New Toy

About a week ago, I decided to try some experimentation with latex hoods. I already had a real simple molded "anatomical" latex hood, which was occasionally fun, but not something I was really "into". The nostril holes for air were a little small and mis-placed, so it ended up usually being a bit of a pain.

The hood I purchased was an inflatable 2-layer latex hood from Reactor Rubberwear in Australia. It has a back zipper and two clear plastic eyes, as well as a breathing tube that extends out of the mask about a foot, and has a few inches inside as well.

Reactor Rubberwear

The quality of the hood was excellent. The latex they used seemed like some of the best I have seen in any garment (4D rubber?). The smell was intoxicating and it came with a great shine, much much better than any molded gear I have dealt with. To inflate the hood, there is a small hand-pump that connects to a valve on the side of the hood, with a release valve near the base of the pump.

The mask is fairly snug even before inflation, and its a bit of work to pull the back zipper down without help (or persistence). With the mouth tube firmly in place and the hood unzipped, its a snug pull over the head, and then working the zipper down to the bottom, where it stays put pretty well. This being the first really good mask I used, even just wearing it without any inflation was great. The sense of encasement with the covered eyes and breathing being forced through the tube was great.

I started inflating the hood slowly at first. The hand pump isn't fast, so the sensations (other than the sounds) are pretty gradual. Because the nose is covered, you can sort of breathe in and out of your nose to get a sensation of changing pressure inside the hood, much like you would get with a scuba mask or something. As the hood inflates, you get a sense of gradually increasing pressure all around the head. Sounds also begin to fade into the background; all the external sounds become more distant and "ringing" as if you are hearing them through a tunnel.


While built the pressure higher, I was a bit concerned about busting the seams or something. No clear instructions or limits were specified, so not sure how close I got, but there were no problems with leakage or damage. When fully inflated, the hood takes on a bit of flattened, wide appearance, since the back zipper prevents the mask from growing outward behind your head, and the eye coverings create a connection in the front. So most of the inflation happens to the sides of the head. The pressure creates a very unusual, comforting sensation that is hard to describe. The combination of the pressure, the smell of the latex, and the breathing tube combine to make for an intense experience.

I am interested in hearing if others have tried this little experiment as well, and what they thought. I think it was a great gear purchase and something I plan to go back to often. It ran $175 Australian, which worked out to like $100 US. Delivery was very fast (especially given the distance) and the transaction was great. I've never tried an inflatable suit, and they're usually so expensive, I doubt I'd have the pleasure, but I wonder how that would compare. Does anyone have an inflatable suit they'd be willing to rent out for a few hours?

I'm curious to experiment with other interesting hood configurations, any recommendations?