What type of rope you use will depend on your personal preferences, and as your journey progresses you will learn more about the qualities you want from your rope kit. This quick guide is intended for beginners trying to figure out what to get as their first set, as we know that this can be rather daunting!
If you have never done any rope bondage, it might be worthwhile to come to one of our events before you make your mind up. We have rope you can borrow, and it will allow you to try at least a few different varieties before you commit.
We recommend a length of around 8m – any more than that, and it becomes quite difficult to handle – and diameter of 5-6mm. If you would like to learn from us, we would recommend jute or hemp.
Rope Materials
Cotton – popular with beginners, as it’s very soft, widely available and very cheap. Cotton rope stretches and compresses slightly, which can lead to knots which are harder to undo. It is generally unsuitable for suspension.
Jute – a very popular choice due to it’s Japanese aesthetic, it holds friction well but can be somewhat scratchy if you are not used to the feel of it. Quite strong, does require regular maintenance. Can aggravate some grass allergies.
Hemp – stronger than Jute, but also denser, so can be harder to handle. It is also slightly softer and requires less maintenance. Can aggravate some grass allergies.
Linen hemp – rope made from linen (made from flax plant). It has many of the properties of hemp, including strength and density, but is even softer. Excellent for dyeing. Can aggravate some grass allergies.
Bamboo – the following information is a result of research and not personal experience as we’ve yet to try it. Bamboo rope is comparable in strength to hemp and jute but much softer. It is however extremely compressible, which can lead to knots being very difficult to undo, especially when used for suspension. It also tends to be rather expensive.
Nylon – very strong, and it’s shiny smooth texture and possibility of endless bright colours holds a lot of appeal to some. Suitable to be used in water. Due to its smoothness, it doesn’t hold knots and frictions the way natural rope does, and as such requires a different way of tying. You might struggle to find a teacher for nylon rope within the UK – we sadly don’t know of any.
Coconut – very weak, extremely cheap and widely available. It is very scratchy which makes it appealing for easy sadism, but beware – it will scratch the riggers hands as well! Its texture and looseness also makes knots and frictions difficult to undo. Unsuitable for suspension.
Synthetic imitations of natural ropes – e.g. POSH, hempex, Skorpion Endure. These aim to imitate the texture of jute or hemp using synthetic fibers, as they are much stronger and far easier to clean and maintain. They are also suitable to be used in water. The ones which more closely imitate natural fibre can be rather pricey, and the cheaper ones have texture which some find unpleasant and can cause friction skin burns. They also don’t hold frictions as well as natural rope.
Reinforced natural rope – this is natural rope with a synthetic fibre running through it for strength. They are mainly used for suspension. One study suggests that they might not actually be stronger, however. (https://fetlife.com/users/5252326/posts/4625230)
Rope Types
Braided rope – braided outer casing surrounding empty space inside, or an internal core. This is appropriate for synthetic bondage rope, e.g. nylon, but less so for natural fibres. Most common example you will see in the UK is braided cotton bondage rope in bright colours sold in sex shops. We wouldn’t recommend it as this rope will have a lot of stretch, meaning it can bite into sensitive areas of the body such as joints, and move and displace easily. It will also compress significantly leading to very hard to undo knots and frictions.
Twisted rope – made of three or more strands of fibre twisted together into a rope. Three strand twisted rope is the general standard for natural fibre bondage rope.
Tight vs loose lay – this refers to twisted rope, and how tightly the strands are twisted together. Tighter lay rope is generally recommended for beginners, as it’s more hardwearing and harder to damage. Loose lay rope is more flexible and as such moves faster, which is why some more advanced practitioners prefer it.
Factory-made vs hand-spun – unless you get your rope wholesale, your rope will be hand-processed, which is a time consuming process which is reflected in the price. Most rope will be mass produced in a factory and then processed and treated for bondage purposes. There are a few sellers however who go a step further and hand-spin their rope from the fibre. The advantage of this is that the rope is made specifically for bondage, and as such doesn’t contain anything which is not body-safe for example. However, most small scale manufacturers will have no way of testing the strength and reliability of their product. Due to the amount of anecdotal stories we have heard about hand-spun rope breaking very easily, we strongly advise against using hand-spun rope for any load-bearing purposes, such as full or partial suspensions.
Where to get your rope
Wholesale/DIY stores/any other non-bondage specific supplier: this is a valid choice and can greatly reduce the price. This is especially a good option for coconut rope which can never be load bearing, doesn’t require processing and is significantly cheaper this way. Please be aware that jute and hemp require “breaking in” and conditioning with wax and/or oil before they can be used for bondage, which is something most bondage specific rope suppliers already do. If you would like to do it yourself, that’s great – just be aware that it’s a lot of work. Additionally, most jute obtained this way will have been treated with JBO (jute batching oil), which is a carcinogenic chemical. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935187800038?via%3Dihub)
SkorpionRope – Skorpion Endure, a high quality synthetic imitation of natural rope, is available to purchase though https://www.ropecompany.co.uk/store/skorpoin-endure.html#:~:text=Endure%20is%20stronger%20and%20more,tie%20against%20the%20skin%20too. starting at £14/8m. Skorpion no longer sells other types of rope.
Bondatrix – sell plain jute, plain and coloured hemp and coconut. £21 treated jute rope, £21 coloured 8m hemp, £18.50 10m coconut. https://www.bondatrix.com/index.php/bondage-gear/other-bondage/rope
Ro-nin – beautiful custom-made rope set per your specifications. Usually has a long waiting time, but we definitely think his creations are worth the wait. Sells jute, hemp and coconut rope. Prices vary depending on your specs. https://fetlife.com/users/565812/posts/6140331
Growly – sells synthetic imitations of natural rope: hempex and BiteSP. From £6 per 8.5m. https://www.ropewithbite.co.uk/
CoolHandFloggers – sells ogawa jute (£12/8m) and linen hemp. Orders through DM on Fetlife. https://fetlife.com/CoolHandFloggers/a/current-available-stock-ord6s
Please let us know if you know of any other reputable rope suppliers in the UK!
Last updated 14/10/2024