I was excited that Babeland would be kind enough to supply me with some Under the Bed Restraints. It seemed like the perfect way to finally bring my interest in BDSM from the internet to the bedroom (and real life). I knew the restraints had been rated highly by many folks before, so I expected a quality product that would allow me to truss up my husband easily.
After the restraints arrived, I spent nearly 2 weeks being unable to use them because of lack of time and other intrusions. We had jested back and forth about using them and finally decided to have them set up for his next “weekend” off. I finally got the chance.
Under the Bed Restraints by Sportsheets were in a smaller package than I expected, but this didn’t mean they would be less impressive. The plastic clamshell box was disappointing with its display of a naked woman that leaves little to the imagination. Sportsheets has since upgraded this to a cardboard box featuring a different woman, so I guess that’s an upgrade.
I was surprised to open the package and see such a small pile of straps, clips, rings and cuffs. I was also worried about how much work it would be to get under the bed as I would be the eonly person installing them, and our mattress is quite large at 17″ high. Despite all my reservations, Under the Bed Restraints came through.
The restraints come with the cuffs unattached, which is how I left them when installing them. There are a total of five straps: one connector strap that goes beneath the mattress and four that connect to either side of that center strap to make the four wrist and ankle straps. Each strap in the set is 60″ long.
To install the under-the-bed restraints, I slid one end of the connector strap and one restraint strap under the head of my mattress, beneath the bed skirt. I pulled the restraint strap until it was roughly even with the other restraint strap, and that side of the connector strap was centered beneath the mattress. I mirrored the process for the foot of the bed, which was more difficult because the left restraint was trying to go over the bed skirt rather than under.
After I straightened it out, I attached the cuffs to each restraint. Each cuff is outfitted with a metal clip (like on the end of a dog leash), and each strap is fitted with a ring where the clip is attached. I pulled on the cuffs for good measure to make sure there was no give in the connecting strap beneath the bed. I adjusted the straps so they had as much room as possible because of our large mattress. We have a queen-sized bed, and I can see this being too small for those with larger beds unless the mattresses are very thin.
After installing the restraint system, I adjusted the straps so there was no slack and tucked them, along with the cuffs, into the bed rails beneath the skirt. They became virtually invisible after I smoothed the bed skirt back down over them. I was excited at the thought of reaching down and cuffing my partner with the seemingly “invisible” restraints. You could also tuck the cuffs beneath the edge of the mattress. This also makes storage extremely easy, and unless I move the bed, I don’t have to do anything but reach for the cuffs when I want to play.
All in all, installation took about 10 minutes by myself and was not extremely difficult despite a cat who kept chasing the straps and working beneath my bed skirt. I only had to lift the edge of the mattress, and then I slid the restraints beneath it, so it was not as much effort as I would have thought. I have also repeated the process twice more since I first got these with no more difficulty.
During this process, I took some time to get to know the restraint system. The straps are woven nylon, similar to some belts, attached to keychain-like rings, and the metal clips seemed to be pretty standard. For someone creative, imitating this setup would not be very difficult. Furthermore, if something breaks on my restraint system, I can replace it without trashing the whole set.
I was impressed with the cuffs, which are lined with super soft felt and measure in at 9.5″, which makes them long enough for even fairly wide wrists. They are fastened with velcro, which makes them easy to use and easy to take off in a hurry, such as if the kids come home early. 😉 The velcro straps are quite long and allow the straps to be adjusted from 5″ to 13.5″ inches (if you don’t mind feeling the velcro on your wrists). Although velcro can be easily pulled apart, these cuffs felt very secure for the type of pulling they would experience.
Putting them on my partner was just as easy, although he wasn’t resisting much. I did use my body weight in my aid when he resisted at first, something that should work for many. The cuffs wrapped comfortably around his wrists and ankles as he lay face up. As I started to tease him with a bullet, I found the straps for his legs had too much give and easily adjusted them by pulling on the straps with one tug. I felt assured that should I need to do the opposite (give slack), that I would be able to do so with one move as well.
I felt that the straps were very secure around his ankles, but no more than a minute after I’d cuffed one wrist, he had gotten out. He has extremely long fingers and was easily able to undo the straps. I would find this much more difficult or even impossible because of my short fingers, but so you might want to consider who will be trussed up. I have continued to use the restraints with other cuffs to eliminate that issue.
Depending on the way someone struggles, they could pull the straps far to one side. The straps also like to slip when not in use because of my bed skirt, and the same would happen on an adjustable base. However, moving them back into place is easy enough by tugging near the cuffs.
Speaking of maintenance, I have yet to wash these as they haven’t gotten any lube or fluids on them. Technically, you could put them into the machine, especially if you put them in some sort of bag. You can also hand wash them without too much hassle. I would let them hang dry, of course.
I thought the restraints added a nice aspect to our play. I was able to tease and tickle him, and, after I tightened the straps, he was helpless. I know he also enjoyed the sensation and felt no discomfort from the cuffs. Under the bed, restraints would also work well for someone who is on their stomach for impact play, such as spanking or flogging. You could also stimulate someone’s chest/breasts or genitals while they’re on their back.
However, your positions are somewhat limited. A person could be spread eagle or stretched with arms above their head and legs closer together or a combination of spread and close limbs. It would be harder to pull the arms and legs together on each side, but you could figure it out. While you could do doggy style, it wouldn’t make as much sense with the restraints. The restraints could be used to bind someone of the right height who is leaning over the bed for better access to genitals and to make a better target of the ass. But you can’t do everything with Under the Bed Restraints.
And that’s okay. They’re practical and easy to use and store bondage solution, and I heartily recommend Under the Bed Restraints to anyone interested in bondage, amateur or pro!
Categories: BDSM, Reviews
