Knots Reference
Field reference for common knots, hitches, and lashings — what they're for, how they're tied, and where they fail.
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Sample entries · read in full
What a knot is and how knots are classified
A knot is an intentional complication in cordage, practical or decorative or both. Practical knots are classified by what they do rather than how they look. Four broad functional groups cover almost everything a person…
Read in full →Tying the bowline
The bowline is an ancient and simple knot that forms a fixed loop at the end of a rope. Its virtues are that it is easy to tie, easy to untie even after heavy load, and structurally well-understood. It is sometimes…
Read in full →Tying the clove hitch
The clove hitch is an ancient knot consisting of two successive single hitches tied around an object. It is most effective for securing a middle section of rope to an object the rope crosses over — a line on a…
Read in full →All 30 entries
Foundations
- Bends: knots that join two ropes end to end In app
- Camp, tarp, and ridgeline: knots to know In app
- Climbing fundamentals: knots to know In app
- Hitches: knots that attach a rope to something else In app
- What a knot is and how knots are classified Sample ✓
- Sailing day-trip: knots to know In app
Stoppers
- Tying the figure-eight stopper In app
Hitches
- Anchor bend (fisherman's bend) In app
- Tying the clove hitch Sample ✓
- Constrictor knot In app
- Hitches for posts and rings: choosing among the workhorses In app
- Round turn and two half-hitches In app
- Timber hitch In app
- Tying a trucker's hitch In app
- Two half-hitches In app
Friction Hitches
- Friction hitches: choosing among Prusik, Klemheist, and Munter In app
- Klemheist knot In app
- Munter hitch (Italian hitch) In app
- Tying a Prusik hitch In app
- Taut-line hitch In app
Loops
- Tying the bowline Sample ✓
- Bowline on a bight In app
- Alpine butterfly loop In app
- When to use which loop knot In app
Bends
- Double fisherman's knot In app
- Tying the reef knot (square knot) In app
- Tying the sheet bend In app
- Water knot for webbing In app
Lashings
- Diagonal lashing for spars under cross-load In app
- Square lashing for crossed spars In app