Most used knots?

[Erbswurst]

Which knots do you usually use if you are wild camping? And in which function?

 

[Robson Valley]

I always tried to get knot work done under ideal circumstances without my hands stiffening up.
Reef knots and half hitches as terminating tie-downs in situ.
Any need for a loop in the end of a rope which can be tightened up and still pop open when wet? bowline always.
Whip finishes on tool handles and some rope ends.

I enjoy making splices. Both end-to-end and loops. Relaxing craft with tape and scissors and the right size fid.

 

[Macca.UK]

For me it would be:

• Adjustable grip hitch
• Evenk hitch
• Truckers hitch
• Prusik knot/loop
• Sheet bend
• Alpine butterfly
• Perfection loop
• Constrictor knot
• Buntline hitch

I've learnt dozens of others (fell down the rabbit hole), but they are the ones I use most often

Cheers

Macca

 

[Le Loup]

Which knots do you usually use if you are wild camping? And in which function?

Reef knot & half hitches for shelter construction.

Keith.

 

[SaraR]

b

Which knots do you usually use if you are wild camping? And in which function?

bowline! always handy.

 

[Erbswurst]

In a lot of functions others are more handy.

But I guess one could manage to do really all in a usual tarp set up camp exclusively with the bowline knot.

 

[Onelifeoverland]

b

bowline! always handy.

One handed if your looking for a party trick

OLO
www.onelifeoverland.com
//probably typed on mobile so please excuse typos!

 

[Erbswurst]

Oh no!

Last time when I did that one handed in order to attach my tarp to a tree, I tied myself up like this, that I was standing there for three days untill a few hikers came along by accident and liberated me!

That really can't be recommended!

 

[SaraR]

One handed if your looking for a party trick

OLO
www.onelifeoverland.com
//probably typed on mobile so please excuse typos!

I first learnt to do it one-handed, so for a long while I could only do it like that! Decided it was time to learn to do it two-handed after having grown tired of having to lean out over the gunwhale of the sailing ships a few times too many. I'm still faster one-handed though.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Very similar to Macca for me.

• Slippery taut hitch
• Evenk hitch / falconer's knot
• Truckers hitch variation
• Icicle hitch
• Sheet bend - std and slippery
• Alpine butterfly
• Perfection loop or double bowline
• Constrictor knot
• Zeplin Bend
• Round turn + half hitches

Chris

 

[bearbait]

Rolling Hitch / Midshipman Hitch (for guys)
Bowline
Round Turn and Two Half Hitches
Anchor Bend (for a very secure version of the above)
Prussik Knot
Manharness Knot (for a secure loop tied in a bight, e.g. for an improvised tackle)
Sheet Bend / Double Sheet Bend
Constrictor Knot / Double Constrictor Knot (for whippings)
Clove Hitch
(Reversed) Ground Line Hitch [see Ashley Book of Knots #3098] (for securing coils)

 

[Minotaur]

I always tried to get knot work done under ideal circumstances without my hands stiffening up.

That is a really good point. You should practice with gloves on and in odd positions and places as well. I guarantee when you need any knot the most it will be freezing and wet

It worth knowing the basic knots even if you do not use them. I have used Sheepshanks honest however if you need to tie down a tarp on a trailer a half Sheepshank (or more often a dog) gets a lot of use. Reef knots suck as proved by your shoes however for their limited use there nothing better. Bowlines get a bad rep for some reason however you want to be able to untie a loop that you put a lot of tension on nothing better. You can turn a couple of Bowlines on a bight into a pulley system. Lashings start with clove hitches however when you need them to hold and do not care about the cord or rope, constrictor knot instead. Want to get good at Figure of eights change all of those useless thumb knots on your guy lines.

If there a different way to tie them it worth learning that too. You can tie a bowline and a double of figure of eight one handed for that time you hanging off a cliff and someone throws you a rope. Also a knot has a purpose and materials they work with so you may have 2 or 3 that do the same job because they brilliant under some circumstances and rubbish at others.

No.		Knot	Advanced	Alternatives	Use
1	Basic	Round turn + half hitches	Slippery Taut hitch	Truckers hitch & variants	To object
1	Basic	Sheet bend	Sheet bend - slippery		Joining same or different sizes
1	Basic	Clove Hitch	Constrictor knot		To object
1	Basic	Reef Knot	Surgeon knot	Thief Knot (lol)	Joining same size
1	Basic	Fishermans Knot	Double Fishermans Knot		Joining same size modern materials
1	Basic	Timber Hitch		Icicle hitch	To object
1	Basic	Bowline			Stable Loop
1	Basic	Bowline on a bight			Stable double Loop
1	Basic	Sheepshank	Dogshank	Truckers hitch variants	Shorten rope not cut
1	Basic	Larks Head	Prusik knot	Adjustable grip hitch	Right angle attachment/tighten
1	Basic	Figure Of Eight	Double Figure Of Eight	Evenk hitch	Stopper/Stable End Loop
2	Advanced	Alpine butterfly			Stable Middle Loop
2	Advanced	Buntline hitch			To object
2	Advanced	Falconer's knot			To object
2	Advanced	Perfection loop			To object
2	Advanced	Water knot			Advanced flat material
2	Advanced	Zeppelin bend			Joining

 

[Robson Valley]

I had the good fortune to drag a shrimp trawl one summer. Not very many useful knots needed on the boat.
On the drag, I got pretty good at splicing. Spliced loops always give a boat a "finished" look.
Bowlines would pop open no matter how wet or how long the knots had been submerged under tension.

That was so long ago, I had to buy Des Pawson's book: Knots, just to remember what to do!
I have a text book of fisherman's knots but can't see anyone here really needing a Bimini Hitch.

Make a knot tying kit, visual instructions and all. Practice at your camp. Can you tie it with your eyes shut?

 

[Minotaur]

Not very many useful knots needed on the boat.

That is interesting. Would have thought the opposite however maybe it part history part myth.

On the drag, I got pretty good at splicing. Spliced loops always give a boat a "finished" look.

I am moving away from man made materials so I can do more of this. The big problem is that a lot of modern ropes are like paracord so you got to knot. One of the big knot problems is they work brilliant in one material and not in others and very often it a case of you need 2 knots.

Bowlines would pop open no matter how wet or how long the knots had been submerged under tension.

I think that is the use thing like the clove hitch in that if kept under tension it works however if the tension goes away it going to stop working however that does not happen to constrictor knots.

That was so long ago, I had to buy Des Pawson's book: Knots, just to remember what to do!

I think that is a really good point in that you use the knots you remember and that are your favorites. I get that the alpine butterfly rocks however if I need that sort of knot you getting a bowline on a bright unless I go looking for a book. That said my pre-set guyline I going to dig out the book for it.

I have a text book of fisherman's knots but can't see anyone here really needing a Bimini Hitch.

That an interesting knot, never seen that before. Fishing knots are my weak area and I need to get better at them. Have carried fishing stuff for years in survival kits and know I could make it work however there a reason why there are fishing knots.

Make a knot tying kit, visual instructions and all. Practice at your camp. Can you tie it with your eyes shut?

Really good idea.

 

[Minotaur]

Just noticed that the famous blue rope in Mythbusters is often tied to things using bowlines and it the rope that breaks.

 

[Robson Valley]

Take a look in abeBooks.uk A consortium of book sellers with 6,000,000+ titles.
My Fisherman's Knots book has to be in there, someplace. Maybe pennies on the pound.

 

[John Fenna]

I mainly tend to use
Round turn and two half hitches
Prussic/French Prussic
Clove
Sheetbend
Figure eight on the bight
Double quick release Reef knot (Shoe lace bow)
Tripod lashing
Square lashing
Fishermans/Double Fishermans
Whipping/ Westcountry whipping
Lazyman splice
They cover most of my needs...

 

[Paul_B]

Slightly off topic but my most used knots include one round turn and two half hitches. It's a knot I use all over. It's my brain dead need a knot but can't think if anything better knot. If you know what I mean. It's served me well from home, work, outdoors, travelling, and all over.

 

[Oliver G]

As much as I like different knots I tend to not use a great variety while camping, mostly because if they work and I'm tired then I just bang them in.

I would say the most used are:
Bowline - For guy line ends or attaching a line to a prusic loop
Reef knot - To make prussick loops
Prussic loops - To add tension to guy lines or ridge line.
Figure 8 on the bight - Alternative to bowline, I find this much easier to tie.
Round turn with two half hitches - For attaching the ridgeline to a tree.

 

[Robson Valley]

Those are all good. It's just as important to be able to undo the knot
when it has been under great tension (and probably soaking wet) for days on end.
A bowline pops open. I used them exclusively on trap nets and anchors, meant to be set for weeks.