Knot
making is one of those essential outdoor skills that seems boring and
out-of-date, what with all the fancy new nite-ize contraptions and
little plastic or aluminum doo-dads that people use these days. Well,
I'm here to tell you that if you know 5 basic knots, you'll be able to
rule the universe. I'm not kidding - you'll be able to rig tarps, guy
out tents, make clotheslines, and do just about any other outdoor task
requiring knots. Below, you'll find a fixed hitch, an adjustable hitch,
a way to tie two ropes together (bend), a loop, and hitch that acts
like a pulley. What more could a good outdoorsman need? Don't answer
that. And add a couple of more knots to the list (not listed this time
around) and you'll be able to saddle up and DdRT up a tree. So, in no
particular order, here they are:
1. Two half hitches on a quick release
- holds tight around a tree or post, the harder you pull, the tighter
it gets. You can't adjust it - that's the way it's supposed to be, as a
fixed end of a ridgeline for example. And the icing on the cake is
that it is very, very easy to learn. The quick release part is missing
from the diagram below but I'm sure you'll figure that out.
2. Adjustable Cawley Hitch - I love this hitch. It's easy to remember and does it's job nicely. I use this knot just about anytime I need an adjustable line anymore, and its very similar to a prusik loop. There is an outstanding discussion of this knot in the following link - the discussion of the hitch starts at 1:34 and ends around the 2:50 mark. Setting up a tarp with a ridgeline
3. Sheet bend on a quick release - My favorite way to join two ropes. I use this so often it's completely indispensable.
4. Bowline - What can I say, if you need a loop, this is your knot. Period.
5. Power Cinch Knot
- Cliff Jacobson's favorite and mine too. I use this knot any time I
really need to put a bunch of tension on a line, you can really crank on
this one.
There you have it. Now, go out and rule the universe.
