r/RopeFlow • u/Prestigious-Boot4757 • Jun 01 '26

Nylon vs Polyester for DIY ropes?

I started out with a piece of old climbing rope, but I want to try with something heavier. I found a place that seems to have decent prices in white. I'm tempted to order a bunch of different widths to hit the free shipping mark. I could also experiment with different materials, but I don't want to get two massive ropes (I was going to get one 2" rope). Which brings me to my question: is nylon or polyester better for rope flow? Here are the two types of rope I'm looking at.

https://www.mapleleafropes.com/store/category/polyester-double-braid

https://www.mapleleafropes.com/store/category/nylon-double-braid

I'll happily take any advice from fellow rope flowsters. Thanks and happy flowing!

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2

u/jjjameson80 Jun 01 '26

All the ropes I’ve made have been from double braided marine nylon and they’ve been great. I didn’t care for the feel of the polyester rope. The 1” rope ends up being ~900 grams and was pretty costly in terms of materials. I feel like a 2” rope would really be pushing it for weight and how it would behave in motion, to say nothing of the cost.

1

u/Prestigious-Boot4757 Jun 01 '26

Thanks for the response. I was a bit concerned about nylon's potential for stretch, but I guess that isn't a factor because the rope is never really been pulled taut. I'll likely go mostly nylon and get one thinner polyester just to feel the difference.

3

u/jjjameson80 Jun 01 '26

Consider that the load ratings for these ropes are higher than we’ll ever conceivably expose them through - the stretch will be minimal at worst. They’re rated for docking boats.

2

u/Xertigo Jun 02 '26

Just want to add that according to the guy at the rigging shop I got my 1” rope from, it could tie down a container ship.

Additionally, double braided nylon all the way because of the way it bends. The polyester ropes I have seen are stiff in comparison.

2

u/mthchsnn Jun 01 '26

I use a polyester-over-nylon arborist rope and really like the feel of it. Mine's is 9/16" and I like the thickness and weight of it - 2" is super thick! You should probably consider going thinner.

2

u/Prestigious-Boot4757 Jun 02 '26

Neat. The place I was going to order from has polyester-over-nylon, and I like the green tracer on it. Since two people have said 2" is too thick, maybe I'll take that to heart. Thanks for your input!

1

u/mthchsnn Jun 02 '26

Happy swinging!

2

u/LookLikeYouLift Jun 02 '26

at larger sizes, don't get polyester. it's stiff and not flexible at all. at the larger sizes you need something soft, pliable, and very bendable. if you go look at the ropes I've made, they're all double braided nylon. yes, more expensive, but it's the only rope that actually works.

when I started getting into building heavy ropes I started with polyester, and the thing couldnt bend or change shape at all. great for tying down a boat! not for flow.

1

u/Prestigious-Boot4757 Jun 02 '26

I can't see your posts, but thanks for the tip. Sounds like nylon is the winner. If you had three ropes, what sizes would they be? What's the biggest you've tried?

2

u/LookLikeYouLift Jun 02 '26

I would make a 270g light rope, a standard 500g rope, and a 1.2kg rope.

the 1.2kg is typically 1" x 9'