What’s In My Rope Bag?

What are your rope kit essentials? Insights into the equipment members of the Shibari Study Discord community bring to tying sessions, rope events and social jams.

Mo Bights

April 3, 2024

When we first discover rope bondage, one of the big things people start thinking about, beyond the excitement and exhilaration of tying, is what kind of equipment might be needed in a shibari kit. This ranges from different types of rope (which we’ll cover in our extensive and ongoing shibari rope guide series) to essential shibari safety gear and aftercare items that might be useful.

During the early phases of my own rope bondage journey, I’d google things like ‘how many ropes should I have in a set’ or ‘creating a shibari kit’ and, as much as this may be a helpful starting point, it really only tells a small part of the story. No guide or generic rope kit suggestion can ever account for our own personal desires and needs in an individual way.

No guide or generic rope kit suggestion can ever account for our own personal desires and needs in an individual way.

It only takes going to a handful of rope jams to see the diverse and varied shibari kit bags that people carry, ranging from the simplest furoshiki with a few neatly hanked ropes to entire suitcases full of ropes, rings, blindfolds, carabiners, blankets, and toys… Start comparing and it can be overwhelming to know if you have the ‘right rope bondage kit’.

In my experience, what people carry in their rope bag can give an insight into their style and approach to shibari – much in the same way as scrolling through someone’s Spotify playlists can tell you about their mood and experience. My personal rope kit has changed and developed over the years, and I’m sure will continue to do so, as I grow and learn, and my tastes and desires in my rope expression evolve.

This blog post was originally sparked from a conversation on the Shibari Study Discord community. Through sharing the content of real people’s rope bags, I hope to demonstrate not only common themes but highly individualistic ones too, stories of personal preference, and to reassure anyone starting out in their rope journey that there is no ‘right’ rope kit. What’s more important is what’s right for you, your tying partner(s), and the type of scene you want to create.

Below are just a few of the wonderful things that people have been willing to share in order to support anyone in understanding what types of things people carry and why. These range from the simplest of setups to some more complex and deeply thoughtful items, either in general or for a specific partner, answering the burning question: What’s in my rope bag?

Tomporarily

9 hanks of jute rope (2 are two-ply mainlines)
Ring
2 carabiners
Sling
Wide mouth bag to throw everything in, so cleanup after a scene is quick

It’s just how I pack from home to go out, since at home it gets stored like this. Once I’m done under a ring, I literally throw everything tangled into a backpack and then untangle/hang it when I get home to store.

@tomporarily on Instagram

Ryuko Matoi

10 jute ropes (8m x 6mm)
2 jute ropes (4m x 6mm)
Other smaller pieces of rope
1 green-blue tiny rope thing for hair rope
Coconut rope
3 slings of different sizes
Wooden ring with carabiners attached
Safety shears

This is a very basic kit I have in a tote bag. I don’t go to crazy places to tie. So it’s either my place, people’s places or rope jams. I have more rope at home (floorwork rope or a 5mm kit I still haven’t used) but that’s the active kit I use.

Knot Just Anyone

Mostly my bag is just my rope and cutting tool (medical scissors); the bare minimum. The rope is all jute from BoundPunk because I find the gradient dyeing gorgeous. I have color-coded the rope to different partners, so having lots of color choices is good. I also have my essential oil bag for conditioning and scenting my rope. Beyond what can be seen, I will make sure to add a water bottle or two, a blindfold, and often some sensory toys. I’m often focused on creating a sensual or erotic experience, so the scenting of the rope and the added toys lend themselves to that experience.

KnotJustAnyone on FetLife

Cegregia

Rope – the amount can be described as somewhere between ‘a lot’ and ‘quite a lot’ (I like taking the pink kit out, because it’s unlikely to get confused with anyone else’s rope)
Uplines – right now I’m using POSH and I’ve got a couple of super long ones for big lifts
2 O-rings
2 carabiners
Notebook and pen for plotting...

Beyond that, masks, sanitizer, blindfold, nail clippers, water bottle, painkillers, face cloths (because tying is sweaty business), and phone. If I’m organized, there might even be chocolate. It all gets wrapped in a scarf and dumped into a bag.

Maven

This is what’s in my rope bag. I have a lot more rope but this is all I’d take to an event. I don’t usually take my ring; I usually use carabiners. Sometimes I’ll add in Mr Rock or the tenugui-wrapped brick, or some short lengths of bamboo. Add a big bottle of cold water and that’s about it. The ball is a squeaky ball for dogs but I also use it as a gag and as a safety device, if I’m adding mouth rope. The ring I tip to the side, which gives me two large areas for uplines, with the ability to slide them apart. I will sometimes add minor uplines into the other segments or via a carabiner in the middle.

Sybarite

Red Ogawa 6mm (12x 8m, 3x 4m, 2x 2m)
Natural Amatsunawa 4.5mm (10x 8m)
Wood ring
Carabiner bag (5x non-locking biners, 1x locking biner, 120cm sling, marlin spike, ibuprofen)
Notebook and pen (nail file hidden inside)
Blindfold
Camera
‘Bag of Evil’ (nitrile gloves, jute twine, various wooden and metal pegs, chopsticks, elastic bands, misery stick)
Snacks
Hand cream
A small first aid kit

I’ve got a couple of other rope kits too. One for ‘messy’ tying where mud or food or wax might be involved, and one natural Ogawa for harder suspension scenes. Plus, there’s some artificial fiber uplines in there too for when I want or need to be more cautious. I really wanted some pink Ogawa but last time I got in touch with them, they’d stopped making it.