Outdoor Bondage: What to Consider During Public BDSM Play

Blindfolded, ball-gagged and bound to a bench, or cuffed to a swing overlooking a sedate lake? Outdoor bondage is all about being restrained in public. Alex Hopkins discusses prepping for public BDSM and the crucial safety and legal considerations of such outside entertainment.

Oh, the joy of a furtive fumble or full-on thrustathon in the bushes! From gay cruising grounds to dogging spots for rampant swingers, opportunities for outdoor sex are plentiful.

But public bondage takes alfresco action to a whole new level. So, how do you go about it? And what might outdoor BDSM play look like in practice?

What is outdoor bondage?

Outdoor Bondage can happen in loads of different ways. Here are only three of them but the fun thing in our kinky community is to get creative and let your imagination run wild.

Restraint The easiest way to enjoy outdoor bondage is with restraints. Reach for bondage ropes, cuffs, or even that old scarf your grandmother gave you. Use them on yourself only with self-bondage or with a partner.

Shibari Also known as Japanese rope bondage, shibari is derived from restraining prisoners as a form of ***. But it can be gentle as well as violent. And, with its emphasis on the aesthetic art of tying, looks magnificent in a woodland setting.

Suspension For BDSM experts only: hang from the ground via restraints. Find a sturdy oak and then choose from three major positions: vertical, horizontal, or inverted. For public bondage, vertical is the most practical. Suspend your sub from the wrists or use a bondage harness. Feeling exceptionally adventurous? Hang upside down with an inverted suspension.

Top 4 appeals of outdoor bondage

Now that the initial understanding of outdoor bondage is clear, why give it a try you may ask? Let me convince you with these four reasons.

1. Walking on the wild side

The rush of fresh air. The intoxicating scent of flowers. The proximity of wild ***s. The exquisite liberation of swaying from an ancient tree. Nature is primal – and brings out the beast in the best of us!

“The easiest way to enjoy outdoor bondage is with restraints. Reach for bondage ropes, cuffs, or even that old scarf your grandmother gave you.”

2. Breaking boundaries

Indulging in taboos is a huge turn-on. And the illicit thrill of public bondage is up there with the biggest of them all.

At its core is exploration. Twisting fairytales into outrageous abduction fantasies. Trampling through the woods until you find the perfect tree to be tied to and thoroughly flogged. Outdoor BDSM and bondage play is as extreme as you dare get.

Try some tropical outdoor bondage to enrich your kinky lifestyle!

3. The bliss of ***ness

Public bondage is built on trust and vulnerability. And this means opening yourself up to new feelings of ***ness or ***. Long, leashed walks along beaches. Scampering on all-fours through fields. Public bondage can potentially transform sub/dom power dynamics.

4. Enjoying artistic license

Even the most well-appointed dungeon can become humdrum if overused. Outdoor bondage lets you re-imagine the kink playbook. And directing fresh scenes against a vast, unfamiliar backdrop can challenge all your senses.

Prepping for public bondage

Spontaneity may make for a scorching session – but not when it comes to outdoor bondage. The stakes are too high. indeed, misjudgments of any kind can put you in a compromising position – and not the sort one craves.

Consequently, meticulous preparation is essential. And this starts with choosing the right location. A private outdoor space is the safest option... but the flipside of this is that the delicious sense of danger diminishes.

Happy and hot compromises include BDSM campsites, festivals, parades and street fairs with willing audiences. Seeking something less public with just the two (or more) of you? Channel untrammeled forest paths or far-off fields.

Public bondage: The choice of materials is nearly endless

Prioritize comfort alongside clothing. Ensure you can move easily and can quickly cover up if interrupted by members of the public passing by. Opt for multiple layers: all manner of kinky delights can lurk beneath deceptively bland T-shirts, jumpers, or trackies, for example, a butt plug or nipple clamps. Or what about strategically-placed duct tape, arm and leg cuffs, PVC or latex numbers: they’re all ripe for concealment.

“Public bondage is built on trust and vulnerability. And this means opening yourself up to new feelings of ***ness or ***.”

Always use high-quality, robust equipment. Test it thoroughly. Crucially, try out scenes at home first — repeatedly. And then, when out and about, lean towards simpler outdoor bondage techniques. Now is not the time for fussy, complex ties. Being able to dismantle a public BDSM set-up safely and discreetly is paramount.

Outdoor BDSM: safety and consent

As with all forms of BDSM, consent is non-negotiable. All partners involved must be up for it and have agreed limits and safe words. Additionally, with outdoor bondage, there are wider issues of consent. You’ll be violating the consent of anyone who inadvertently stumbles upon your shenanigans. So, do your best to protect your privacy and everyone else’s.

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And then there are the hazards that come with wandering off the beaten track. Unpredictable weather. Nasty insects. Hidden holes beneath bracken. Branches that are nowhere near as strong as they may look. Scout every area carefully when considering where to practise outside bondage.

Furthermore, pack a first-aid kit and know how to use it. Ensure you have mobile phone reception in case you need to call emergency services. Post-session, remove all equipment and rubbish. Nature is everyone’s playground and should be respected as such.

Outdoor BDSM and legal constraints

Familiarizing yourself with local nudity and obscenity laws is vital with public bondage. These laws vary across the world, so be sure to check online before you put your kink into practice.

While it may not be illegal to reveal your private parts or have sex outside, if your outdoor bondage exploits disturb others then you may be fined or prosecuted. So, always practise discretion and respect.

The final FET: outdoor bondage

From a spot of self-bondage to being shackled to a telephone pole, opportunities for public outdoor bondage adventures abound. Prep thoroughly, take rigorous safety precautions, keep within the law and a whole new world of BDSM awaits! •

Alex Hopkins, a journalist and copywriter, has written on everything from LGBT arts and culture to sex and relationships, lifestyle, theatre, and civilian harm. His fiction has appeared in the anthologies Men and Women (Glasshouse Books) and Mainstream (Inkandescent). He's currently working on his first novel and is sustained by a love of hash browns and an unswerving belief that Glenn Close will eventually win an Oscar.

Have you tried outdoor bondage? What scenes worked for you? Share your stories below or in the Fetish.com forum!