Contents of a basic rope suspension kit
Building a rope kit for suspension can be daunting and certainly is an investment!
Here are some fundamentals:
A cutting tool (or two). We recommend high-quality safety shears. Practice using them!
Hardware: Four to six locking, suspension-worthy carabiners. It’s often best to go to a climbing store and get your hands on them, as it can be challenging to judge the size and other properties by looking at online listings. Look for roomy pear or oval shapes. See this page for more details on what to look for and avoid.
A suspension ring or rigging plate. These are optional but highly recommended. If you don’t have one, you’ll need additional carabiners (six instead of four).
Rope for harnesses – we recommend a minimum of 4 to 6 “full lengths” (generally considered to be around 30 feet or 8-10 meters) and 4 “half lengths” (generally around 15 feet). Most folks use rope that is 6mm thick.
If you don’t own any rope, we recommend the following:
Twisted Monk for hemp – this kit was created specifically for our classes! Use code “TWISTEDWINDOWS” for 10% off.
Chromaknotz for nylon – this kit was also put together to meet the supply requirements of our self-suspension classes and even includes the book Tying & Flying! Use code “Twisted_Windows” for a discount.
Rated rope for support lines – we recommend at least two 30-foot support lines. Support lines should provide a breaking strength of at least ten times the suspended person’s weight in their final configuration. We highly recommend 6mm POSH, also available from Twisted Monk.
Any relevant medical supplies (inhaler if you have asthma, glucose tablets if you have diabetes, and so on)
A few supplies that are nice to have but optional or not relevant in all cases:
A rated nylon sling (2 – 4′ long) or similar to hang your hard point. This is needed if you work with beam-based points, such as “swingset” frames or truss, or at venues where you need to lower the hardpoint.
A swivel. Helpful if you like to spin…not so helpful if you don’t! Ensure the swivel (and all your rigging supplies) are climbing rated.
A bag to store your rope and supplies. We recommend a MonkSak!
A yoga mat or other padded surface (some folks prefer a furry rug).
A marlinspike – useful for untying jammed knots and also fun as a sensation play implement.
Additional supplies for being in rope:
Clothing: options include nudity or snug-fitting clothing that doesn’t have embellishments like buttons, zippers, jewels, underwires, fringe, and so on. Shay likes leggings and sports bras.
Something to drink (water, Gatorade, Pedialyte, coconut water)
A blanket or robe
Band-Aids. These are helpful from both a tying and being-tied perspective—Shay commonly catches hangnails on her rope and finds herself bleeding while tying.
A light snack, such as a banana, cereal bar, etc.
If you wish to try tying over shoes, consider ankle-height, hard-soled shoes with a distinct heel (it doesn’t need to be high).
Shoes on the left would not be ideal for this class (they have soft soles, no heel separation, or are precious/fragile). The shoes on the right would be perfect (they have stiff soles and heel separation and are not shoes I’d be worried about damaging).
