Locktober is just one month away! Last year was absolute madness for us here at KINK3D. Our timeline was popping off nonstop with thousands of incredible cage checks shared by people all over the world. And we think the trendline over the past decade speaks for itself (even without the unintentional assists of last year).
So what's this Locktober thing all about? If you're new to Locktober, consider this your mission briefing. Simply put, Locktober is a monthlong celebration of all things chastity. Caging fans around the world set their clocks and lock up for 31 days.
If you're curious to give it a try, now is the perfect time to start getting ready.
Why Locktober?
Chastity has been on a tear recently. In fact by some accounts, it's the world's fastest growing kink!
If you're not sure what all the fuss is about, we suggest checking out more of our blog posts, where we explore why people love chastity so much from a variety of perspectives.
As a quick overview, we think some of the wide-ranging and profound love for chastity comes from a combination of gear fetishism, erotic imagination, building up sexual energy, control (whether your own self-control or control by someone else), and identity and gender expression. We won't cover all those themes in depth today, but we'll return to some of them in later Locktober posts.
The one theme we'll talk about now is building up sexual energy. It's an easy one to write about because it really speaks for itself! For many chastity fans, the longer you go without orgasm, the more feral you become. Do you like being horny? Do you enjoy the buzzing, heightened sensations? Have you noticed how the more aroused you get, the more it puts you in an adventurous headspace to explore new kinks? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, then Locktober is a way to take all that to the next level.
It can be hard to convince yourself on your own to lock up for 31 days and start to experience all those benefits — and that's where Locktober comes in. Locktober makes it communal. You'll be doing it alongside like-minded people around the world, people who may number in the hundreds of thousands this year if not more. The energy around Locktober is palpable, and being part of a ritual bigger than yourself is a great way to stay motivated and see how long you can go.
We also love this theme because it doesn't require a keyholder (meaning someone else who takes charge of the key to your cage). In fact, we'd estimate that more than 50% of our customers do Locktober solo. So whether you've got a keyholder this Locktober or you're going for it with the online community at your back, you can experience many of the same energetic highs.
You might even want to check out Chastity Social (Twitter, Instagram) to see if there's a local meetup in a city near you, where you can meet fellow Locktober participants in person.
How does it work?
We often get asked if there are official rules for Locktober. First off — there are no official rules! You can define your goals for Locktober in whatever way makes the most sense for your kinks and desires, your romantic and sexual relationships, and your experience level with chastity. But to help you decide, here are two big criteria that you can use when thinking about how to approach Locktober:
- Keep the cage on straight for 31 days? Or remove it periodically?
- Orgasms while caged? Or no cumming for 31 days?
Suffice to say that "Hardcore Mode" is 31 days, no removal, no orgasms. But is that right for everyone? Let's dive in:
1. Should the cage stay on?
The dream for many chastity fans is 24/7 ("permanent") caging. Locktober is a natural opportunity to test the boundaries and see if you can make it a full month without a single removal.
24/7 caging is an incredibly hot fantasy for some people, and we totally get why it's so appealing! It's a way to experience what it might be like to be in a power dynamic where someone locks you up and keeps you in a state of enforced denial. If you want to start Locktober with continuous locking as your goal and see how long you can go, we say more power to you.
That said, for many people, 24/7 caging just isn't practical. That could be the case for all sorts of reasons, including:
- you have to go to a medical appointment
- you have trouble sleeping in your cage and don't want to spend a whole month in a cranky daze from bad sleep (p.s. read our guide to sleeping caged)
- you start getting pain or injury from your cage and need to switch out to a different model or take a break to recharge
- you have a partner who isn't bought in to a full month where your penis is entirely off limits
- you notice that hygiene is becoming an issue and need to remove the cage to do a deep cleaning
Whether you start off going for 31 days of 24/7 caging and then change plans partway through, or you go in with the intentional plan of taking periodic breaks, it's totally within the spirit of Locktober and not something to feel bad about!
In fact, for many chastity fans, we think the best strategy to balance an ambitious goal with practical constraints is aiming for as close as possible to 31 days of 16/7 wear — in other words, you put the cage on first thing in the morning, and take it off right before you go to bed at night. Just like glasses or contacts :)
2. How about orgasms?
For some people, the point of Locktober is the locking. You can do whatever you want, as long as you stay locked. If you want to discover all the ways you can make yourself cum while keeping the cage on, knock yourself out.
For others, a key unspoken rule of Locktober is that it's all about denial. As we talked about in the "Why" section, the longer you go without orgasm, the hornier you're apt to get. That's a big part of the appeal, and can lead to a truly altered state of consciousness (in the best of ways).
We'll leave this one up to you as well. Just make sure that whatever you decide, you're doing it for the right reasons. Don't let a momentary temptation lead you to cum before you're really ready; the pleasure will only last for a few seconds, but the regret for giving up on your goal ahead of schedule can last a lot longer!
What cage should I use?
Locktober is all about testing your chastity limits. At KINK3D, we're here to make sure your loadout is up to the challenge.
All our cages are designed from the ground up to be comfortable, durable, and insanely lightweight. As you make your choice, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Cobra or Viper
We've got a primer on the differences here.
In our experience, Cobra has more open areas between the bars, making it a bit easier to stay clean for longer continuous lockups (like 31 days). However Viper does have slits for cleaning, and there are plenty chastity fans wearing Viper continuously. (Example — NSFW!)
On the other hand, Viper can have fewer issues with "turtling" (where the penis retracts back in the cage). This can be particularly helpful if you plan to lock up overnight, as for some Cobra wearers turtling can cause the penis to get stuck partway down the cage during nighttime erections.
Ultimately, both our cage lines are suitable for Locktober, and tens of thousands of hardcore chastity fans have already put them to the longterm locking test.
If you want help choosing a cage, email us soon! This is our busiest time of the year, so getting your questions in early will help ensure we can give you proper attention in time for your cage to arrive by October 1.
What other gear should I have?
You will definitely want to have lotion on hand to keep friction at bay. Moisturizing under the scrotum is crucial for comfort. We love our LeatherDaddy x KINK3D Cage Cream collab, but there are great alternatives at local stores too, such as Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion.
If you want to prove how long you've been locked, our Airlock with a uniquely numbered seal is the perfect way to do it. And for staying lined up in your cage throughout the month, our Nether Nudger is a lifesaver to keep on your keychain. Both these KINK3D original creations can be found in our Chastity Accessories collection.
We'll have lots more Locktober content coming up over the next two months. Start your countdown and happy locking!
p.s. Do you want to write a Locktober blog post for us? Pitch us on your idea! Over the course of the month, we'd love to publish guest posts from a variety of experience levels, from Locktober veterans to people who are trying it out for the very first time.