How to Choose Rope

Type of Rope

Jute is a naturally strong and compact rope, but it can sometimes bristle. When it is well conditioned, Jute can feel amazing to be tied up in. This is the recommended rope for beginners.

Hemp is naturally smoother (and often has a little smell to it), and when it is conditioned well it can feel incredible to be tied up in.

Silk is perhaps the most expensive of the choices, but it is smooth and — literally — silky quality make it strikingly beautiful to be tied up in.

I recommend Jute.

The most common for many rope tops are jute or hemp (all natural fiber ropes), also popular is silk rope. Jute is a naturally strong and compact rope, but it can sometimes bristle. When it is well conditioned, Jute can feel amazing to be tied up in. Hemp is naturally smoother (and often has a little smell to it), and when it is conditioned well it can feel incredible to be tied up in. Silk is perhaps the most expensive of the choices, but it is smooth and — literally — silky quality make it strikingly beautiful to be tied up in. Finally, some rigging (suspension) uses synthetic ropes that are made to feel like natural rope, including Hempex and POSH.

Nylon (synthetic fiber) is cheaper. It OK for getting started with the basics, but I don’t recommend it for floor typing or Shibari (body ties).

Finally, cotton also feels very soft, but in its give, it can lose tension. I don’t recommend cotton rope for anything— either the beginner material or anything more advanced. It is too difficult to work with.

For very beginners, I recommend jute.

Nylon is OK for the beginner section, where you can learn some very basics, but not suitable for Shibari. I recommend against cotton, for either the basics or the floor work.

If you have any synthetic rope (like nylon) lying around the house, use that for the beginner section before you invest in a set of ropes.

When you are ready to invest in ropes, I recommend you purchase four to six 30′ foot (or 9.1 meter) as well as two 15′ lengths of rope to start with Shibari.

Conditioning

I recommend you buy conditioned or partially conditioned rope.

However, some sadists prefer to buy unconditioned rope. If you buy unconditioned rope, your process for conditioning varies: At a minimum, you will want to “break” and “torch” the rope so it is more pliable. This leaves rope that has very little oil but will hold tension extremely well. As you tie with it, the natural oils from your bunnies will transfer to the rope, making it softer. Alternatively, you can oil your unconditioned rope yourself, but I recommend against this as it is easy to get wrong.