Overhand loop (overhand on a bight)

The overhand loop is an overhand knot tied with two parallel strands. The bight at the tip becomes the loop, and the two strands – standing part and short end – run through the knot together. Under load the tight curves pull together and nip each other.

This strong nip is both its strength and its weakness. The loop almost never comes undone by itself, even in slick cord. But the tight curves bend the rope sharply at the knot and jam after loading so that the knot can hardly be untied again.

A neat overhand loop looks like an overhand knot made of 'double rope': everywhere two strands run parallel side by side, without crossing or twisting inside the knot. The loop has the size you want, and the short end clearly projects.

Dressing matters especially here: lay both strands parallel before setting. Then pull on the loop and both strands at the same time. If the strands cross inside the knot, it becomes lumpy, jams even harder and can load the rope unevenly.

Leave the short end long enough – several rope diameters. A tail that is too short can be drawn into the knot while setting.

The overhand loop is a practical solution when you quickly need a loop in thin cord that won't have to be untied: a hanging loop for light items, a loop at the end of a guy cord, a loop in a piece of twine.

It is unsuitable for rope that should be free again later. Knot books usually recommend the figure-eight loop for that, which is hardly slower to tie and can usually still be untied after loading. If the loop has to go around a closed object, a bowline is simpler.

The overhand loop rarely fails by coming undone. Other problems are more common: the rope is weakened at the sharply bent knot, and a knot set with twisted strands can deform unevenly under load. In synthetic rope that has been under load for a long time, the knot can sit so tight that in the end the only option is to cut it off.

If you have to cut a jammed knot, cut away from your body on a firm surface and secure the new end afterwards. None of the knots in this atlas is meant for life-safety use – not for climbing, abseiling, rescue or holding and lifting people. Life-safety use only after proper training with certified equipment.

Double a piece of cord so a bight about a hand's width long forms. Form a loop with both strands together, take the bight around both strands and push it through the loop. Lay the strands parallel and set it.

Tie a figure-eight loop right next to it and load both equally, for example by hanging them on a hook and pulling hard. Then try to untie both. The difference shows you better than any description when which loop is the right one.