Knots and rope work
Tie, attach, secure
Every knot has a job and limits. The Knot Lab shows the rope path step by step – working end in orange, standing part in sandstone.
Method explorer
Which knot should I use to attach a line to a post, branch or tree?
Method explorer
Which knot do I use to join two rope or webbing ends?
Method explorer
Which fixed loop suits my task?
Method explorer
How do I attach something to a line or pole so that it does not slip under pull?
Method explorer
How do I get a line taut – and tie it off so that I can release it again?
Terminology and rope
Knot terminology
Following knot instructions requires a small, precise vocabulary: standing part, working end, bight, loop, turn. This page defines the terms used throughout the knot articles of the atlas.
Rope materials and care
How well a knot holds depends as much on the rope as on the knot. This page outlines common fibres and rope constructions and explains what weakens rope.
Common whipping (finishing a rope end)
A rope end is bound tightly with thin twine so it does not unravel or fray. Works with any rope material, including where melting is not possible.
Coiling and storing rope (butterfly coil)
Rope is laid in bights alternately left and right over the hand or neck and tied off with the ends. This gives a flat bundle that hardly twists and pays out again without tangles – plus storage tips.
Chain sinnet (daisy chain)
A long rope is shortened into a short, thick chain by a series of loops drawn through one another. It does not tangle, can be pulled out again in seconds and suits storing and carrying lines.
Planned topics (6)
- Terminology
- Rope materials
- Rope care
- Rope types
- Load limits
- Typical knot mistakes
Stoppers and basic knots
Overhand knot
The simplest knot of all: a loop with the end passed through it once. It serves as a stopper at a rope end and is the building block of many other knots.
Figure-eight knot
A stopper knot shaped like an eight. It is bulkier than the overhand knot, easy to check visually and can usually be untied again after loading.
Double overhand knot
An overhand knot in which the end is tucked through the loop a second time. It makes a bulkier, more secure stopper than the single overhand, but is hard to untie after loading.
Stevedore knot
A figure-eight knot with an extra turn around the standing part. It is a little bulkier than the figure-eight and usually still unties well.
Slipped overhand knot (slip knot)
An overhand knot in which a bight is tucked instead of the end. A pull on the end releases it at once. Ideal for anything you want to open quickly – not for loads that must hold securely.
Ashley stopper knot
A bulky, round stopper with three lobes, named after Clifford Ashley. It is clearly thicker than a figure-eight and suits cases where a rope end must not pull through a larger eyelet or hole.
Planned topics (3)
- Overhand knot
- Figure-eight knot
- Double overhand knot
Hitches and tensioning
Clove hitch
Two turns around a post or branch that nip each other. Quick to tie, easy to adjust and easy to release – but it can slip or work loose on its own under intermittent load.
Two half hitches
The rope is passed around an object and made fast to its own standing part with two half hitches in the same direction. Preceded by a round turn, it is one of the most versatile attachments to a post, ring or tree.
Taut-line hitch
A sliding friction hitch on the rope's own standing part that lets you adjust the tension of a guyline. In grippy cord it holds under load; in slick or stiff synthetic cord it may slip.
Timber hitch
A hitch for logs, poles and bundles: the end is twisted around its own part and nips tight under load. Without load it practically falls apart by itself.
Cow hitch (girth hitch, lark's head)
A bight around an object with both strands pulled through it – or a sling passed through itself. Very quick for attaching a loop or strap to a ring, branch or handle; it slips under uneven pull.
Constrictor knot
A binding knot that grips a round object extremely tightly: sack necks, bundles, hose ends, or a rope end before cutting. Often so tight it can only be cut off.
Trucker's hitch
A rope tensioning system: a loop in the standing part acts as a pulley so that a line can be pulled very taut and then tied off. For ridgelines, tarps and luggage – not a substitute for rated load-securing equipment.
Prusik knot
A friction hitch: a loop of thinner accessory cord is wrapped several times around a thicker rope. Unloaded it slides; loaded it grips in both directions. In camp it is handy as a sliding attachment point on a ridgeline. Climbing and rescue only with training.
Klemheist knot
A friction hitch that grips in one direction only: a loop is wrapped in a spiral around the rope and passed through its own upper end. Also works with webbing. Climbing and rescue only with training.
Rolling hitch
A hitch that resists a lengthwise pull along a pole or another rope without slipping – as long as the pull comes from the right side. Good for attaching a line to a taut line or taking strain off another rope.
Marlinspike hitch
A quick, temporary knot that holds a toggle (stick, marlinspike, screwdriver) on a cord. It lets you pull thin cord hard without it cutting into your hands. Remove the toggle and it falls apart at once.
Square lashing
Joins two poles that cross at right angles: clove hitch, wrapping turns, frapping turns, clove hitch. The basis for frames, tables, racks and pole shelters.
Diagonal lashing
Joins two poles that cross at an angle or tend to spring apart, such as braces. A timber hitch first pulls the poles together, then wraps go around both diagonals.
Shear lashing
Binds two poles side by side – either to extend them or as shear legs spread into an A shape. The basis for A-frames and ridge supports.
Tripod lashing
Binds three poles together at one end, which are then spread into a stable tripod – as a stand for a water bag, a pot over a fire or a simple shelter frame.
Round turn and two half hitches
The rope is taken twice around a post, ring or branch and then secured with two half hitches around its own standing part. The round turn takes the load; the half hitches only hold the end. It can be tied even while the rope is under tension.
Anchor bend (fisherman's bend)
Similar to the round turn and two half hitches, but the first hitch is tucked through the round turn itself. This makes the knot grip more firmly and hold well on rings, eyes and handles even under changing load and movement.
Buntline hitch
A clove hitch tied around its own standing part, with the second turn made towards the object. Compact and very secure against flapping and jerking, but it jams under heavy load.
Pile hitch
A very quick hitch tied with a bight: the bight is wrapped around a post and dropped over its top. It only works on posts, poles or stakes with a free top end – but there it takes seconds.
Halter hitch (quick-release hitch)
A slipped knot around its own standing part that releases at once with a pull on the tail. Common for tying to rings and rails where you must be able to release quickly in an emergency.
Marling hitch (lashing a bundle)
A series of hitches along a long bundle – such as a rolled tarp, sleeping pad or bundle of poles. Each hitch is tucked so that it locks itself; the bundle stays together even if one point gives way.
Munter hitch (Italian hitch)
A hitch in a carabiner that brakes a rope by friction. It is part of climbing and mountain-rescue training. This page only explains what the hitch is and what it looks like – it does not teach belaying or lowering.
Sheepshank (shortening a rope)
A rope is folded into three parts and secured with a hitch at each end to shorten it without cutting. A well-known but unreliable knot: without steady tension it falls apart easily.
Planned topics (5)
- Clove hitch
- Two half hitches
- Taut-line hitch
- Hammock hitches
- Securing loads
Loops
Bowline
The bowline forms a fixed loop at the end of a rope that does not tighten under load and is usually easy to untie afterwards. It can, however, loosen when unloaded and capsize when loaded the wrong way.
Overhand loop (overhand on a bight)
An overhand knot tied in doubled rope. The quickest fixed loop of all, but it jams hard after loading and can then be almost impossible to untie.
Figure-eight loop (on a bight)
A figure-eight knot tied in doubled rope. A fixed, easy-to-inspect loop at the end or in the middle of a rope that can usually still be untied after loading.
Figure-eight follow-through (rewoven figure eight)
The figure-eight loop tied around a closed object: first tie a loose figure-eight in single rope, then take the end around the object and retrace the eight in parallel. Known as the tie-in knot in climbing – this page is not a substitute for climbing instruction.
Alpine butterfly loop
A fixed loop in the middle of a rope that can be loaded in three directions: through the loop and along both strands. Also useful to isolate a damaged section of rope. Use in mountaineering only with training.
Bowline on a bight
A bowline tied in doubled rope. It produces two fixed loops side by side and can be tied in the middle of a rope.
Running bowline
A small bowline with the standing part running through its loop. This gives a noose that tightens under load and opens easily again afterwards. Useful for grabbing objects you cannot reach – never for living beings.
Double bowline (round-turn bowline)
A bowline in which the loop in the standing part is made twice. The extra turn adds friction and makes it somewhat more resistant to coming undone than the plain bowline – but it does not replace properly securing the tail.
Planned topics (2)
- Bowline
- Figure-eight loop
Bends
Reef knot
A flat binding knot that ties the two ends of one cord together around a bundle. It is not a secure bend: used to join two ropes under load it can capsize and pull apart.
Sheet bend
The sheet bend joins two rope ends, even of different diameter. The thicker rope forms the bight and the thinner one is tied around it. It can loosen when unloaded or when flogged.
Double fisherman's bend
Two rope ends, each tied with a double overhand around the other rope, which slide together under load. Very secure, but very hard to untie after loading. Known for closing accessory-cord loops; in mountaineering only with training.
Water knot (tape knot)
The knot for flat webbing: an overhand knot in one end is retraced exactly by the other end from the opposite direction. The tails can creep out under cyclic loading – so check before every use. In mountaineering only with training.
Carrick bend
A symmetrical bend for thick or stiff ropes. It hardly jams and unties well after heavy loads. What matters is the strictly alternating over-and-under path.
Double sheet bend
A sheet bend with an extra turn around the bight. It holds ropes of different thickness, slick or stiff ropes more securely than the single sheet bend and can still be untied.
Fisherman's knot (single)
Two overhand knots, each tied around the other rope, which slide together when set. Quick and simple for thin cords and lines; hard to untie after loading.
Zeppelin bend
A symmetrical bend made from two interlocked loops. It is regarded as very secure against coming undone and still unties well after loading. The sequence is easy to confuse – always check the finished knot.
Surgeon's knot
A reef knot in which the first throw is doubled. The extra wrap holds the tension while you tie the second throw – ideal for tying parcels, sacks and bundles. Covered here as a binding knot, not as a medical technique.
Planned topics (2)
- Reef knot
- Sheet bend
Improvised cordage
No entries in this subcategory yet. The planned topics show its scope.
Planned topics (3)
- Rope substitutes
- Natural-fibre cordage
- Repairs