Just a bit of a thought :) I do have them on occasion.  I believe you can make a rope that will not collapse in on itself.

If you make your rope as per the attached image, with a single strip of polys going through the core of the cylinder you can:-

1 - Clothify it

2 - Add the outer shell of the cylinder to the Soft Decorated Group

3 - add the ends of the middle strip to the Choreographed and Contrained Goups as required

4 - Run the sim

5. In the material room make the inner strip transparent

The tube shell will follow the inner strip as it moves in the simulation, but it will do it's best not to deform.  And I'm pretty sure it will not collapse as I suspect a clotified tube will. 

It's not perfect :) the shell may cross into itself depending on the sim, but I think it's worth a go :)

I have used that technique on actual clothes, to get thickness.

John.

Fugazi (without the aid of a safety net)

https://www.facebook.com/Fugazi3D