Knots

[squeezebox]

Does anybody want to mention their favorite knots for hiking and camping? Even better would be a list of Youtube sites or other videos.
Thanks!!

[AfterParty]

Truckers hitch and clove hitch you can YouTube them.

[BuckeyeBill]

Just to name a few, Slipped Bunt Line Hitch, Prusik Knot, Slippery Sheet Bend aka Beckett Hitch Knot, Trucker's Hitch. Some I use with my hammock are Whoopie Slings, Marlin Spike Hitch, Soft Shackles, Continuous Loops How to run a Continuous Ridgeline. Dutch (http://dutchweargear.com) sells a lot of things that make knots almost obsolete.

[Puddlefish]

The wrap the line around the rock six times then throw it over the tree branch knot.

[tarditi]

Alpine butterfly, prussik, taught-line hitch, bowline, round turn + 2 half hitches, double overhand. Mostly, the core scout knots. Knots by grog or 3d knots are great apps to learn how to tie them. http://www.animatedknots.com/

[cmoulder]

Blake's hitch (http://www.animatedknots.com/blakes/#ScrollPoint)

Mooring hitch (http://www.animatedknots.com/mooring/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.png&Website=www.animatedknots.com&Categ=boating#ScrollPoint)

[Rex Clifton]

Buntline hitch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cmoulder]

Buntline hitch.

I also like that one... I don't use it a lot, but my mantra for remembering it is "Clove on a rope"

[OCDave]

Knot answering my phone
Knot captive to my e-mail
Knot stuck in traffic

[illabelle]

Knot answering my phone
Knot captive to my e-mail
Knot stuck in traffic

I was going to say tying my shoes, whatever the name is for that knot. But i like your answer better!

[HooKooDooKu]

Does anyone know the name of this knot?
39200

It's a type of slider knot that is very close to an "improved clinch knot". But a clinch knot is usually used to tie fishing line to a fish hook, uses about 4 to 6 loops around the main line, and the knot is slid all the way down to the hook.

But when I use this knot to tie tent guylines, only three loops are needed around the main line. Once the knot is cinched tight against the main line, the knot holds under tension. But while holding the main knot in place, it is very easy to pull the main line thru the knot to tighten or loosen the guylines.

Like with many knots, if you fold the tail into a loop sending the tail back in the direction it came from and cinching the knot with the loop, the knot easily unties by pulling out the looped tail.

[devoidapop]

Bowline knot is simple, strong, and easy to untie. Easiest way to anchor a line to something.

[orthofingers]

Evenck hitch, bowline, clove hitch, prussik and the Canadian jam knot

[Puddlefish]

Does anyone know the name of this knot?
39200

It's a type of slider knot that is very close to an "improved clinch knot". But a clinch knot is usually used to tie fishing line to a fish hook, uses about 4 to 6 loops around the main line, and the knot is slid all the way down to the hook.

But when I use this knot to tie tent guylines, only three loops are needed around the main line. Once the knot is cinched tight against the main line, the knot holds under tension. But while holding the main knot in place, it is very easy to pull the main line thru the knot to tighten or loosen the guylines.

Like with many knots, if you fold the tail into a loop sending the tail back in the direction it came from and cinching the knot with the loop, the knot easily unties by pulling out the looped tail.

Same one I used for fishhooks, it's an improved clinch knot as far as I can tell. You can put a whole bunch of turns on it, but some fall out. It's good to prevent line breakage under load. Never upscaled it beyond monofilament line, or tried to untie it.

[Traveler]

"When you can't tie a knot, tie a lot"

[cmoulder]

"When you can't tie a knot, tie a lot"

Excellent advice... better to have a small repertoire of knots that you can tie without looking at them, tie with one hand and tie at different orientations (for instance... above your head, around a tree trunk with the standing end on the left or the right).

[Feral Bill]

The Klutz Book of Knots is a good place to start.

[swjohnsey]

Man-o-war sheep shank.

[greensleep]

"When you can't tie a knot, tie a lot"

I find I frequently use the Gordian Knot

[Just Bill]

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/alternative-ways-to-tie-your-running-shoes
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=alternative+lacing+for+running+shoes&FORM=HDRSC2

There is nothing more important than good feet for a hiker. I'd make an argument that the only knots you actually need to know involve how to lace and tie your shoes to fine tune them for a perfect fit.
There are hundreds of these articles... so poke around yourself... I think trailgroove just did a brief post about it as well.
You can happily walk down near any trail with an empty head and wally world gear successfully if your socks and shoes are good.

Everything else you can make up or improvise, though beyond the basics... the splicing I've picked up through hammock making has proven more useful than anything I learned in scouts on a practical level.

[BuckeyeBill]

Does anyone know the name of this knot?
39200

It's a type of slider knot that is very close to an "improved clinch knot". But a clinch knot is usually used to tie fishing line to a fish hook, uses about 4 to 6 loops around the main line, and the knot is slid all the way down to the hook.

But when I use this knot to tie tent guylines, only three loops are needed around the main line. Once the knot is cinched tight against the main line, the knot holds under tension. But while holding the main knot in place, it is very easy to pull the main line thru the knot to tighten or loosen the guylines.

Like with many knots, if you fold the tail into a loop sending the tail back in the direction it came from and cinching the knot with the loop, the knot easily unties by pulling out the looped tail.

I don't know what it is called today, but it looks like a taut-line hitch. Very good for guy lines as it will hold even in windy conditions.

[ggreaves]

truckers hitch for tarp ridgelines
taut line hitch for tarp tie-outs
prussiks for hanging tarp from ridgeline
sheet bend for tarp tie-outs
bowline for making easy-to-remove loops
larks-head for using those loops to attach to things

[ggreaves]

truckers hitch for tarp ridgelines
taut line hitch for tarp tie-outs
prussiks for hanging tarp from ridgeline
sheet bend for tarp tie-outs
bowline for making easy-to-remove loops
larks-head for using those loops to attach to things

and... if you're into hanging your bed between 2 trees
splicing whoopie slings
splicing continuous loops
splicing adjustable ridgelines

[RockDoc]

Mountaineering and Freedom of the Hills is a basic resource about all things woodcraft, hiking, climbing...

[Puddlefish]

I can tie a monkey's fist. Which is mostly handy as a party trick, and those really rare occasions when I need to toss a line across a distance, and have three minutes to prepare. Possibly why I don't attend a lot of parties.

[HooKooDooKu]

...Never upscaled it beyond monofilament line, or tried to untie it.
I find it works great with any kind of twine or rope so long as there is something for the knot to bite on.
Something ultra smooth like monofilament line or dental floss and the knot slips all the way down under load.
Something semi-smooth like the white twine you find for tying down loads an many build material stores might require a 4th loop to get enough to bite.

[HooKooDooKu]

I don't know what it is called today, but it looks like a taut-line hitch. Very good for guy lines as it will hold even in windy conditions.
It's not quite a taut-line hitch... at least not this one (http://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/tautline-hitch).

The taut-line hitch is a little more complicated because the 1st two loops around the standing end go INSIDE the bight advancing toward the bight.

But with the knot I'm describing, it's three (or more) loops around the standing end in the direction away from the bight. Then feed the working end thru the bight and back.

[BuckeyeBill]

It's not quite a taut-line hitch... at least not this one (http://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/tautline-hitch).

The taut-line hitch is a little more complicated because the 1st two loops around the standing end go INSIDE the bight advancing toward the bight.

But with the knot I'm describing, it's three (or more) loops around the standing end in the direction away from the bight. Then feed the working end thru the bight and back.

Yes I see it clearly now. I think some one mentioned it looks like something used for fishing.

[ldsailor]

I'm a sailor and there are a lot of different knots used on sailboats. However, for hiking so far, I haven't used anything other than a bowline and a square knot.

There are a lot of small books and even pamphlets that list knots and how to tie them.

[perdidochas]

I would say all outdoorsman (not just hikers), need to know the bowline, the tautline hitch, half hitches, clove hitch, sheet bend, square knot, overhand or figure eight loop, and the trucker's hitch (which requires knowledge of a loop knot and half hitches).

(those happen to be 5 of the 6 required Boy Scout knots, with the truckers hitch and loop knots added). The other BSA knot is the timber hitch, which I have never used outside of showing Scouts how to tie it. The others are in my outdoor repertoire.

[cmoulder]

Another one that is super handy for splicing very dissimilar pieces together is the Albright Knot (http://www.animatedknots.com/albright/#ScrollPoint). I used it recently to join together some 5/8" webbing and some 2.2mm cord.

Edit to add: I don't think it needs 10 wraps of the smaller cord in order to work well... I used only 5 for my application, which was joining bear bag line to the webbing.

[V Eight]

Truckers hitch is probably the most useful knot I ever learned. If you need to cinch something down this is the one to do it with.
I will give you the most leverage than you can get with just rope.
Very easy to master after a couple tries.

V8

[CalebJ]

I find myself using a tautline hitch all the time, and an occasional square not, clove hitch, or basic overhand knot. Most of the others I haven't used in long enough that I'm probably very rusty.

[devoidapop]

Diamond knots are the spawn of Satan

[gpburdelljr]

Same one I used for fishhooks, it's an improved clinch knot as far as I can tell. You can put a whole bunch of turns on it, but some fall out. It's good to prevent line breakage under load. Never upscaled it beyond monofilament line, or tried to untie it.

Thats not an improved clinch knot. Here is a link to a picture of an improved clinch knot.

https://www.google.com/search?q=improved+clinch+knot&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#imgrc=nYO3X0Zch57qHM:

Grogs Animated knots is an excellent knot tying app.

http://www.animatedknots.com/iphonedetails.php#ScrollPoint

[Patriot76]

http://www.animatedknots.com/

http://www.netknots.com/rope_knots

[bayview]

Any of the basic 5 scout knots.
Square
Bowline
Clove hitch
Tautline hitch
Two half hitches

[HooKooDooKu]

Thats not an improved clinch knot. Here is a link to a picture of an improved clinch knot.
It looks like I'm pretty much talking about a type of "improved clinch knot" (specifically this (http://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/improved-clinch-knot) one, but NOT this (http://www.animatedknots.com/improvedclinch/#ScrollPoint) one... the difference being which side of the bight the working end goes thru).
The biggest difference is that you DO NOT pull the knot all the way down, you instead use it as a slider knot.

My version of a trucker's hitch is to start with the inline figure 8 (http://www.animatedknots.com/fig8directional/#ScrollPoint) (like the actual trucker's hitch (http://www.animatedknots.com/truckers/#ScrollPoint) starts), but then I use my modified improved clinch knot to tie the working end thru the figure 8 to itself. Once again, the modified improved clinch knot can be slid up and down the line to loosen or tighten the hitch.

[Feral Bill]

Any of the basic 5 scout knots.
Square
Bowline
Clove hitch
Tautline hitch
Two half hitches I find the square knot useless for anything but tying up a package (which I rarely do). Sheet bend does the same thing better and safer. Truckers hitch, and variations of it , are infinitely more useful.

[perdidochas]

I find the square knot useless for anything but tying up a package (which I rarely do). Sheet bend does the same thing better and safer. Truckers hitch, and variations of it , are infinitely more useful.

Can't do a trucker's hitch without a loop knot and half hitches.

[Feral Bill]

Can't do a trucker's hitch without a loop knot and half hitches. Yes, you might call it a compound knot.

[H I T C H]

Here is a great knot app for your phone.

http://knots3d.com/


Hitch

[CalebJ]

Truckers hitch is probably the most useful knot I ever learned. If you need to cinch something down this is the one to do it with.
I will give you the most leverage than you can get with just rope.
Very easy to master after a couple tries.

V8
And if anyone needs a tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUHgGK-tImY

[scope]

I'm not a knot person, and DutchWareGear is like crack to me.

[Traveler]

http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/alternative-ways-to-tie-your-running-shoes
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=alternative+lacing+for+running+shoes&FORM=HDRSC2
There is nothing more important than good feet for a hiker. I'd make an argument that the only knots you actually need to know involve how to lace and tie your shoes to fine tune them for a perfect fit.
There are hundreds of these articles... so poke around yourself... I think trailgroove just did a brief post about it as well.
You can happily walk down near any trail with an empty head and wally world gear successfully if your socks and shoes are good.
Everything else you can make up or improvise, though beyond the basics... the splicing I've picked up through hammock making has proven more useful than anything I learned in scouts on a practical level.

Wisdom.

I thought about this post yesterday as I laced up a pair of trail shoes, which lace/tie differently than similar type steel toe shoes I have, which lace/tie up differently than my trail runners, which lace/tie up differently than my trail boots. Each pair has been dialed in to their specific abilities to my specific needs (feet?). It has become such a habit to discover how new footwear will lace and tie that I don't stop to consider it and the value of this advice to those not aware of the craft.

[wanderlust78]

I find the square knot useless for anything but tying up a package (which I rarely do). Sheet bend does the same thing better and safer. Truckers hitch, and variations of it , are infinitely more useful.

When you tie shoes properly (rabbit ears, not loop swoop and pull), you're doing a slipped square knot.

[perdidochas]

When you tie shoes properly (rabbit ears, not loop swoop and pull), you're doing a slipped square knot.

Well, I have a tendency to do a slipped granny knot on my left shoe, and a slipped square not on my right shoe. How to tell the difference easily? If the loops are parallel to the laces, it's a slipped square knot. If the loops are perpendicular to the laces, it's a slipped granny knot.

[Feral Bill]

When you tie shoes properly (rabbit ears, not loop swoop and pull), you're doing a slipped square knot.
Done properly, the bunny ears go around each other twice. That's not a slipped square knot. I do not recall what the unslipped version is called. Like this https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm

[zippyd8]

Any figure 8 knot is considered a "life safety" knot. I love the bowline when you need a secure loop.

[zippyd8]

Also the clove hitch is great for securing rope around trees, poles, etc

[cmoulder]

It is also extremely useful to know how to make a clove hitch using loops (http://www.animatedknots.com/clove/#ScrollPoint). Nice for tarp pole loops or for securing that stick used for the PCT bear bag hang... so you don't have to pull 20 feet of cord through the loops in order to tie it. :)

[Odd Man Out]

I always tie my shoes with this secure knot. It never comes undone.

https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm

I also learned in Boy Scouts how to tie a bowling with one hand in just a couple seconds. Cool trock.

[Odd Man Out]

That was supposed to be bowline.

[Kaptainkriz]

knots are cool, but what about splices? I'm a fan of Samson:
http://www.samsonrope.com/Pages/SpliceInstructions.aspx

[cmoulder]

I think I could get interested in splices if I needed them... it just seems that there isn't much need for them in backpacking, at least not that I have encountered.

Even with knots, I'm not into the complicated or decorative knots that are not the simplest for a given application.

[Kaptainkriz]

Other than maybe permanent loops on hanging rigging and soft shackles, you're right. I tend to use bowlines and variations of half hitches for just about everything.

I think I could get interested in splices if I needed them... it just seems that there isn't much need for them in backpacking, at least not that I have encountered.

Even with knots, I'm not into the complicated or decorative knots that are not the simplest for a given application.

[rocketsocks]

You's guys are all knots

[Deacon]

You's guys are all knots

That is knot nice!

[blw2]

My dad is a retired Master Chief Boatswains mate....the job in the Coast Guard (or Navy) that is the knot and rigging guy...among other things.

He tried to teach me a bunch of knots as a kid, but mostly they seemed like party tricks. The only ones I remember him using regularly, aside form the halyard or cleat hitch, was the half hitch and occasionally a bowline. He did a version of something similar to a trucker's hitch all the time using variations of half hitches, but I have since learned that a trucker's hitch as shown on animated knots is far easier to untie and therefore better....and this is one of my favorites.

I like the midshipman's hitch (similar to taut-line hitch)

& only just recently I'm learning to embrace the figure 8. I read a thread on a scouting forum about how the figure 8 is superior to the bowline when you need a loop....& I'm tending to agree. It's less likely to be tied wrong like the bowline is, it's easy to identify if it's right, easy to untie, and very safe. Why do the scouts teach bowline as a basic knot when the 8 is better?

[rocketsocks]

That is knot nice!im knot a nice guy :D

[rocketsocks]

My dad is a retired Master Chief Boatswains mate....the job in the Coast Guard (or Navy) that is the knot and rigging guy...among other things.

He tried to teach me a bunch of knots as a kid, but mostly they seemed like party tricks. The only ones I remember him using regularly, aside form the halyard or cleat hitch, was the half hitch and occasionally a bowline. He did a version of something similar to a trucker's hitch all the time using variations of half hitches, but I have since learned that a trucker's hitch as shown on animated knots is far easier to untie and therefore better....and this is one of my favorites.

I like the midshipman's hitch (similar to taut-line hitch)

& only just recently I'm learning to embrace the figure 8. I read a thread on a scouting forum about how the figure 8 is superior to the bowline when you need a loop....& I'm tending to agree. It's less likely to be tied wrong like the bowline is, it's easy to identify if it's right, easy to untie, and very safe. Why do the scouts teach bowline as a basic knot when the 8 is better?the bowline is easily in-tied, and as one poster said can be tied with one hand, they're just different knots altogether.

[rocketsocks]

Un-tied.....

[BuckeyeBill]

I can still remember the story I learned in scouts to help tie a bowline knot. The tree is behind the hole. Rabbit comes out of the hole and goes around the tree. Rabbit sees you and jumps back into the hole.:banana

[Feral Bill]

My dad is a retired Master Chief Boatswains mate....the job in the Coast Guard (or Navy) that is the knot and rigging guy...among other things.......................

Why do the scouts teach bowline as a basic knot when the 8 is better? Ask your dad that question. I regard the bowline as simple, foolproof, and safe, as well as easy to untie. Of course I was only a BM3 in the Coast Guard. Your dad will know better than me.

[cmoulder]

Bowline is simpler and faster to tie than the follow-thru figure 8. And you can tie it with the tail on a bight (like a shoelace) in non-critical situations (such as a clothesline) and untie it with a quick yank. This cannot be done with a figure 8.
39237

[Traillium]

Knot answering my phone
Knot captive to my e-mail
Knot stuck in traffic

Knotty boy!

[KDogg]

I work on ships and the only know I really know is a bowline. It's the only thing I knew on the trail as well. While I encourage you to learn many knots, learn the bowline and you will be good to go.

[HooKooDooKu]

Knotty boy!
Two Knotty Boys have a youtube channel that teach you to tie a totally different kind of knot than the kind we're talking about here.

[rocketsocks]

Knatty dread...knot!

[theinfamousj]

Clove hitch aka compression knot.

Half hitch/overhand knot.

Trucker hitch.

Tension knot.

Slip knot aka something something slippery sheet bend.

I am sure that I pick a clunky, rather than elegant, solution for things using the above knots, but at the end of the day all that matters is that it works. No one is grading me on process efficiency.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[blw2]

Ask your dad that question. I regard the bowline as simple, foolproof, and safe, as well as easy to untie. Of course I was only a BM3 in the Coast Guard. Your dad will know better than me.

Thank you for your service!

I actually did ask him that recently. He really didn't have an answer...and the conversation quickly drifted off to him reteaching the tugboat bowline to me, as well as rambling about other obscure knots....
I do know the one handed version.... I find it a neat trick but I can only tie it that way from very particular angles so it's almost more of a "party trick" to me.

and about it being foolproof.... I find it very easy to tie wrong....and it can shake loose if not loaded, without a stopper knot

[Feral Bill]

Thank you for your service!

I actually did ask him that recently. He really didn't have an answer...and the conversation quickly drifted off to him reteaching the tugboat bowline to me, as well as rambling about other obscure knots....
I do know the one handed version.... I find it a neat trick but I can only tie it that way from very particular angles so it's almost more of a "party trick" to me.

and about it being foolproof.... I find it very easy to tie wrong....and it can shake loose if not loaded, without a stopper knot

Ask him about the dragon bowline.:)