Event Review: Rubbout 19

Vancouver was the place to be on the April 9-11 weekend as rubbermen from North America and Europe joined us to celebrate the 19th installment of Rubbout, North America's longest running rubber event! Visitors attended from Sweden, Toronto, Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Calgary and many points in between. It was the biggest Rubbout to date and gives us some fantastic momentum as we start thinking about Rubbout 20 in 2011.

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Friday afternoon was initial registration at Pumpjack Pub. Earlier in the week volunteers had worked hard to hang lubed-up balloons and inner tubes from the ceiling, drop the banners on the walls and prep the backroom for the Friday night party. The volunteers donned their Invincible shirts and Ego Assassin Rubbout briefs for lots of photos and to accept arrivals for the weekend to pick up their packages and have a couple of pints.

After a brief break for food(!) we all ended up at Numbers for the Vancouver Men in Leather Rubbout Social. It was one of the best-attended VML parties on record and everyone had a good time. There were a couple of vac-rack demos, rubbershine boys, and a Best Rubber contest. Afterwards everyone headed back to Pumpjack for a Blackout Party and Brendan's fireplay demo which was enjoyed by all!

Saturday morning came early and we headed back to Pumpjack for the Rubbout Gear Swap and Demos. The amount of gear that showed up was overwhelming and approximately $8000 in gear exchanged kinky hands, raising proceeds to cover expenses for the Rubbout committee. Both Inrubber.com and Wares and Wears had new gear and clothing to sell, and the turnout of buyers was impressive. The vac-cube and straightjacket demos were a highlight of the event.

The focus of the evening was the Private Mens Condo Party at Mitch's. A sexy doorman greeted us as we arrived at the complex, there was a photo studio set up on the first floor for rubbermen to get pictures taken with Fenn, Mr. International Rubber 2010 and Brendan, International Mr. Leather 2009 runner-up. The second floor had a bar and social area and the rooftop patio had a bar and enclosed area complete with stockade and disco ball! I heard that there were some interesting shaving scenes done up there while I was working the bar on the main floor....

Afterwards most of the group headed to M2M for the Rubbout sex party although some attendees went to the Thickset Bear Dance at ANZA Club which I was also told was a great time. The sex party was exactly that...a sexy party! Everyone enjoyed the goings-on in the slime pit - dildo wrestling and such...and the Rubbout hospitality room was a very popular spot for most of the guys over the course of the evening.

Sunday morning we all reassembled at Pumpjack for the Rubbout Brunch and prize giveaways. After a good meal and shower of prizes from the raffle ticket sales (up 60% from last year), some of us headed back to Mitch's to help with the tear down from the previous evenings event and then headed back to Pumpjack for the weekly Sunday Beer Bust. After that my friend Marc and I went back to Mitch's for a special splash in the hot tub which lasted until the wee hours of the morning.

It was deemed by all a great time and one of the best Rubbout parties in the event's history. I am so glad to have been a part of it, and we're all already thinking forward to next year's event which will be a big one since the 20th anniversary is such a milestone. Once again, thanks to all the rubbermen and leathermen for coming, all the sponsors for assisting us to pull off such a great weekend, Xtra West, Pumpjack, Numbers and Priape for their shameless promotion and the volunteers and organizing committee for your tireless enthusiasm. I'm looking forward to 2011 already!

We are always looking for ways to make the event a better experience for everyone. If you have any suggestions on what we can do to make Rubbout 20 unforgettable, please don't hesitate to email me your suggestions! :)

I unfortunately was too busy most of the time to take a lot of pics but there will be tons of them available on the Rubbout website very soon.