When it comes to using natural or synthetic fibers for shibari, your personal preference may end up being determined by a number of factors. However, when it comes to safety, synthetic ropes have a clear advantage. Unlike natural fibers , synthetic rope uses man-made fibers in the spinning process to create a measurably consistent rope where testing and reliable manufacturing processes can ensure reliability of the rope. Think of natural fiber rope as similar to wine – even if you buy from the same supplier, the batches will vary slightly from one year to the next. Synthetic rope, however, is less variable from batch to batch, and synthetic fibers have much higher breaking strengths than their natural counterparts.
The safety considerations alone are enough to have made some experienced riggers choose to create their rope kits out of a combination of synthetic fibers for uplines – POSH and Hempex, especially – with natural fibers reserved for tying on the body. And while POSH and Hempex are best used for uplines only, nylon and MFP can be ordered as full kits and some people will tie with only these. That said, many people (including most on the Shibari Study team) still opt for natural fiber ropes for both their suspension lines and body ropes – you can read more about natural fiber ropes here.
Synthetic ropes are also great for water-based bondage as they don’t shrink when wet – ideal for messy bondage scenes, wet play or any intimate ropes that you might need to regularly clean. However, I’d caution against using synthetic ropes with candles or any fire play: if synthetics melt, they can cause serious burns.
Types of synthetic rope and their pros and cons for bondage
Synthetic rope can be made to specification, which is where we see many application-specific types of rope, such as climbing, rigging, marine ropes and many others (even magicians, who – unsurprisingly – have specific rope for certain illusions). A much smaller subset of these ropes is aimed at kinky folks and the bondage community – in most cases, the bondage community has capitalized on existing ropes and adopted them for their specific favorable properties. Below are some examples of common synthetic fiber ropes that are used within the rope community.
POSH
In recent years, POSH has seemingly become the leading synthetic rope that I see being used by those who enjoy the look of a natural fibre rope, but with the reassurance of a much higher load bearing capacity. POSH is a spun polyester rope developed by Langman Ropes and has many imitators, but is designed to replicate a natural fiber rope in both look and feel. A discerning eye might be able to notice it looks slightly glossier and lighter in appearance, but often only when contrasted against a jute or hemp rope. On its own, most people cannot reliably spot POSH in a photograph or on stage. Originally designed for ships to authentically replicate traditional ropes, POSH has now been ‘adopted’ by the rope community.
Its high breaking strength means that it gives a higher level of trust when used in suspension applications and many people use POSH for uplines, with a natural fiber on the body – a ‘best of both worlds’ approach. Generally, the strain on harnesses is a lot lower than on uplines, with the load being spread over a wider area and between many more ropes.
Pros
- Safety-rated: 6mm POSH has a breaking strength of 564kg.
- Low stretch: unlike other synthetics, POSH is pre-stretched to ensure minimal stretch in use.
- POSH replicates the very ‘traditional’ aesthetic of natural fiber ropes.
- POSH is soft to the touch and feels good in the hand.
- Being hypoallergenic, POSH won’t cause skin irritation.
- POSH compacts and holds frictions well, and is less likely to slip and slide than some other synthetics.
- Suitable for water bondage.
- Originally created for boats, POSH is also UV-resistant.
Cons (there aren’t many)
- A common ailment of spun synthetics is stiffness, but this may soften with time.
- Any synthetic is more likely to cause friction burns than natural fibers, though POSH less so than others.
- This one is really picky but some people like the sound of jute creaking under tension and, well, POSH doesn’t creak.
Really, the cons to POSH are pretty low and it’s a solid choice for anyone who wants a safe and reliable rope for uplines: it looks great, feels great, performs great and avoids most of the issues associated with natural fibers.
Hempex
Many people mix Hempex and POSH up and tend towards throwing them in the same category. However, Hempex is a polypropylene rope, rather than a polyester – this means it does have slightly different properties to POSH. Having used Hempex a lot outdoors, it’s not quite as high quality as POSH and doesn’t stand the test of time quite as well. Like POSH, it’s a synthetic fiber made to resemble a natural one and made by Langman Ropes (they own the trademark for both POSH and Hempex). There are actually also many non-trademarked versions of Hempex under similar names.
Pros
- A single line of 6mm Hempex has a breaking strength of 519kg.
- Hempex is low stretch (although not as good as POSH).
- Hempex is also hypoallergenic and unlikely to cause skin irritation.
- Like POSH, Hempex compacts and holds frictions well and won’t slip around much.
- Hempex is suitable for water bondage.
- Hempex is also UV-resistant.
Cons
- Feel: Hempex feels plasticky in the hand and has far too much tooth (in other words, it holds itself well – great for frictions, bad to untie) and doesn’t run smoothly across itself when pulling through a Y-hanger or friction.
- Hempex can cause friction burns. After moderate use, there may be blistering on the hands due to rope burns as friction burns happen at a much lower speed with Hempex compared to natural fiber rope.
- When worn in, Hempex can start to look fuzzy and there’s nothing you can do to fix that.
Nylon
‘Color! What a deep and mysterious language,’ said Gaugin – and if he’d been referring to ropes, I’m pretty sure he would have been talking about nylon. Nylon rope is a reliable and consistent rope for dyeing, so it comes in literally any color you can possibly imagine. Some of my favorite western-style rope artists (Knothead, Jesse Flanagan, MissTeaRopes) use nylon to create cacophonous arrays of color that add something specific and interesting to their bondage. They even utilize UV rope to great effect, adding ethereal touches to what is already impressive rope work.
You can also purchase nylon rope pretty cheaply at your local hardware store (often in both twisted and braided constructions, with and without cores), so it’s super accessible for those wanting to just get stuck in and get started. That said, in some ways it’s also a bit finicky for rope bondage – cored braided rope is challenging when it comes to holding frictions, twisted rope can lead to rope burn when pulled at low speeds – so as with everything, there is a balance. Most nylon should not be used for suspension, although it is possible to get rated nylon – these are usually blended, so best to stick to floor rope.
Pros
- Nylon rope comes in a huge variety of colors.
- Nylon is pretty cheap and accessible, making it a candidate for starter rope for floor play.
- Nylon rope is waterproof and won’t shrink when it gets wet. This also means it washable, making it great for intimate rope.
Cons
- Rope burns: the friction of nylon against the skin can burn the skin quickly and pretty severely.
- Speaking of burning, nylon has a low melting point, so never use it with candles or near any heat source.
- Nylon is more slippery than most synthetics, so won’t hold frictions quite as well.
MFP
Multifilament polypropylene (MFP) is one of the cheapest and most accessible ropes you can find and is easy to pick up at your local hardware store. Although, as with many things in life, cheap does not always mean good. There are some notable suppliers of good quality MFP, however, the majority of MFP is cheap, commercially-made industrial rope. While there may be benefits in cost and accessibility, the major downside of MFP is that it’s slippery and bulky in frictions. MFP is waterproof (with the unique ability to float in water), so can be useful for wet play situations, but many find other alternative synthetics for this purpose.
Pros
- MFP is strong, with a breaking strength of around 750kg – significantly higher than many other synthetics.
- Waterproof: MFP may be a good option for those times you want to get messy. It’s also machine-washable, which is useful for intimate ropes.
- MFP comes in most colors (although cannot be dyed).
Cons
- Bulky in frictions, MFP doesn’t compact as well as other ropes and may require additional knotting.
- Friction burns are a considerable issue with MFP as it burns easily.
- MFP has very little tooth, so although it glides easily, it also doesn’t grip itself well for frictions.
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