Everybody's moaning about the same thing lately - "Nobody gears up to go out anymore!" A visit to almost any leather bar across the US sure seems to support the complaint. It's a sea of cargos and flip flops out there.
But there are a few bright spots out there popping up on our Leatherati radar.
Code DC - These guys are gear freaks, and we love that. The line from the website says it all; Most guys take their clothes off to have sex. We think they have it backwards. That's when we put the gear ON, and the more gear the better! Code embraces a wide variety of gear including sport, skin, rubber, and leather of course. The crowd tends to run younger and the producers always make sure to have plenty of staged play going on to keep the energy hot.
Code happens the first Saturday of each month in DC, every other second Saturday in Philadelphia, and a special edition at IML this year. Check the website for times, locations, and dress code.
Men in Gear - They've been around for quite a while and still keep true to their mission to get guys off of their computers, in to gear and out to cruise. From the website; MEN IN GEAR gatherings are not about speeches, fundraisers, entertainment, discussion groups...it's all about meeting up face-to-face for some cruising and meeting other kinky f**ks.
The M.I.G. gear parties happen every Saturday night at Chaps II in San Francisco. Info at meningear.com
BLUF - The fetishists from the Breeches and Leather Uniform Fanclub are the full leather purists among us. For most events out there "Gear" has expanded to include everything from football gear to skin gear. The guys at BLUF remain laser focused on the hottest of the hot, the full leather with breeches made so iconic by Tom of Finland. Check out one of their BLUF Nights organized by their local chapter heads. Info on BLUF and venues at www.bluf.com
Anvil Club - Full disclosure; Anvil Club is run by Leatherati Editors Loren Berthelsen and Alex Lindsay. Anvil Club is an extreme dress code party held in a private dungeon space so it can go places the other public venues can't. Anvil Club is a re-tool of our old-school places like the Mineshaft, the original Anvil and the Brig with a big dose of Keller and Boots thrown in. From the website - Anvil Club is not a sex party. It's a full-on gear dress code club in a private space that features a fully equipped dungeon and a huge darkroom.
The first Anvil Club is on Saturday, March 27 in Los Angeles. Anvil Club is private and you have to be approved to get a ticket. Info on the club, how to get approved and what all the "extreme dress code" is about at www.anvil-club.com
Gear Nights - Lots of bars are doing gear nights but the feedback is pretty mixed across the country. A Leatherati viewer recent commented that apparently tropical shirts and sandals are considered "gear" at the NY Eagle's code night. At the Eagle LA the gear night crowd is more cargos and tees than leather and some viewers report actually getting harassed for wearing leather...on Gear Night...in a leather bar. Same story with the Eagle Toronto although we did hear a rumor that local leather dudes, fed up with the invasion of their space, stage periodic commando raids where they sweep through the bar in big black boots and woe unto any unwary flip flopped foot that gets in the way. Urban legend? You tell us.
People out there are looking for reasons to gear up and places to go. Send us info on your gear event or place or night and we'll get it up on Leatherati.
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