Now that you know what rope is and how rope is made, well, you’re probably still no closer to knowing which rope is best for bondage. One of the first things you’ll notice when picking your ropes is that there's a ridiculous amount of rope to choose from – after all, we humans have been making rope for some 6,000 years, dating back to ancient Egypt, and for nearly every type of application, there’s a suitable rope.
However, to make things a little easier, you can split rope into two groups: natural fiber rope (such as jute, hemp, cotton, bamboo, rice, and coconut rope) and synthetic ropes from man-made fibers (such as nylon, polyester, polypropylene or even blends such as MFP made from nylon and polypropylene). There are some common brand names for synthetic ropes too, such as POSH and Hempex, which are polyester and polypropylene respectively.
As a general rule there are pros and cons to both natural and synthetic fibers, all of which need to be taken into consideration when choosing the right rope for your bondage practice. In this article, we’ll explore the different types of natural fiber ropes used in shibari.
Types of natural fiber rope and their pros and cons for bondage
Within the rope community, it’s often seen as more ‘traditional’ to use natural fiber rope such as jute or hemp when doing Japanese-inspired rope bondage (aka shibari or kinbaku). Natural fiber ropes are considerably more variable than their synthetic counterparts, so using them for suspension is a risk assessment to be considered by all those involved, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the materials you choose. In some cases, such as cotton, coconut or bamboo, these are entirely unsuitable for suspension as they don't have the capacity to carry significant weight. However, jute and hemp have been used extensively for suspension and the safety factors for these are pretty well understood. Below I will delve into some of the types of natural fiber rope, their strengths and weaknesses, and any other considerations that might influence when or how they can be used for bondage.
Jute
I’m biased and so I’m starting with jute. Jute rope is made from the fiber of the jute plant (a type of bast fiber, for the nerds among us) and is one of the most common natural fiber ropes used in shibari. The fibers are long and smooth, making for good quality rope.
Jute is probably the rope most people think of when they think of shibari. Jute is usually constructed in a three-strand twisted construction. When untreated, it can feel a little rough, but once it’s used a few times (or if you choose to condition your rope), it becomes supple, smooth and pleasant. Being somewhat lighter than hemp, many people prefer jute for its easy handling.
Pros
- Long lasting when well maintained – depending on its use, a good jute rope set can last years if properly looked after.
- Minimal stretch. Jute doesn’t stretch along its length very much at all. This leads to better tension and reliable compression in knots and frictions.
- Jute has a good ‘tooth’, by which we mean it holds itself well. This is beneficial for frictions to maintain their position and not slip.
- Light and lively, jute feels good in the hand.
- Jute can be used for both harnesses and suspensions, if properly maintained and monitored.
- Jute is suitable to use with wax (think wax play), although wax can be difficult to remove.
- Softening with age, jute feels nicer the more it's used. Treat it like your skin and keep it hydrated without being greasy and it can become an exceptional piece of rope.
- Jute has a lower risk of friction burns compared to synthetic fibers.
Cons
- Jute isn’t suitable for water. Natural fiber ropes contract when wet and become difficult (if not impossible) to untie. Although not impossible to use in water, this needs serious risk assessment and adaptation.
- Allergies: some people with grass allergies can be allergic to jute and experience skin rashes. This is worth checking in about in pre-scene discussions.
- Jute requires maintenance – it may need ‘breaking in’ and needs to be conditioned and maintained.
- JBO (jute batching oil) is used in the manufacture of jute rope. This is a strong-smelling, kerosene-like lubricant used to prevent rope machines from breaking. It doesn’t help the rope at all and can smell strongly of oil. It can also cause skin irritation. Modern ropes and artisanal ropes made specifically for bondage contain very little or no JBO, but it may be found in higher concentrations in cheaply manufactured rope. JBO is difficult to remove, but it is possible through baking, airing or boiling.
- If your jute does get wet, it needs to be dried under tension with a weight hung from it to prevent high stranding. When natural rope gets wet, it shrinks – jute and hemp can both dry unevenly if not dried under tension.
- The breaking strength of natural fibre ropes like jute is generally well known and usually lower than synthetic counterparts. This changes the risk profile for suspension. Jute has long been used in load bearing capacities and with suitable critical thinking and risk assessment, this can be mitigated.
Hemp
Similar to jute, hemp rope is made from the fiber of a hemp plant. One of the oldest types of rope and arguably one of the most widely used, hemp is the type of rope used for ship rigging. In the early days of shibari, hemp was often mistranslated from the Japanese word asanawa, which covers many natural fiber ropes, including jute. As such, many thought hemp was the ‘proper’ rope for shibari. Semantics aside, hemp is still a good rope for bondage purposes and acts very similar to jute in many ways.
For those who prefer jute to hemp, often this is down to how it feels in the hand. Hemp is a denser fiber, so is noticeably heavier than jute. It does avoid the issue of JBO too, although is often described as smelling ‘like a farm’ when new.
Pros
- Hemp is a natural fiber and so creates the ‘authentic’ shibari look in ties.
- Tooth: similar to jute, hemp holds friction well and doesn’t slip easily.
- Hemp rope is non-compacting. One issue with measuring rope diameter is that many ropes compact under pressure. However, this isn’t true of hemp, which holds its shape well under strain. This makes it good to create tight knots and easier to untie.
- Hemp rope doesn’t use JBO. Unlike jute, hemp does not require as much oil in the manufacturing process, so skin irritation or odor from processing isn’t a factor.
- Hemp softens with use. Like jute, hemp softens with age, and in my experience, can often become even softer and silkier than jute.
- Hemp has a lower risk of friction burns compared to synthetic fibers.
- Suitable for wax/temperature play.
Cons
- Compared to jute, hemp is considerably heavier and denser. For some, this can feel flat and lifeless; for others, this feels more substantial. This can become challenging for longer tying sessions.
- Hemp has a very unique smell, which some people hate.
Cotton
Super soft, very cheap and easily accessible, cotton rope is actually quite good for beginners who are first starting out. It has a lot of stretch along its length, so even if you tie quite tightly, it’s likely to relax and not make you or your partner feel too restricted, unlike hemp or jute, which give a real sense of immobility. Cotton rope can also be easily washed without any special measures, making it perfect for bedroom activities where it might get a healthy coating of lube, bodily fluids, sweat, and so forth.
Pros
- Cotton rope is much cheaper than many other types – about half the price of hemp or jute.
- Need to clean cotton ropes? Just throw them in a washing machine and dry in a dryer (it can be easier to do this in a pillow case).
- Cotton feels soft on the skin, which is nice for those new to rope or for a varied sensory experience.
- You can easily get good cotton rope from a hardware store, making it very accessible.
- Cotton is hypoallergenic, so it won’t cause any skin irritation.
Cons
- Cotton stretches easily, so if you think you’ve tied nice and snug, you’re probably wrong.
- Cotton compacts very well in knots. This can be great when tying but a nightmare when untying. (The only knots I’ve ever cut off were in cotton rope.)
- Cotton is not suitable for suspensions, so if you want to start off with a type of rope that you can learn and grow with, this might not be the right choice for you.
Bamboo
Bamboo rope, or rayon rope, is super soft and extremely gentle to the touch. Visually similar to cotton or nylon rope (more on nylon in the next part of our rope guide), bamboo is distinctly softer and doesn’t result in the types of friction burns you would expect from nylon. Bamboo is somewhat rarer in the rope bondage scene than many other types of rope, but being hypoallergenic, it’s great for certain intimate ties, such as crotch rope, mouth rope/gags and anything on the face. It’s also washable, so it’s easy to keep clean in these applications.
Pros
- Bamboo is soft on the skin, making it gentler for intimate ties or for those new to being tied.
- Bamboo is hypoallergenic, adding to its gentleness on the skin and suitability even for sensitive people and areas.
- Bamboo is less likely to cause friction burns than some other fibers.
- Bamboo also colors very easily, making for easy dyeing and customizing of your ropes.
Cons
- Bamboo is not suitable for suspension, as it has a low breaking strength.
- Often bamboo has a looser lay and can high strand and deform.
- Good quality bamboo rope is sometimes hard to come by.
- There are many bamboo imitators, like synthetic silk.
Coconut/Coir
Ahhhh, lovely, lovely coconut rope… Coconut (or coir) rope is the crème de la crème of sadistic rope: it’s rough, it’s scratchy and it's super sensory. Many rope tops enjoy subjecting their bottoms to coconut rope far more than they enjoy handling it themselves. Depending on the thickness and composition, coconut rope can literally leave splinters in the skin – this is not for the fainthearted. Completely unsuitable for suspension, coconut rope should be reserved for its tactile sadism. For those who really want something different in their rope scenes, using coconut rope on the face will always get some form of reaction. Aesthetically, coconut is unique too: it’s not clean looking, but it has its own rugged charm.
Pros
- Mean, so mean… Coconut rope is hard and scratchy – the perfect tool for scenes that call for something, well, hard and scratchy.
- Coconut rope is easy to buy and doesn’t need to come from a special supplier.
- Coconut rope is relatively cheap.
Cons
- Single coconut ropes can also be inconsistent across the length of the rope.
- Coconut rope is not suitable for suspension or bearings loads – it should only be used for floor play.
Rice rope, sisal and manila
I considered writing a single item for each of these ropes, however, it made sense to group these together. When we look at lots of images from early Japanese kinbaku, there’s a huge amount of variation in the rope that is being used (in some cases, this isn’t even rope but torn bed sheets and fabric). In many old images, you’ll also see consistent use of aranawa or rice/straw rope. This is super coarse, very thick and totally different to other natural ropes.
Similar to rice rope, sisal and manila are very coarse and often used for things like cat scratching trees. These are less pleasant to tie with and would be reserved for specific types of rope play. And if you're still in the early stages of your tying practice, these ropes are unlikely to be part of your rope kit any time too soon.
To learn more about synthetic ropes and the pros and cons of various man-made fibers, check out the next part of this series: Shibari Study Rope Guide Part 5: Choose Your Fiber – Synthetics.
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