Have to agree with the Hunter rather than the fisherman's - much easier to untie once it has been under load. I use it on the spinny sheets on my dinghy.

You guys are too esoteric! Stick to knots you can teach a boy in about 5 minutes.

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Look at the Ritter PSK sheet:
Polomar knot
Figure 8 loop
Bowline
Taught line
Constrictor
Fisherman?s knot (not labeled)

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1) Bowline on a Coil: Quickest, securist knot I know to tie around a persons waist when a split second is critical.

2) Double Figure Eight: Maintains ropes strength, can be used in the middle of a rope for connecting climbers, z drags, c drags, ect.

3) Clove Hitch with Quick Release : usefull for tying small diameter cord as its a strong knot and easy to untie.

4) Water Knot: Tie sling material together.

5) Munter Hitch: Rappelling and Belaying. Can be tied to load end to secure.

6) Swiss Seat: creates a harness out of rope or webbing.

7) Hasty Rappel: Term I created for a no harness rapell with a prusik as a break and the rapeller's arms as a friction device.

8) Kleimheist: Friction knot. It can use webbing or cord versus the prusik which only uses cord.

9) Tautline hitch. anwhere you need an adjustable cord, tent guys, etc.

10) Double Sheet Bend. Ties two ropes together of different diameters. Ties cord to a tarp without grommets.


I don't suggest only learning these 10. I know perhaps a hundred different knots, most of which are more suitable. As ten knots go I think these are fairly simple, no gimmick knots that anyone could learn in an hour or two of practise. As such, they are easier to remember when the pressure's on.

Of course, back up all your knots with overhands, half hitches, or double fisherman's.

Only carry cheat sheets for when your unconscious. Ten minutes a day of practise could save your life. Besides, tying knots is fun.

I've made my own cards from color photocopies. Download from the web, shrink or expand to size, do a little cleaning up of the picture in Paint, put them all on a strip of paper, laminate and accordian fold .

ooh! where can I down load knot info sheets/ cards?

TRO

"Stick to knots you can teach a boy in about 5 minutes."

Oh. The OP didn't ask that!

But if those are the knots you're after, I'd recommend "The Twist-a-Roo", "The Granny", and "The Wad It, Weave It, and Tangle It Special"

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"ooh! where can I down load knot info sheets/ cards?"

A couple of links:

http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Index.htm scroll about 2/3 way down to "Site Map" for easy navigation

http://www.realknots.com/links/A.htm A fairly comprehensive A-Z listing

http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/writing/explode.htm some pretty neat "easy to untie" knots

The heavyweight in the printed book category is "The Ashley Book of Knots" (often referred to as "ABOK") by Clifford Ashley. This thing probably weights more - and costs more - than your car, but well worth it if you're really into knots. My first impressions of this book were "I think I paid too much for this". It doesn't have the fancy color pictures of other knot books (drawings only). It also contains things that you'll initially write off as "I'll never do that". But as I've read and used it over time, you couldn't pry it from my fingers now.

Another quite decent book (with lots of pretty pictures!) is "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots and Ropework" by Geoffrey Budworth. The good thing about this one is that you'd be hard pressed to NOT find it in your local Barnes and Noble bargain section for under $10 (sometimes under $6 for smaller versions - same content, just physically smaller) While the pictures are pretty, sometimes the photographer has zoomed in too close and you can lose track of where you are in the knot. This is fairly minor and I really had no trouble working from the photos.

"The Directory of Knots" by John Shaw can be a relatively easy find in the Borders Bookstore bargain section for under $10. This one uses drawings rather than photos to illustrate the knots, so the wow factor of the photos in Budworth's book isn't there, it's probably easier to follow the sequence. This one is spiral bound, so it will lay open flat to every page, which is a big bonus when both your hands are working with the knot.

"The Morrow Book Of Knots" (correct title?) is another bargain section find that I've heard many people like, but I don't have it. I've seen it, but decided it was too much duplication given the other books I own. This one is inexpensive also.

My initial learning came from the Budworth book, then the Shaw, then Ashley's. I know Budworth has lots and lots of other knot books published, but I can only comment on the one I mentioned above.

I used to be able to do a square knot when I was a cub scout about a hundred years ago, but can't even remember that now -- I am woefully unprepared if I need to do a knot other than shoelaces

Trying to drive us nuts?

Let's exclude climbing and related high-angle rescue work for a moment - just dropping climbing will eliminate 1/2 the potential arguements.

For example, I like and trust most of the bowline family. There are varients that eliminate the problems Pete mentions. I also use - for various reasons - the figure 8 family, usually just for climbing. But one thing I hate about figure 8 vs bowline is that after a heavy strain, some figure 8s are practically impossible to un-knot, vs a bowline which can always be un-knotted. Once upon a time climbers used bowlines. New crop (to me) hates bowlines. Wheels turn... they both are useful.

1. So - bowline family is on my list.

2. Also figure 8 family (I know - I'm cheating - but once you know a couple of variants of knots, they stick in one's head easily enough)

3. Alpine Butterfly and variants is exceptionally useful but seems like few folks outside of climbers bother to use it. Usually pretty easy to untie and there are a couple of tricks in the tying for cases where a stretchy rope (like laid nylon) is going to put a large strain on the butterfly, which otherwise could be a bear to untie afterwards. Not much a problem with lower stretch ropes. Anyway, this is a must-know knot family. (I just saw a new one to me thru this thread - the Alpine butterfly bend, and I REALLY like that - obvious once I saw it.)

4. Prusik knots (single and double), tied either way. Too often overlooked and is far more versitile than most realize. Forget about prusiking (I use others if I have 'biners) - if you look for uses in the real world, it will cover tons of situations that otherwise require more specialized knots. This can do many things well - too many to list, so go play.

5. Double Fisherman's aka double grinner knot - there are some obvious variations. About the only knot I use to form slings with cords and ropes. That is, permanent slings - it is a beast to un-knot after a heavy load.

6. Clove hitch and related knots.

7. Sheet bend and double sheet bend - yes, I know of many current arguments about better bends, but for many situations these are great knots, especially if the lines will be in constant tension. For example, making an expedient shelter with a membrane that has no grommets or torn-out grommets - make the bight in the membrane and the loop with the guyline.

8. Tautline hitch (OK - there's one that's better for the same situations, but this is the 3rd knot my Dad taught me, it works, and I have to teach it to my scouts anyway). Sometimes I cheat and do a prusik hitch instead - see #4, above - but 99% of the time, a tautline.

9. Water knot (to me) aka tape bend aka overhand bend - one of the few bends I use for tubular nylon, webbing, or other flat material.

10. Lashings in general. If you're a scout, you may be hung up on a handful and think they must only be used as stipulated in the handbook. Use lashings enough and find out that it's the principle involved that matters, not so much exactly which one is used when there is a choice. Learn 4-5 basic ones and you can handle many situations well enough and re-invent/improvise most other situations. Also try out different cordages - some suck in certain uses and you have to learn how to compensate for their properties. You also figure out pretty quickly that lashing something practical takes a lot of cordage AND that you can fairly well standardize on pre-cut lengths that will handle lashings as well as other chores and - well, a whole lot of useful things best learned before you need to apply the knowledge.

Some things are too obvious to merit listing - like two (or more) half-hitches (works great in chain, too). Round turns and/or wraps in conjunction with a hitch. Reef (square) knots have limited applications... (I HATE that we have to teach that one early on in scouts - it's a very limited-use knot and too many folks mis-use it as a bend). etc etc

Ask me when I'm climbing and my short list will change. I probably have 50-60 bends, hitches, knots, etc. jammed in the front of my brain and another 30-40 wandering around in the back of my cluttered mind, so I'm not a knot-demon like some folks. However, I enjoy learning new ones and if I like one well enough, it either gets added to my routine list or displaces one on my routine list.

I'll second the earlier book mentions. Of the noteworthies, I tend to favor Budworth's books a bit.

That's my list, sort of. Until it changes.

Thanks A LOT for the web site. I'm kind of a knot freak.