![]() ![]() Some in the bondage community have expressed concern about synthetic uplines melting in certain bondage situations, such as with high friction or when exposed to bright stage lights. Personally, I find it bulky, stiff, and difficult to manage… why struggle with it when there are so many wonderful options for rated rope? I have not personally heard a case of 8mm hemp uplines breaking, therefore if you really must use all natural fibers in your rope kit, 8mm hemp is what I would recommend for your critical uplines. There are many documented cases of 5mm or 6mm jute uplines breaking during suspension there are also documented cases of 6mm hemp uplines breaking. Additionally, “working loads” for rope intended for non-human use may only include a safety factor of x3 to x5, rather than the x10 standard for human safety. Keep in mind that knots weaken rope, and when lifting into suspension, especially doing stunts like drop lifts or other dynamic maneuvers, you will routinely apply much more force to the rope than your weight. “Working load” means something quite different – this is the amount of weight that the rope can support, with a safety factor already built in. You’ll often see rope listed with a “breaking strength” and a “working load.” To quickly define terms, “breaking strength” is exactly what it sounds like – this is the amount of weight that causes the rope to break. This seems like a reasonable standard to carry over into suspension bondage. For keeping your brain and spine intact, a higher safety standard is called for.Ī safety margin of 10 times the weight of the person being lifted is pretty standard for rescue, construction, and professional rigging involving lifting humans (such as circus apparatuses). For secondary lines (adding support for a foot, when you already have the chest and/or hip harness secured) or other non-critical applications, using whatever you use for your harnesses is fine. To quickly define terms, critical uplines (sometimes called "main support lines") are the lines that are keeping your head from rapidly and unceremoniously meeting the ground. More about why I feel so strongly about this can be found here for another perspective on support line selection and material I recommend this article by Topologist. Self-suspension involves many unavoidable risks, but weak upline material seems to me like an imminently avoidable one. Unless your specific kink is “risking debilitating or deadly falls due to hanging yourself from the ceiling with woven grass clippings,” I simply don't see any reason to not use rated rope for your critical uplines.
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