This guy advocated against the kind of idiocy he ended up succumbing to? Hard to understand. Damn shame.

Why don't these idiots join the Army if they want pain?

Volunteer to clear the road of IEDs or something.

Definitely a possible slip in judgment. Lots of bad suck. Tragic for the community and his loved peoples.

@1: Perhaps the true danger was a part of his thrill.

It is so odd though that a pro would ignore all the rational and sensible safety precautions he was so well versed in.

Vac bed? Looks horrible. I guess that's the point but damn. Whatever happened to tit clamps?

Isn't that like rule #1 for kinky people? And vac beds seem dangerous. I know a lot of kinky stuff looks dangerous but isn't really THAT dangerous, but vac beds look ACTUALLY dangerous.

Just googled vacuum bed and holy fucking shit, that's the scariest damn thing I've ever fucking seen. I need a benzo just from looking at the picture.

I'm heartened that I'm not the only one that had to google a vacuum bed.

I'll take just plain old fucking, tyvm.

Sorry to hear about the death.

I think I'm going to feel suffocated for the rest of the day after googling that device.

I'm so happy that I'm easily pleased.

@12, word. The expense and danger of this stuff is staggering.

what a shame.

Maybe it was deliberate suicide-made-to-look-like-an-accident.

The vac bed reminds me of what Han Solo looked like after he was encased in carbonite.

i don't particularly want to google vac bed. can anyone summarize it in a couple of sentences?

@16: Totally!!!

@17 It's like those vacuum bags you store sweaters in, except the sweater is you.

I can't be the only person here who has actually used a vac bed. The type I've used does not have a gasket for the neck; rather, one was encased entirely, with a hole that sealed around one's mouth. While my body was constrained (obviously), my breathing was not occluded. For people who enjoy constriction, mummification, etc., it's a great feeling -- the entire body is immobilized, down to every fingertip, without pressure points, overheating, or chafing. For people who love latex, it's a wonderful immersion.

All the same, I'd have never tried to operate one alone. Not the same could be said for my ex-husband, who had rigged up a system whereby he could operate the vacuum from inside the latex, by means of a "dead man's switch." I was never comfortable with that, which didn't seem to bother him much... which is why he's my ex-husband. At least if he'd wound up offing himself, I imagine I'd have heard about it somewhere by now.

I had to google it up. HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! I've heard of quite a few immobilization methods, but that one simply never occurred to me.

And my condolences as well for those he left behind... how incredibly sad.

@6, I totally agree. Obviously I'm not familiar with them, but it looks like the combination of restraints and the use of only a single air tube could make it difficult to convey a pproblem (or perhaps a problem could be misinterpreted as pleasure).
Not that any of that matters when you're using it alone.

And this may sound naive, but what's the purpose of using a vac bed while you're alone? Based on the pictures, it would seem like you'd need at least another participant to provide some tactile interaction. Otherwise you're just laying there in a giant bag doing nothing.

That looks like something out of a horror movie. Wow. RIP.

@22 That's like asking why someone would use a sensory deprivation tank without someone else there.

I've always wanted to try one, as it looks like the ultimate in mummification toys. Who knew a vac bed could be so deadly.

@24 Or, for that matter, why you'd touch yourself if no one else were there.

@24 sensory deprivation tanks really don't have much to do with sex or kink. Sensory deprivation tanks, at least as I understand them, are for relaxation, therapy, meditation etc. Although I'm sure if I googled it, I'd find people that are sex in dep tanks; and I imagine it's pretty easy to rub one out in a sensory deprivation tank even if you don't have a partner willing to help.

I can't say the same for vac beds. It looks like it would be impossible, or at least very difficult, to touch yourself while being shrink wrapped.

Anyway, I admit, I know nothing about them, and I still know very little...so anyone in the know, please educate me.