ALTERNATIVE POCKETS

image: alternative pockets: (l to r) phone holders, wrist cuffs with pockets, stretchy running belt

The first time I went to a back room, I was basically wearing street clothes—tshirt and jeans, as I recall. If you want to go, go and wear what you feel comfortable in obviously but I felt a little over dressed and out of place. I ran into a friend there who gave me some good sage advice which that I took to heart. He said, “You gotta have some skin in the game,” and that really resonated with me. I decided that if I wanted to come back—I definitely did—I would need some gear and I would need to get over decades of self-consciousness.

Leading up to the second time I went to a darkroom, I did a lot of planning because I had no gear to wear and I’m just not happy unless I’m overthinking something. I got really fixated on the idea of how to carry stuff with me without pockets. I found a few helpful articles including a couple variations of an article by Alex Cheves (55 Do’s and Don’ts of Attending a Gay Sex Party, Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Gay Sex Party: Part 1 and Part 2) and this video by JustJoeyT:

So I bought a lot of cheap little bags and things to try out from Amazon an ended up liking the wrist cuff pockets (for debit cards/cash) and a belt with pockets but I don’t really use the pockets, just a carabiner I hang from it. The best item—the ultimate sl*t pocket—honestly is a really good pair of socks because you can stuff anything in them pretty much, including your phone. Oh, and a drawstring bag just to keep stuff together in the clothes check but that is optional.