what critical ropes knots often used outdoors ? There are so many rope knots that I can't recall of them.

Can someone list some of most important that can save lives?

Bowline, with the variation of bowline on a bight. Non slip knot, can be used to raise/lower a person.

Clove hitch, used for tying things up, as in bundles, a tent line to a tree. Variation is clove hitch with quick release.

Square knot, used to join two like ropes together.

Taut line hitch, used on tents as you can release or add tension w/o retying the knot.

Overhand knot. The most simple.

I'd call these the big 5.

you might get a Special Forces or Ranger to show you how to tie a Swiss seat from a section of kernmantle, for emergency rappelling

I second the taut line hitch. I just got home today from camping with my family and I used taut line hitch, guy line hitch, overhand knot, clove hitch, square lashing, and I attempted a rolling hitch (didn't work, though).

-Jason

The bowline knot is the classic climbing knot and it indeed is highly useful, but even better, and now more common in use by climbers, is the figure 8 and a closely allied knot, the "figure 9."

The clove hitch is an extraordinarily useful and versatile knot. Very easy to learn and apply.

The square knot is way overrated. It is best employed to tie shoelaces and nothing more critical. The fisherman's knot (or triple fishermans) is much more secure for joining two ropes; the water knot is good for joining webbing.

For climbers, the prussik (or several similar) is well worth knowing. It is very closely related to the taut line hitch

One reason there are so many knots is that different activities require different means of joining and manipulating rope. There are considerable differences between what is employed in climbing compared with boating. So, what specific use are you considering? That determines the knots you should learn.

By learning, I mean the ability to tie the knot in a dark shower with your eyes closed and the cold water running full. It is better to learn a few knots well than a whole bunch half way.

If you are tying knots for any serious purpose, they should be backed up - typically with two half hitches.

Very dangerous to use a square knot as a bend. A square knot is a binding knot only.

My basic essentials would be:

Round Turn and Two Half Hitches
Figure Eight
Hunters Bend or Zeppelin Bend (closely related)
Bowline
Constrictor Knot
Tautline Hitch
Square Knot

Other very handy knots:

Ashley's Stopper Knot
Double Fisherman's Bend
Angler's Loop
Alpine Butterfly
Ground Line Hitch
Simple Simon (under)

If you end up stuck with that ultra cheap super-hard, tough-to-bend three-strand-twisted slippery nylon junk rope, in order to get a knot to hold you need something more obscure like:

Vice Versa
Surgeon's Knot

I with all of these but would add the round turn with two half hitches. As an Infantry and Special Forces veteran, and a Scout Master, if you learn 4 or 5 of the most useful knots and learn to tie them in the dark when it is raining cats and dogs, then you will be able to get through most things.

Doing similar research for another project -- Found the two worst knots: Square and the shoelace knot. Both pretty awful for what they do.

One of the Eagle Scouts from my sons' troupe went on to college and then the US Army. He went to Iraq with his unit. When unpacking and setting up their tents they found that ALL of the little metal guy line tensioner plates (or whatever they are called) were missing. For the entire unit.

Not one person knew what to do. Except him. He showed them how to use the taught line hitch. He was quite the hero!

Craig T.

This is almost verbatim what I would have said. Instead of the tautline I would have said 2-and-a-half hitch, but they're pretty similar (if I remember my knots correctly)

Don't forget the regular shoelace knot - good for what it does only, but you use it literally everyday. And I like a hangman's knot, just for kicks.

Release able taut line hitch. Make 3 passes around the rope instead of 2 heading toward the tie out point, then use a
bight for the outside half hitch instead of the bitter end. Like
a bow on shoe laces. Easier to undo in cold or wet conditions
or when using loosely woven rope. A Northwest Outward Bound favorite for tarp tie outs.

Bowlines used for critical conditions need a backup safety knot
as they can become untied with rope movement.

You tube knot tests.

Flat overhand knot (tied like the joining knot for rappels)

dry with backup knot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVTvsUJ6c...&playnext=1

wet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XZHZpNqF70&feature=related

Figure eight tested to failure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_nU_HSqS8Y

Prussics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNyilCyqJyE

I'm a knot junkie. I enjoy tying the best knot I can manage. The knots below are some of my memorized favorites. I have used all of them. You probably only need to know 6 knots to get any job done, but I have a hard time picking only 6.

BEND
•Butterfly (easy)
•Carrick (symmetric)
•Sheet / Double Sheet (Bowline family)
•Reef backed up with Strangle Knots (works on any different rope diameters)
•Zeppelin (symmetric)

BINDER MID-AIR
•Blake
•Gleipnir
•Tautline

BINDER AGAINST CONVEX OBJECT
•Bag
•Constrictor/Double Constrictor
•Constrictor ABOK #1253
•Jug Sling
•Reef
•Strangle (jams)

FISHING
(All these work w/ monofilament, braid and fluorocarbon)
•Arbor (line-to-reel)
•Berkley Braid (line-to-lure)
•King Sling (loop for free swinging lure)
•Palomar/Double Palomar (line-to-lure)
•Uni (bend or line-to-lure)

HITCH COMBINATION
•Marlin Spike
•Swiss Seat
•Trucker (great for making tension)
•Versatackle (great for making tension)

HITCH GRIPPING
•Adjustable Grip (good for making tension)
•Blake (good for making tension)
•Klemheist
•Prusik
•Well Pipe

HITCH NOOSE-TYPE
•Bull
•Buntline Slipped
•Girth
•Halter
•Hangman (for storing rope)
•Running Loop (e.g., Running Bowline)
•Siberian
•Strangle
•Timber

HITCH WRAP-TYPE
•Bag (better than Groundline)
•Getaway (kind of like Highwayman Hitch but better)
•Pile
•Round Turn and Two Half Hitches
•Sailor (super easy untie)
•Snuggle

LASHING
•Diagonal
•Square
•Transom
•Tripod

LOOP ON BIGHT
•Bell Ringer + Half Hitch to secure
•Bowline with Bight
•Bowline 3 Loops (tie whole loop on bight)
•Butterfly 1/2/3 Loops
•Double Dragon
•Karash Double Loop
•Span (great in Trucker Hitch)

LOOP ON END
•Bowline
•Bowline Birmingham 2/3 Loops
•Double Dragon
•Zeppelin

STOPPER
•Ashley
•Fig9

Just 4? I have the same problem as ireckon in being something of a knotwork junkie.

1) Tautline hitch - Good for tensioning stuff out when you're not expecting weather.
2) Truckers hitch - Good for lashing cargo and tensioning stuff out when you are expecting weather.
3) Water bowline - Varient on a bowline where the full turn above the bight is replaced with a clove hitch. Add a stopper knot (double overhand, figure 8, or Ashley) to the bitter for additional security.
4) Single/Double/Triple Fisherman's knot - easy to tie, but not as strong as a blood knot.

Do you know of an online reference for tieing this one? Or an ABOK reference number? I find the Highwayman Hitch to be severly lacking for tieing up our horses. I use something called the Horse Dealer's Hitch (as described in John Shaw's "The Directory of Knots" page 110). I would be interested to learn the Getaway.

An interesting sliding loop similar in layout to the Horse Dealer's Hitch is the Locking Loop (John Shaw, The Directory of Knots, page 136). The Locking Loop can be tied just like the Horse Dealer's Hitch except you leave out the initial 1/2 twist loop and replace that with a simply U-shaped bight. I find the Locking Loop to be much more secure and resistant to slippage than the Tautline Hitch. Plus, it has a drawloop so you just tug on that to totally release the knot. I like it much better than the Tautline Hitch, but I mentioned the Tautline Hitch above in my post of essential knots because you can find many places that illustrate how to tie it. Not so much for the Locking Loop (that is a somewhat generic name, and the same knot may be known by other names too).

FWIW, for new knot tiers, I recommend two books that you can sometimes find for real cheap in the Barnes & Noble discount book section. I recommend them mostly because they are really cheap usually, and pretty decent. Not the best, but a good deal for the money. John Shaw's "The Directory of Knots" as mentioned previously, and also Geoffrey Budworth's "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots and Ropework". Both of these contain some very useful knots. Of course, the ultimate reference is "The Ashley Book of Knots", commonly referred to as "ABOK". ABOK is more for serious knot tiers, with a sellng price only a serious knot tier would want to pay. I'm glad I bought ABOK years ago. You can learn an awful lot from it. For pretty pictures, get the Budworth book. The pretty and colorful pictures make it a good coffee table addition, but sometimes it's tieing instructions can be lacking. For better tieing illustrations, get the Shaw book. There are many other basic knot tieing books too. You find many of them quite often in the bargain books section of bookstores.

I forgot to mention above, a decent online knot tieing instructional site is: http://www.animatedknots.com/knotlist.php

The Youtube video got taken down. Here's a pic I made of the Getaway Knot (as named by me). It's similar to the Highwayman, but better in my experience.



HOWEVER, if the knot does not have to be "exploding", I'd rather tie a Halter, Siberian, or Slipped Buntline. By the way, you can make the slip on any of these knots secure by using the working end to tie a Half Hitch around the slip. Or you could put the working end through the slip. The horse would not be able to use teeth to pull out the slip, but the knot would still be easy for you to untie.

Thanks. That Getaway is easy to figure out how to tie from the picture alone. Kind of a neat knot, but for the horses I will be sticking with the Horse Dealer's Hitch. The nice thing about the Horse Dealer's Hitch is that it leaves a non-tightening loop around the post you are hitching to. So it doesn't have the potential to "unwrap itself", which is a common flaw for things like the Clove Hitch and other hitches that bind all the way up against the post.

The Buntline Hitch is one of my favorites too. If you don't slip it, it can be a devil to untie in certain types of cord though. It hangs on tough. If you do slip it, it is not so secure in some types of rope, but secure in others. So you have to verify its appropriateness for your specific rope vs. post situation.

Is there a link for the Horse Dealer's Hitch and the Locking Loop? I don't have that book.

Very interesting thing here on the forum. I mentioned the "Horse Dealers Hitch". Now try typing that in but without the space between "Dealers" and "Hitch" and preview your message. It shows up as "[censored]". Is there something nasty about a "Dealers Hitch" that I don't know about???

Yeah... dealerS#!Tch... LOL!

-Jason

I don't pretend to know the name of every knot I have been taught or learned. But any time I can purposefully and aesthetically secure a object(s) using rope/cordage and not use square knot, is a good day

I used to sail with guys that believed "if you can't tie good knots, tie lots of them." Don't be like that.

I'm not a not guy at all, and when I have time would like to educate myself more on this subject. But I will say that the slip knot, half hitch, and improved clinch, have served me well for ages..

Made a youtube video of a Quick Release Tautline Hitch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RziTN2jHC7M&feature=plcp

EDIT: Forgot about the rolling hitch. Perfect when you want to attatch some guy line to another. This also works great with a quick release loop.

I also want to add the alpine butterfly to my arsenal (adds a secure loop to the middle of a roap). I just have to keep tying it so I remember.

My list is soo much shorter... but it get's the job done:
Bowline hitch
Sheet bend
Trucker's hitch
Round turn with two half hitches
Overhand knot and figure-8 knot

More often than not, I'll augment any of these with a quick release loop.

Setting up a tarp ridgeline (or clothesline) I'll make a bowline hitch with quick release around the first tree and a trucker's hitch around the second. I really like how quick and easy it is to get a nice and REALLY taut ridgeline with this method. And two gentle tugs is all it takes to tear it down again...

For joining two ropes I've gone off square knot. Tying a sheet bend with a "quick" method is much faster and much safer, and works for ropes of uneven diameter. Sorry, I'm unable to find videos or pics of my "quick method" for tying a sheet's bend.

I use round turn with two half hitches if I don't want a loop, but want to tie really taut to whatever object I fasten to. This is also my preferred knot for mooring boats.

I really dig fancy knots, but this short list is what I actually use and rely on. Anything fancier and I'll have to look it up...

The knots I use most often have been listed numerous times, variants of: figure 8's, clove hitches, prusiks, etc...

The one I don't see mentioned is a water knot. It is used to tie knots in webbing.

I like the Canadian Jam knot for tying things together and then having to loose them later. Has always been there for me.

Thanks for the input -- I'm doing some knot teaching classes for youth groups

Here is my input. I was a climber for many years. Although many knots can be tied, only a few are generally useful on a regular basis.

learn how to tie a "water knot" in webbing. that is very important. it may go by other names, but it is the basic knot for joining two ends of flat webbing together.

for ropes, learn a "Figure-8" which is used for making a loop, a "clove hitch" which is very useful for attaching a rope to an anchor, and a "Double Fishermans knot" which is very important for joining two ropes together. I never used the bowline or the square knot, but some people like the bowline.

good luck,
Pete2

Interesting comment about the bowline. In the "old days" (1950-1960s) it was the preferred knot for tying in and for end loops in the climbing rope - later partially replaced by the figure eight, which has advantages. Good idea to learn them both thoroughly.

My go to knots are the square, slip, bowline, clove hitch and figure eight. I'm working on learning more but these five have served me well so far.

I'll tell you the one knot that I need to learn ... it's the knot that you use for tightening cargo. Imagine you've got some cargo in the bed of a truck, and you tie down with a rope. There's a special knot you can tie in the end of the rope - you just cinch it down and adjust the rope length - and it tightens automatically. That's a really nice knot - but I haven't seen it in any book. If someone knows a reference ... please post.

Pete2

Trucker Hitch
http://youtu.be/gcz-D0kxiwo

KISS, KISS, KISS.

Former climber, Army,....etc.

Water Knot
Butterfly
Trucker Hitch
ALL of the Figure-eights (on a bite, and follow thru(depending))
Fisherman's
Taughtline (also called Turtle??)

Munter/Italian hitches

I feel the Bowline is great but can be "mis tied" too easily by average Joe. Too many variants.....

Ironwood

Philippe Petite releases his new book " why Knot" Tuesday

I guess I am a moss-backed traditionalist. I have a great fondness for the bowline. The thing is to learn the asicknot thoroughly so you can tie it with your eyes shut, behind your back. Then start on the variants - the one i prefer is bowline on a bight, very useful for rigging, as in lifting a mammoth tusk - something I know we all do frequently.

I have read somewhere that there are fifty bowline variants. I know far fewer than that, the best of which is the double loop bowline - reputed even more secure than the basic knot.

Learn a few knots well and you will be fit to be tied.

Hikermor, I've heard that line before.

I also like the bowline. Any knot can be miss-tied.

We just got this in at work yesterday. I looked through it, and I have to say I'm impressed. It comes with a coil of nylon twine inside the cover, supposedly enough to practice every knot listed. I assume for some, you may either need smaller items for tying to, or your own longer piece (I can't open it, as it's merchandise).

Every knot has a story, description, very thorough written instructions, diagrams, and examples for practical use.

I may have to purchase one for further inspection.

ireckon, ironwood - thanks.
I'll check out that trucker hitch.

Pete2

This one is quickly becoming one of my go to knots, it's a fellow Canuckian- The Canadian Jam:

http://m.youtube.com/index?&desktop_uri=%2F#/watch?v=qC-GHDkBnXU

Oh, I love that list! Knot porn to me!

One of my most go-to knots as well, backpackjac!

For quick reference, that is the same as the Arbot Knot, which is commonly used for tying a fishing line to a reel spool.

http://www.islandgazette.net/photo2/pictures/May-7-2008/Page-2C-Arbor-Knot.jpg

I find these two videos by sargefaria helpful. My son watches them when we practice our knots.

Bowline and Fisherman's/Blood knots:

http://m.youtube.com/index?&desktop_uri=%2F#/watch?feature=fvwrel&v=avmVfvioXvk

Slip knot, Pressik knot and Trucker's Htch:

http://m.youtube.com/index?&desktop_uri=%2F#/watch?feature=fvwrel&v=LwBg30sKiR8

In terms of great knot sites,

I found http://www.animatedknots.com very useful. Its good for both left and right handed users. It has a commentary on what are the advantages of one knot over another for any particular situation. It also has recommendations when NOT to use the knot.

As for a short list of notable knots that form a list of useful knots to know how to use, I find http://notableknotindex.webs.com very useful.

Thanks.
Conway Yee