What kind of rope?

I have seen a lot of bondage movie/pictures. I always wondered what kind or type of rope is used? Is there a special rope used?

Most commonly Jute or Hemp rope is used in traditional Shibari rope bondage, some use synthetic ropes and silks but I personally prefer the natural materials.

There is no question that my husband and I prefer nylon, polyester and some of the high tech marine racing ropes. They are smooth, come in diameters from 1/8" up to 2", (we don't have anything over 5/8" although 1/4" to 1/2" is most common and in a marine store, comes in many pretty colors and designs. We have 500-600 feet of various colors, pattern designs (sooo pretty!) and diameters of rope cut to lengths of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 75 and 100 foot lengths which are all very nice whipped and sealed at their ends. The longer lengths are used for making harnesses and some simple Shibari. My husband is better at the Shibari then I am. He is imaginative and good with knots and I like the time it takes for me to get slowly tied up. We have many shorter lengths of rope for restraining arms, legs and combinations of them to various points of fixation.

I don't like sharp sisal or hemp rope at all. I enjoy being tied up and restrained, not cut and splintered by rope.

500 to 600 feet? you'll never hear susie say: "i've come to the end of my rope" ha ha

Depends on what you want to use it for. If you want to use it for suspension, I would say jute or hemp. If it is just for being tied up and looking pretty, then any type of rope. Kurgen is right, in traditional Shibari bondage jute or hemp is the norm.

I personally think that a collection of rope is appropriate. There are strings and twines that can be used to tie the nipples, penis and scrotum. Cords can be a little thicker and applied to the breast or scrotum as well. As the diameter goes up, you have various sizes of rope suitable to restrain arms, legs, and torso. My visit to the local hardware store is never complete without a visit to the rope and chain aisles to see what new items they have with respect to size, color, material and texture.

In the rope enthusiast community, jute and hemp are definitely the most popular, and for good reason; they have a great balance between texture, stiffness, ability to hold knots well, and low "burn" speed (that is, how difficult it is to cause a rope burn when pulled across someone's skin). I use these primarily, with some synthetic rope for special uses (mainly doing suspensions).

I like New England Ropes products.

Sta-set is what most of our ropes are in 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2 and a few feet of 5/8" diameters and different lengths--about 600 feet all together. Our thin rope is Endura 12--a sail racing line where even 1/8" rope is absolutely unbreakable by a human. Well over 2500 pounds tensile strength.

These are not classical Bondage ropes, but I like them better. They tie well and they do not splinter. They are also very pretty ropes.

I just discovered this thread today, and this thought occurred to me as I read some of the comments mentioning Shibari. There is an American TV series on CNN called "Anthony Bourdain - Parts Unknown. In the show, Bourdain, a chef, goes to a different country or region each week to experience different cuisines and associated cultures and politics. If you like travel or food shows, you might like it. Specifically, there is an episode in which he goes to Japan, titled something like "Tokyo After Dark," and interviews and dines together with people doing Shibari (tying or receiving). There is also some footage actually showing a woman (who was one of his dinner companions) experiencing being tied in Shibari. One major point of this episode is that Bourdain discovers that the population of Japanese who enjoy Shibari is very large. In fact, I believe one person he interviews during dinner says or strongly implies that the number is 100%. It's a well-made interesting show by itself, and the Japan/Shibari episode is very interesting to watch if you're a rope enthusiast.

Eric

I like New England Ropes products.

Sta-set is what most of our ropes are in 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2 and a few feet of 5/8" diameters and different lengths--about 600 feet all together. Our thin rope is Endura 12--a sail racing line where even 1/8" rope is absolutely unbreakable by a human. Well over 2500 pounds tensile strength.

The only problem with yacht braids is that they are specifically made from dacron or higher-tech synthetics to NOT stretch! IF you want that, then they are fine, since they can be had with soft coverings. The DANGER is that their lack of stretch can exacerbate any tendency to cut off circulation if tied too tight.

Of those, Sta-set has among the "highest" stretch, because it's an "old-school" (for these days) Dacron, and not an Aramid. Still, under bedroom loads (unless you're hoisting the entire trailer containing the bedroom), the stretch is negligible.

IF you use yacht braid, AND you want a bit of stretch, use NYLON, which is found in mooring lines. The cheap polypropylene is TOTALLY UNSUITABLE, because it is VERY slippery and will not hold a knot.

P.S. I've been sailing for 45+ years, and have used Sta-set X extensively in the past.

A human cannot stretch double braided Sta-Set.

I have been fully suspended by Sta-Set, never fell and the knots hold just fine.

While Sta-Set is a fraction of the cost of Endura 12, it hardly classifies as a cheap rope, especially when used for bondage.

We do not want any rope to stretch. We want it where we tie it and the snugness of how we tie it.

. . . . P.S. I've been sailing for 45+ years, and have used Sta-set X extensively in the past.

Your profile says you are only in your forties.

His first sailing was like Moses on the River Nile...

http://previews.123rf.com/images/bilhagolan/bilhagolan1301/bilhagolan130100008/17231418-Baby-Moses-and-The-Frogs-An-illustration-of-baby-Moses-in-a-basket-on-the-Nile-River-His-sister-and--Stock-Illustration.jpg

As it was said in the previous posts, hemp and jute ropes are commonly used for bondage. Personally I prefer jute for bondage ropes, because jute is lighter. Hemp has a certain amount of heft, whereas jute is more ‘flickable’.

It is very important for bondage rope to be properly treated! You can find handmade treated and full-conditioned ropes here https://passioncraftstore.com/shibari-bondage-ropes/

You can choose among the available colors and lengths or if you like something special - to request it.

And if you like to combine bondage and wax play, you will enjoy this 4 Bondage Ropes & Wax Play Candle Kit

https://passioncraftstore.com/4-bondage-ropes-wax-play-candle-kit

Repelling rope 5,000 lb test.