposed to be a small metal clamp at the top of the zipper, one on each side, one is gone. I have reinstalled the slider but I am sure, it will eventually break.

My plans:

This bag needs modifications. First of all, a reliable zipper, second a better collar, third the shoulder part is very wide. This is a lot of work for an ignorant like me, especially the collar. I think of a reinforced one, to keep the zipper line straight. My dream is to have this bag fitted to my size. Well, this would be a taylor's work, perhaps I will ask one, there is one on my way to work.