The tough black leather has been sweated in and cursed in for a lot of years now and now looks nicely worn in, so I thought a few new pictures would look good and show a few of the many alternative options the design makes possible. Colin who knows strait-jackets from inside and out wanted a chance to experiment with different positions because in a rough-and-tumble situation when you're dealing with resistance opportunities are usually limited by your know-how and determination ... and the determination of the restrainee to put up a good struggle.
His willing `victim' was just happy to be in it so he didn't care how long the session took. With a double thickness tan hood (leather inside and out), his cammos and a great pair of World War Two motorcycle Dispatch Ride boots he was happy as a pig in the proverbial, being man-handled into different positions.
Pictures of black on black can make seeing details difficult so in the true traditions of John Strickland, who loves brown straps on black leather (or vice versa), we used a mix of straps. So, with a pair of boot-size leg-irons and hood with no eye or mouth holes our `model' wasn't in any position to argue even before the jacket went on. A simple temporary Chain Frame attached to two floor and two ceiling eye-bolts made a useful starting point.
Ready to start:
Three pairs of double trigger hoops attaching his collar, waist
and leg-irons to the frame - he wasn't going anywhere even though
his sleeve ends were only clipped together behind his back. We
could have attached these out to the side of the frame or the
horizontal chain at ceiling height but Colin was playing with
the jacket not the man (at this point, anyway).
Arms crossed:
Some people think arms crossed in front is the only way. With
sleeves through side loops and a front strap added through front 'D'
rings arms can't
be slid up or down. A set of Pinion Straps added to each elbow
before being linked across the back totally eliminated any arm
movement. This jacket, being the original
prototype for the Fetters Arms-down model, also happens to have various
extra strap-keepers
to stop straps sliding around on the arms.
These are
not standard in later models - but a very useful extra.
Arms down:
What makes this particular jacket special is four sets of extra
straps
and 'D' rings to allow side-strapping which leaves the whole
body accessible and vulnerable, as
Colin was quick to demonstrate to his captive. Anchor `D' rings
down the side of the jacket body keep arms tight by the sides.
Standing rigid:
Colin had experienced sitting in my new Bondage Chair and learned
how the split seat makes everything accessible from front or
rear, but being firmly fixed to the floor it's metal ladder offers
other possibilities. Backed against the ladder, the jacket arm
straps were soon re-buckled around the rigid uprights including
ankles. This position allowed Colin to sit on the seat and experiment
with possible butt plug action, while round the front everything
was still a package waiting to be opened up.
Standing rigid:
Another slow and enjoyable re-positioning and re-buckling resulted
in crotch access while the controller is sitting comfortably,
and rear remains available for whatever. Boots spread either
side of the chair and strapped tight left the standee deliciously
off balance but the chair was well anchored to the floor.
Standing rigid:
After the event Colin wished he'd tried crossing the jacket arms
around the ladder back while facing front or even crossed behind
when standing backed up against the ladder, but he decided there
would be opportunities to try this some other time.
Sitting comfortably:
Arms crossed in front (plus pinion straps) or straight down the
sides of the chair or pulled and crossed behind the ladder, the
possibilities seemed limitless. The two metal rods that slide
out from under the chair to keep knees well apart certainly came
as a surprise to the helpless, hapless and happy `victim'.
Kneeling:
It would not have been easy to force somebody into the kneeling
position (although Colin thought it might be fun to try - and
his Cattle Prod can be very persuasive). Kneeling and strapped
with arms wrapped around the ladder or straight down the sides
of the chair with sleeve ends almost to the floor, left extra
straps available for ankles strapped to the seat extension rods
and totally immobilised. Colin tested this immobility in several
ways and nothing moved except the head and we decided that next
time gum-shields inside the hood might cut the noise potential
down a bit.
Floor and more:
When he first `persuaded' the jacket onto the ground and was wrapping
single straps around the ankles and knees, I introduced Colin
to the small cable ties that can cinch straps tightly inwards
to separate limbs. Incidentally, this also works well when a
strap circles chest plus elbows or wrists plus thighs. The plastic
band cinches the strap making escape impossible (as long as a
lockable strap is used or mitts worn).
Experiments in attaching the jacket to the floor chain of the
frame or other anchor points needed an extra pair of hands...
and this was more fun than taking pictures.
A lot of good photo opportunities were lost because the action
hotted up. Additional position alternatives were tried as the
boots and pants came off and other things went on.
"Next time" Colin said, he would like to do it all again against
resistance - but what he really meant was he'd like to be the
person in the jacket trying to stop somebody getting him into
the different positions. That would a fun session to photograph...
but I'd rather be the person fighting him from one uncomfortable
strapped up and wrapped up situation to another.
I'm sure I could find a couple of willing helpers - and somebody to handle the camera because I'd be too busy.
To discuss any 'non-standard' jacket design or if you have comments or questions you can contact Jim Stewart directly at jimstewartuk@hotmail.com.