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That knot resembles the clove hitch, which is a very versatile hitch to attach a section of rope to an object. I think learning a few basic knots is an extremely useful life skill.

Just knowing how to tie bowline, double bowline and a few hitches will make you a more useful person.




That's actually a slipped square knot. But the way you tie it is sort of reminiscent of a clove hitch.

As he says on the site, you wind up with the same knot (slipped square) that you'd get by the usual method of tying.


My knot skills are horrible, I only know about 3 knots. At camping (real camping where we canoed 4 or 5 hours out to the middle of nowhere and camped) I had to do a zillion knots because everyone was so impressed at how I could tie things down correctly.

It was surprisingly helpful - I can't even remember where/when I learned them.


I realize the bowline family is used extensively in marine settings, but the figure-eight family is a lot easier to tie in most settings, and almost always results in a stronger system.


Yay, a knot geekery thread. :)

The bowline rules for tying one-handed. Otherwise, I'm inclined to agree with you, but properly dressing the figure-eight can be bit of a chore. It's too easy to get the ropes crossed inside the knot. For non-climbing use, I like the alpine butterfly family. Strong, versatile, and easy to tie in single, double, or triple-loop versions.


I can't remember where but I saw some tests that showed an un-dressed figure 8 had a higher breaking strength than one where the ropes crossed. (it's kinda academic given the sort of forces required though)

Personally I use a bowline + stopper for climbing, figure 8s are a swine to undo with pumped arms if you fall on them hard & if you're pulling the rope through gear there's always the worry you won't fully untie knot.


When I climb trad or top rope, I tie in with figure-eight, but when I sport climb, the double bowline is preferable because it's easy to untie after taking a whipper.




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