Square Knot Whether you are tying two ropes together to make a longer rope, or you are tying up a bundle of firewood to carry, the square knot is a winner. It’s much more secure and stable than its cousin the granny knot. The granny tends to drift and roll, untying itself a little bit at a time as you use it. You can tie a solid square knot by lapping right over left, and then tying again in the reverse direction—left over right. This knot comes in handy a lot. |
Sheet Bend Knot This knot serves a similar purpose as the square knot. It is used to tie pieces of rope or string together of different sizes. With the sheet bend, you bend the thicker or more slippery rope into a "j" shape almost like a fish hook. You then pass the other rope through the fish hook from behind, wrap around the entire fishhook once and then tuck the smaller line under itself You may not always have to ropes exactly the same. So this knot allows you to use two different types of rope and tie them together. Whether you are tying a log to a tree trunk or a poncho to a tree, this knot is an excellent choice. |
Bowline Knot The bowline is one of the few essential knots to know for wilderness survival and rescue. The strength of this knot is unparalleled. It is at least centuries old. The bowline knot is used for setting up a tarp shelter, attaching a string to an archery bow, rescuing a person from water or a crevasse, tying up a bear bag, or any other “loopy” application you can think of. To create this knot just remember the three basic symbols of this knot, a rabbit, a tree, and a hole. “The rabbit comes out of his hole.” The hole is a loop that must be created as an overhand loop, which is made by crossing the short end of the line above the standing part. The standing part of a rope is the longer length. The rabbit is the short end, which is the short part of the rope that is used to tie the knot. Next, "the rabbit runs around the tree." Remember, a tree grows up from its roots, which are underground. In other words, the short end runs around the standing part. "The rabbit runs back down his hole." The short end (rabbit) parallels itself as it passes back down the hole, but does not cross itself. Finally, "the rabbit stops to watch the tree grow." Pinch the short ends and pull the standing part to tighten the knot. The original overhead loop created in step one should cinch down the rabbit. The knot should be complete now. |
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