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Magic_Rat
12-29-2012, 17:11
What knots does every thru hiker/backpacker need to know? Which knots did you most commonly use on your thru hike or section hikes and for what application?

Wise Old Owl
12-29-2012, 17:16
If its the AT - its just walking - knots are good when you are in camp... a base knowledge can be found here

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=knots+basic&id=5326D77BD8CA6284E8FD20C6B27554EB55A87132&FORM=IQFRBA#view=detail&id=5326D77BD8CA6284E8FD20C6B27554EB55A87132&selectedIndex=4


And I would suggest knowing how to bear hang food...

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=bear+hang+food+ropes&qpvt=bear+hang+food+ropes&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=79C73583BAB47D62984C126C5F745078FB256217&selectedIndex=43

Lone Wolf
12-29-2012, 17:17
What knots does every thru hiker/backpacker need to know? Which knots did you most commonly use on your thru hike or section hikes and for what application?

i don't know any. i backpacked the AT just fine

sgt easy
12-29-2012, 17:23
I'd say a bowline, which gives you a loop on the bitter end to hang things from (and unties easily); a taut-line hitch, to guy out your tent; a clove hitch (for tying the other end of whatever you're hanging to a rail or branch; and most importantly, a double bow for your bootlaces!

hikerboy57
12-29-2012, 18:25
I'd say a bowline, which gives you a loop on the bitter end to hang things from (and unties easily); a taut-line hitch, to guy out your tent; a clove hitch (for tying the other end of whatever you're hanging to a rail or branch; and most importantly, a double bow for your bootlaces!

left out garlic knots:)

max patch
12-29-2012, 18:37
While I have no doubt that knowing what knots to use when is a useful skill to have, the answer to your question is "none" as I don't know any and I could still pitch a tent, hang a clothesline, and bearbag my food without any problems.

Drybones
12-29-2012, 18:47
The bow knot...I tie my shoes with it every day.

Sman
12-29-2012, 18:48
Most useful knot I know would be a slip knot if you must know one easy to tie and untie wet or dry.

John B
12-29-2012, 19:19
I'd say a bowline, which gives you a loop on the bitter end to hang things from (and unties easily); a taut-line hitch, to guy out your tent; a clove hitch (for tying the other end of whatever you're hanging to a rail or branch; and most importantly, a double bow for your bootlaces!

Good list. I'd add a trucker's hitch -- easy knot and a good way to cinch things down tight.

Magic_Rat
12-29-2012, 19:20
I'd say a bowline, which gives you a loop on the bitter end to hang things from (and unties easily); a taut-line hitch, to guy out your tent; a clove hitch (for tying the other end of whatever you're hanging to a rail or branch; and most importantly, a double bow for your bootlaces!

Great suggestions, thanks!

Tipi Walter
12-29-2012, 19:25
Back in 1980 I used the taut line hitch with the guylines on my four season North Face Tuolumne tent and dangit but it worked great. Fast forward to 2012 and here I am sitting around camp with a Hilleberg guyline in my hand trying to remember how I tied that knot. Dozen of tries, all failures. Now this thread comes up and I google the knot and voila! It's copied for my next trip, just to play around as Hilleberg has great guyline adjusters.

SCRUB HIKER
12-29-2012, 20:06
i don't know any. i backpacked the AT just fine

Ditto. There's some defect in my brain that retards my ability to learn knots. I walked the AT without the slightest clue how to tie anything except my shoelaces (and even that is a bastardized version of the normal). I got by fine. Knot-tying is something that ex-military and ex-Boy Scouts think is essential for backcountry survival because it's been hammered into them that way, but on the very few times I've needed to tie anything, I've invented my own knot and come out fine.

Hoop
12-29-2012, 20:10
For the hammock tarp I use prusik knot to adjust the ridgeline and either the same or a tautline hitch on the guylines.

BTW, I did not tie knots until about a year ago; I looked upon it as a learning experience, and am happy I know more now than I did then.

Don H
12-29-2012, 20:23
i don't know any. i backpacked the AT just fine

Who ties your shoes?

Lone Wolf
12-29-2012, 20:45
Who ties your shoes?

i got velcro straps

leaftye
12-29-2012, 20:52
I only use three knots plus a variation. Bow tie of course. Figure 8. Hitch for tent lines. Sometimes the hitch will have a variation that makes it easy to untie.

There's one other knot I've used in base camps to set up a big tarp. I forget what it's called. It's a loop of rope looped around another rope to make a hitch handle. It's good for pulling a rope extra tight.

Rasty
12-29-2012, 21:30
I only use three knots plus a variation. Bow tie of course. Figure 8. Hitch for tent lines. Sometimes the hitch will have a variation that makes it easy to untie.

There's one other knot I've used in base camps to set up a big tarp. I forget what it's called. It's a loop of rope looped around another rope to make a hitch handle. It's good for pulling a rope extra tight.

It's a Truckers Hitch. Used to give a pulley effect. Use it all the time for tying a Kayak to the roof rack.

Papa D
12-29-2012, 22:15
Taught Line Hitch - - this knot is essential for tightening cord around trees - easy to undo
Truckers Hitch - - knot "ok" for going around trees - it's a "harder" knot than the Taught Line Hitch - good for putting gear on cars
Clove Hitch - I use this to put cord around outrigger tent stakes - - I also use it around the end of a full bear bag going up a tree
Bowline - - good for securing anything to a fixed anchor - - cord to tree
pruski, autoblock, klemheist - just because friction knots are cool too
square knot - - just because
figure 8 on a bight - ditto
figure 8 retrace - ditto
bowline on a coil - ditto

these aren't exactly knots but essential skills

PCT Hang - - www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8FXRJldcpE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8FXRJldcpE) - - I'm better at this than this dude (I ought to make a video)
Opening a beer with a carabiner - www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5NjIGcK8S4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5NjIGcK8S4) (um, I'm way better than this - in the dark and the rain dude)

it worries me that everyone doesn't know all of this - cold

leaftye
12-29-2012, 22:15
It's a Truckers Hitch. Used to give a pulley effect. Use it all the time for tying a Kayak to the roof rack.

Good guess, especially from my description. I meant a prusik knot.

http://www.netknots.com/files/4013/2990/8378/prusik-knot.jpg

http://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/prusik-knot/

Papa D
12-29-2012, 22:18
Good guess, especially from my description. I meant a prusik knot.

http://www.netknots.com/files/4013/2990/8378/prusik-knot.jpg

http://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/prusik-knot/

A prusik is a friction knot, to make a truckers hitch, you make a loop in the load strand side and put the working end through, pull tight and finish with a half hitch - - I know knots

peakbagger
12-29-2012, 22:24
I use a bowline quite often as its about the only knot that holds on a lot of the cheap polypropylene ropes.Even though it holds tight, it is pretty easy to untie.

Hosaphone
12-29-2012, 22:35
Don't really "need" to know any unless you're using a tarp, but they are fun to learn and use. Here are some useful ones:

Joining 2 ends of rope together:
Square knot - easy and fast to tie
Sheet bend - one of my favorite knots. It can be used for joining 2 pieces of rope, or attaching one piece of rope to a loop (ie guyline to a tieout). It is marvelously easy to untie if you know where to pull on it.

Useful for bear bagging:
Clove hitch - used with the PCT method of bear bag hanging, useful for propping up guylines with sticks/poles, etc.
Bowline knot - useful for making a loop that won't tighten or loosen. It's also not as impossible to untie as some other knots.

Guylines:
Tautline hitch - easy to tie, easy to untie, easy to adjust, you don't have to retie it each time. Has terrible holding power with thin rope or in icy conditions, hard to get really tight, doesn't allow you to adjust it very short

Trucker's hitch - Much better than tautline hitch in every way except that it must be retied every time :( It allows you to adjust the entire length of the guyline, will never ever slip, gives you a mechanical advantage making it very easy to tighten, and to untie it all you do is pull on the loose end of the slippery hitch and it all comes apart. Takes more time and is a pain when it's cold, but I love it. If using a tarp, you could consider using trucker hitches for the ridgeline and tautline hitches for the sides.



The most useful knots are probably the clove hitch and bowline... Not much you can't do if you know those 2 knots.

Hosaphone
12-29-2012, 22:50
Another very useful thing to know is the girth hitch - http://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/girth-hitch/

It's not a knot per se... I like to use it to attach guylines to tieouts. I leave a bowline tied on one end of a line, and then do a girth hitch to attach it to the tarp. This way lines can easily be added or removed without needing to untie/retie knots.

Odd Man Out
12-29-2012, 23:12
Learn how to tie a bowline with one hand. Fast and simple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo4gzw2mXEQ

Papa D
12-29-2012, 23:15
Another very useful thing to know is the girth hitch - http://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/girth-hitch/

It's not a knot per se... I like to use it to attach guylines to tieouts. I leave a bowline tied on one end of a line, and then do a girth hitch to attach it to the tarp. This way lines can easily be added or removed without needing to untie/retie knots.

oops - yep - forgot that one - - good catch - pretty obvious

hobby
12-29-2012, 23:35
double over-handed granny knot---learned in scouts

Hops53
12-29-2012, 23:53
timber hitch is handy for securing a line to a cylindrical object (like a tree) - secure under tension, easy to undo on release

Odd Man Out
12-30-2012, 00:17
Here's another one. I started tying my shoes with this knot. I always used to have troubles with shoe laces coming untied. But no more with this knot.

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

prain4u
12-30-2012, 00:31
I know a lot of knots. I became an Eagle Scout in 1978. I have 40+ years of camping hiking experience. In the military, I was in a specialized unit that was trained to do search and rescue work in standing structures and collapsed structures after terrorist attacks, earthquakes, tornadoes etc. (So I had to learn to tie knots to assist in rappelling--even rappelling down buildings with a stretcher containing a disaster victim. I had to learn how to use ropes, pulleys, block and tackle to move disaster debris). At times, my life--and lives of other people--depended on knots.

That being said....

I can't think of ANY knots that one "NEEDS" to know in order to hike and camp--especially on a "civilized" trail like the AT--other than knowing how to tie your shoe/boot laces. (People using hammocks should probably know 1-2 good knots to hang their hammock securely).

Some knots certainly might come in HANDY and make life EASIER and more comfortable around camp--but you will also do just fine without knowing them.

Knots that would probably be pretty nice to know would include:
Both the square knot and taut-line hitch for sure. Overhand knot, bowline, two half hitches, clove hitch, figure 8, and figure 8 on a bight, (and maybe sheet bend).

If you really want to learn some specialized knots that might be helpful in some unique situations:
Prusik knot, sheep shank, trucker's hitch, timber hitch, and some basic lashing techniques.

Don H
12-30-2012, 10:37
i got velcro straps

Now that's funny!

Half Note
12-30-2012, 10:40
This has come up before - here's a good reference: www.animatedknots.com (http://www.animatedknots.com)

etboy
12-30-2012, 14:54
Here's another one. I started tying my shoes with this knot. I always used to have troubles with shoe laces coming untied. But no more with this knot.

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

Just found out recently that 99% of people tie there laces the wrong way. I did/do. When you're tying the loop, if you're right handed, we tie the loop behind the left handed loop and tighten. Apparently the correct way is to tie the loop in front of the left hand and then tighten, makes for a tighter knot.
Still do it the wrong way of course.

Rasty
12-30-2012, 15:05
Just found out recently that 99% of people tie there laces the wrong way. I did/do. When you're tying the loop, if you're right handed, we tie the loop behind the left handed loop and tighten. Apparently the correct way is to tie the loop in front of the left hand and then tighten, makes for a tighter knot.
Still do it the wrong way of course.

I still tie mine by making two bunny ears and then finishing like a square knot.

Wise Old Owl
12-30-2012, 15:32
i got velcro straps


Now that's funny!

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4656995216262889&pid=1.7&w=140&h=143&c=7&rs=1

JAK
12-30-2012, 15:41
The clove hitch is very attactive knots, when its appropriate. Great for basic non-critical lashing. The are variations on the clove hitch that involve more wraps before the hitch. Once you learn a few you can innnovate. The round turn and two half hitches is more secure, a proper knot, and can be fastened and unfastened under load. The bowline is an even more secure knot, but cannot be fastened or unfastened under load. You could still use in on both ends sometimes, like between two tree if you can bend one in a bit, but the bowline and round-turn-two-half-hitches work well together. The bowline on the first end, at the RTTHH on the other. Another good trick is to use a bowline as a loop for getting a 2:1 or more purchace, and then using two half hitches to secure it. The square knot or reef knot is the same knot used to tie your shoe, but with one or usually both loops missing. With the right thickness and stiffness and grippiness of line you can use a square knot on your shoes and avoid using loops, and it will be more secure and actually easier to tie and untie, but again, only if its the right line. I use the same line for my shoes as for tieing my tarp, so they double as spares for one another. Two of my tarp lines are the exact same length as my shoe laces, and the other two are exactly 2 or 3 or 4 times as long. I like to use a pre-stretch dacron, like for small sailboat control lines, like 4mm or 5mm, but the colourful stuff they sell for tarps and tents will do also, and can work for shoelaces without using loops, though not as well as Marlow Pre-stretch or equivalent.

Chuckie V
01-04-2013, 16:23
I don't think you need to know any knots. But you will get to know the knots in your muscles.

Feral Bill
01-04-2013, 17:49
The square knot is useless, at best. The sheet bend joins two lines without risk of failure.

Pringles
01-04-2013, 17:51
What's the difference between a knot and lashing?

Another Kevin
01-07-2013, 19:35
Knots that would probably be pretty nice to know would include:
Both the square knot and taut-line hitch for sure. Overhand knot, bowline, two half hitches, clove hitch, figure 8, and figure 8 on a bight, (and maybe sheet bend).

If you really want to learn some specialized knots that might be helpful in some unique situations:
Prusik knot, sheep shank, trucker's hitch, timber hitch, and some basic lashing techniques.

Square knot: Useless. Use a sheet bend or Flemish bend or Carrick bend to bend two lines together. Use a surgeon's knot as a binding knot. You're not sailing, you don't need a reef knot. If you are sailing, then: Square the yardarms! Bowse taut the trusses! Hands aloft, and make ready to send down the studding-sail gear! [Extra points for indentifying when a sailing master might give that order.)

Taut-line: Sure.

Overhand knot: What for? A stopper? Use a double overhand or stevedore's knot.

Bowline: Uhm. A double-figure-of-eight loop is more secure. Either needs a safety knot (make a double-overhand around the standing part with the running end).

Two half hitches: Always with a round turn around the ring or post! In any case, a buntline hitch is more secure and just as easy to tie. (Use a slipped buntline if you need to untie it fast, because a buntline is prone to jamming.)

Clove hitch: Sure. You need it for a PCT bearbag hang, if nothing else.

Figure 8: If you're using it as a stopper, a stevedore's knot or double overhand is better. Learn to tie it anyway, because:

Figure 8 on a bight: Better than a bowline. Learn to tie it both with the bight and by doubling back on a figure 8 with the running end, so that you can tie it around something without needing access to tbe bitter end. Always tie a safety.

Sheet bend: OK, but a Flemish or Carrick bend is better. Always tie a safety in both running ends.

Prusik: Nothing like it for adjusting the ridge line on your tarp, among other things (including its original use as an ascender, I suppose).
Sheepshank: Hmm. I know what it's for. I still almost never tie one.
Trucker's hitch: Sometimes you need the leverage. Don't use it often, and watch for chafing the line (maybe duct tape the loop before you draw it up, or use a 'biner as an improvised block).
Timber hitch: For starting a diagonal lashing, I suppose. A constrictor knot works just as well or better, once you have the knack of tying it.

More important is to learn how to coil and handle a line properly. If you have your line coiled properly, it'll pay out smartly when you heave the rock to hang your bearbag.

Speaking of which: Learn to tie a monkey's-fist, to tie the rock to your bearbag line.

Another Kevin
01-07-2013, 19:52
The square knot is useless, at best. The sheet bend joins two lines without risk of failure.

All bends need safety (stopper) knots, with the possible exception of the double fisherman's knot, which stops itself.

I prefer the Flemish bend or Carrick bend to the sheet bend. In particular, the Flemish bend has the running ends come out next to the bitter ends, so they can both be stopped with strangle knots around the bitter ends. Picture at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flemish_bend .

The sheet bend has one purpose at which it excels: bending on a line of a different size, for instance attaching a messenger line to a cable. You need a double sheet bend for this purpose, because a single one can capsize if the tension is let off the line.

Hairbear
01-07-2013, 23:44
i got velcro straps lmfrekin a o

Hairbear
01-07-2013, 23:49
i used to love the taut line hitch,but now i use the mid shipmans knot.its close, but with a fourth wrap heading in the oposite direction of the taut line.it holds better on smaller cordage.

CarlZ993
01-08-2013, 00:50
I like knots. There are some 'core' knots that I tie & utilize on most of my backpack trips: bowline, taut-line hitch, clove hitch, double half hitch, bottle sling knot (for water bottles), and figure-8 knot.

Lately, I've been gravitating toward knots that are 'slipped,' i.e. can easily be untied by pulling the slipped end. For example, I would use a Siberian hitch and a trucker's hitch to tie two ends of a clothesline. Each end can be untied by pulling the slipped end of the knot. I've also started using a slipped angler's knot in place of a bowline. It appears to have significant strength (like a bowline) but can easily be untied by pulling the slipped end.

Like I said earlier, I like knots. I own multiple books on knots including ABOK (knot tying aficionados will know what that is).