Pole Sleeve

My pole sleeve is here! I am here to tell you guys about my pole sleeve experience. I placed my order, in February, for a pink pole sleeve. Victor let me know that the pink would be ready in March, which I agreed to. He did answer my questions when I would call him for updates, and he gave me an email and tracking number, when my sleeve shipped. It arrived quickly after shipment. In the package was: the pole sleeve, a carrying bag, and an adapter for your air source.

Comes with a carrying bag and adapter. You will also need an air source and painters tape.

Installation: This part was hard for me for several reasons. I was able to get the sleeve on the first 1-2 feet of my pole easily, but it got harder the further down the pole it went. My first problem was that the air source I had did not fit the adapter that was included. I ended up having to use the adapter switched around, so the large opening was around the sleeve, and the small end with my air mattress pump hose attached (I think it's supposed to be the other way around.) Next, I had to put A LOT of painters tape around the end of the adapter onto my pole to keep too much air from escaping (luckily I have a 1 piece pole so it is sealed on the bottom of the pole.) It took a lot of fussing with it, but I managed to get the seal adequate enough to start sliding the sleeve on the pole. I got it most of the way on when the sleeve refused to budge anymore. It was at this point I recruited my man to help me with it. The two of us managed to get it on a little more. I ended up putting a sweater in the corner of my room, propping the bottom of the pole in the corner, and pushing against the wall to get it the rest of the way on. It took A LOT of muscle work to get it on all the way. I was sweating and I got a butt cramp! I'm sure my neighbors were wondering what I was doing with an air pump going and grunting! Probably doesn't help that my pole is brass! When you get the sleeve on, the instructions say to leave a 2" overhang and fold it over. That took me a while to do. The sleeve kept wanting to stick to itself, but I finally got it all folded over and on! Overall, it took about 1 hour - 1.5 hours of fussing with it, but I finally got it on. The sleeve is supposed to be progressively easier to install. I have not taken mine off to test that out, mainly because I'm lazy! Also, my dog likes to attack noisy things, so keeping him away from the air mattress pump, while I was putting the sleeve on, was a challenge that I don't want to repeat (silly dog!)

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How I ended up attaching the adapter to my air source. I'm pretty sure it's meant to be used the other way around, but it wouldn't work that way with my pump. I taped the large end onto my pole sleeve.

Video from pole Sleeve on installation and removal of the sleeve.

The sleeve:

The sleeve is a rubber tube that slides over your metal pole. It is thicker than I anticipated. I thought it would bump my pole up to the next size diameter (I have a 45mm pole, so I figured it would put it at a 50mm diameter.) The sleeve actually makes it larger than the next size. Surprisingly, though, that doesn't bother me. I hate 50mm poles, but that is partly due to my sweaty hands not being able to adequately grasp such a large metal pole. The sleeve has extra grip, so my hands don't have to overgrip to compensate for the increased size, which is nice. I still had to use some Dirty Girl PoleTICE to make my hands feel secure, but my hands felt much more secure than on other poles. The instructions say not to use grip aids on the sleeve. I think Dirty Girl PoleTICE should be fine, as is doesn't remain on the hands when poling, but I would double check with Victor on that. Below are photos of the pole sleeve compared to the 45mm and 50mm poles, with my hands.

45mm pole, without the pole sleeve                         50mm pole, for reference

45mm pole, with Pole Sleeve on it

The sleeve has an interesting feel. I know I have felt something like it before, but I cannot place it. It is almost like smooth rubber. The pole has latex, so if you have a latex allergy, this might not be a good product for you. The grip is interesting. It reminds me of the grip of mighty grip gloves with tack, in that it sticks like glue, but there is a point where if you release, it completely lets go, so you have to get used to working around it in that respect.

Poling on the sleeve is very different from poling on a metal pole. It takes some getting used to. Keep this in mind when you first start using it. Don't expect it to be like a regular pole. Also, I suggest wearing clothing that is skin tight and doesn't stretch a lot. I initially tried poling on it with yoga pants (no elastic) and a tank top (pictured below.) I managed, but it was not ideal at all. The clothing stretched too much, so I didn't feel secure in the tricks. Clothing with less give would be ideal, like a leotard. The stick to my clothes was so great that, when I tried sliding down the pole, the sleeve tried to take my pants and shirt off! Hahaha. The sleeve also does grip your skin more than a pole, so you have to get used to that. It is a nice option for sweaty hands, though it isn't a cure. I feel like some moves will not be possible on the sleeve, due to the stretch of the fabric, causing sliding. For example, I tried the genie and knee hold. My clothes stick just fine, but my skin doesn't grip the fabric, so I slide out of the position. I think that any move that is more stick based than muscle squeezing will be a problem. That still leaves a lot of moves that CAN be done easily, like leg hangs, thigh grips, inverted straddles, etc. I actually like doing an inverted straddle on the sleeve!

Like I mentioned, tricks on the pole sleeve feel different than a regular pole. I actually had to squeeze my muscles more, to stay on the pole, than I do with a metal pole. I think this is because you have that layer of clothing between you and the pole, which has a bit of give, so you have to brace the clothing firmly between you and the sleeve. This is not a bad thing at all, it's just something to keep in mind. Since you are squeezing a lot, the pole still pinches like a regular pole and still pulls your skin underneath the clothing, so poling will still have some discomfort with it, but we're polers, we're used to pain! The grip on the sleeve also leaves less room for adjustment, which takes some getting used to.

Maintenance: Cleaning the sleeve is fairly simple. Just spray it with water and wipe it with a cloth. If it gets really icky, you can use a mild soap and warm water. To make it wear evenly, you are supposed to flip the sleeve periodically, which I haven't done yet, but I will eventually.

*UPDATE: I finally got the courage to attempt to take off the sleeve. I was worried it would be really hard. I managed to get it off a few inches on my own, but I recruited my partner to help at that point. He grabbed the end of the pole, I grabbed the sleeve, and we pulled in opposite directions. It slid right off! YES!