Knot tying is a very valuable skill and can come in handy for camping, outdoor and survival purposes.
Whenever you are out in the bush its good to have some knowledge on how to tie knots because you never know when you will need it.
More importantly, when you are rigging up your camping setup you want to make sure that things will stay tied and stay up where they are supposed to instead of coming loose in the middle of the night.
Check out these 5 important knots you should know how to tie:
1. The Square Knot/ The Reef Knot
Mnemonic rhyme: Right over left, left over right, makes a reef knot both tidy and tight
This knot is great for tying around an object to secure it, tying up bundles and packages and is also used for first aid. This is your basic knot, something that you should have up your sleeve when you cover something or need to hold something together using a rope. Its also great for tying together two lengths of rope.
2. Clove Hitch
Mnemonic rhyme: loop right around the pole, loop left around the pole, then up through the hole.
This knot has come in very handy whenever there is a need to securely tie the end of a rope to a stationary object. Its an absolute winner for tying your tarps to poles, or hanging your hammock or making a rope clothesline. Need to secure something on your roof racks? Use this knot.
3. Bow Line
Mnemonic story: make a hole; rabbit hops up out of the hole, runs around the tree, and back down the hole.
This is a great knot to make a loop. When subjected to tension, the loop keeps its shape, and you can still untie it after it’s borne its load. It’s a great tie down knot, and is really handy in emergency situations. This knot forms an open loop that is easy for someone to grab onto and be pulled up out of a dangerous situation.
4. Figure 8
Mnemonic story: This is Charlie, give him a scarf, and punch him in the face.
This is a very good stopper knot. Its basically used at the end of a rope under load preventing it slipping through a device. This type of knot is mostly used by climbers, but is also a good knot to know as the figure-eight is also the foundation of a number of more complex knots.
5. Taut Line Hitch
Once you learn this knot you will find yourself constantly using it. A Taut-line Hitch is used to create an adjustable knot that can slide back and forth along a line and is secure assuming it is tight. It is really good for providing adjustable tension for guy ropes on a tarp or tents.
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