Knots you must know in survival situations

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AustinTXShooter

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**Disclaimer** I used the search function and couldn't find a similar thread, so I decided to start one.

What knots do you think are "must know" knots for anyone who spends time in the outdoors?

I am fortunate that I learned to tie a wide variety of knots while I was in scouts and still remember how to tie almost all of them. Some are more important than others, but all are nice to know. I will start the thread with three of the knots that I use the most in the outdoors, feel free to add more to the list.

Clove hitch - used a lot since it is easy to tie, can be tied one handed and is a great knot for starting lashings

Tautline - used when rigging tarps, tents, etc...

Single/Double sheet bend - only real use is tying two ropes together, but that in itself is very important
 
Start with "the king of knots" the bowline. That takes care of most needs.Two half hitches,fisherman's bend.
 
Knots I personally use the most are the following:

Bowline

Clove Hitch

Waco Hitch

Timber Hitch

Barrel Knot

Carrick Bend

Eye Splice

Lazyman Splice

Triple Bowline

Sheet Bend


I think that's most of what I use. Obviously there are tons of others but I find those ten or so cover 99% of what I do. I do work with cables a fair bit though and most people will not find a lazyman useful to know. It is simply convenient for me to use at work.



Edit: I guess I should also add that I don't know if all of these names are correct! That is just what we called them growing up.

Oh, I also like butterfly knots for when I pack my truck.
 
I'm lazy, I get by for almost everything with a square not, clove hitch, bowline and figure 8. And I put a stop knot on all of them.
 
Ah, yes, a figure 8. I should have added that in my list! I wrote down everything I could think of using, but as this thread goes on I bet I'll read a half dozen more that I use almost every time I'm out.

For instance:

Figure 8

Double Stop Knot

Use 'em all the time.
 
I will add the sheepshank to the list, although it is not a knot I ever use. In addition to knots, I use lashings quite a bit especially when building shelters. The three I use are the round, shear and square. There is also the diagonal lashing, but I don't remember ever using it. Since it is so close to the square lashing, I just use that one instead.
 
Learn to rock climb and or sail and you will know more than you will ever need.
 
Interesting thread. I regularly practise about 70 different knots including different types of lashing - Square, Diagonal, Floor, etc. so I guess you could call me a bit of a knot junkie.

I originally started listing all the knots I practice but realized that was a bit much so I've pared them down to knots I use (as compared to just practise) on a regular basis and why.

Buntline Hitch (fast, easy to tie, very secure, and easy to untie if you tie it slippery)

Single Constrictor (on the end and in a bight) (for bundling things like arrow shafts, basket shoots, etc.) (also use them for ease of carrying 2 - 2 litre pop bottles - use a loop with a single constrictor on each end)

Single Lineman's Loop (for anytime I need a loop in the middle of a rope, such as for a Trucker's Hitch)

Bowline (fast and easy, although not the most secure)

Spilled Hitch Bowline (fast and easy when you want to tie a Bowline around something)

Bowline in a Bight (I use this for different purposes when I need 2 loops)

Strait Bend (very secure, easy to tie, easy to untie)

Toggled Bend (fast and easy and very quick to remove, such as in inappropriate snares :rolleyes:)

Sheet Bend (2 ways)(I use this when netmaking and also to tie 2 pieces of cord together quickly, although not as secure as the Strait Bend)

Camel Hitch (use this as an adjustable sliding knot - more secure than a Tautline Hitch)

Bottle Sling (use it quite often in conjunction with the Asher's Equalizer to carry a single large bottle of pop or whatever)

Asher’s Equalizer (see above)

One of the things I have tried to do is choose my knots for security and least amount of rope-weakening characteristics. For example, a clove hitch is a good knot for the beginning of a lashing but it doesn't make the most secure hitch.

Doc
 
billym said:
Learn to rock climb and or sail and you will know more than you will ever need.
Click to expand...

That is what I have heard. Not too many mountains or sail boats around where I live though. I have done quite a bit of mountain climbing, but it has always been a situation where the ropes were tied and untied by the climbing staff so I never had to learn any of them.
 
It's great to know plenty of knots, but a couple are all that's really needed. A bowline, clove hitch, figure8, truckers' hitch ,water knot are all most would need in daily life. In my experience in both work and play, knowing a few for certain is more important than be familiar with dozens. I'd agree with the idea of taking up climbing or sailing to really learn knots.
 
I think this would be a good place to ask about knots for cordage made in the bush, what works and what doesn't do very well.
 
I'm an Eagle Scout and I still get everything done with the good old fashioned granny, square, and slip knots. (And a noose for effect)
 
The Square knot is one of the most improperly used knots there is. It's a great knot if you understand it's limitations and/or secure it with extra half hitches, but can be dangerous or deadly if used in the wrong situation. The Water Knot is a much more secure knot and can be used for pretty much anything you would otherwise use a Square Knot for. That's my public service announcement for the day.

I like the Alpine Butterfly for any time I need a loop in the middle of a line. I've never found a need to use it for anything, but the Icicle Hitch is pretty much my favorite knot of all time. I don't normally use three strand rope but I think it's good to know a few splices, especially if you have any thoughts of making and using your own cord from natural materials.
 
The ones I use the most are the:

1-Double Fisherman - for joining two ropes together, good for different diameter ropes
2-Figure 8 on a Bight - rappelling and anywhere I need a strong bight
3-Water Knot Follow Through - for webbing

These I use daily, but they also happen to be probably the three most important for climbing/rappelling due to their strength (the Prusik also very important for climbing but not a knot I use daily).
 
I generally just make a bunch of overhand knots. Two, three, four, whenever it looks reasonably secure I stop tying them. :D
 
For purely 'survival' knots, I probably use a timber hitch the most to start lashing the ridgepole of a lean-to using local roots and vines. It seems to hold pretty well because the line doesn't have to bend back on itself, so it doesn't break.

A prussik of paracord makes a great handle for dragging long firewood to the campsite.

A double fisherman's and improved clinch (cinch) knot are the two I seem to use most for fishing gear.

While we're on the subject, I used to know how to tie a bowline onehanded around my waist, but I'm not sure where in my head I filed that tidbit. Anyone know offhand what it's actually called or where I can find a walkthrough ?
 
knot craft can be a real art, and there are some cat's that get really into it, as long as they perform for me I'm happy I think at the bare minimum you should know a square knot, a clove hitch, a bowline, and slipknot, and how to do basic lashings.
 
The bowline has been taught to millions in Scouting as a secure knot to make a loop that will not close. However, as Doc-Canada mentinoed, it is not very secure. (Go to climbing or fire-fightuing sites to se how it is regarded by those who really need to know their stuff.)

That weakness can be overcome by doubling the loop before the "running" end goes down the rabbit hole (or is it a squirrel hole?) or by seizing the "running" end - tying the end that does the work in a half hitch around the "standing" end. (In tying a square knot, the "running" end is the one that is "right" and goes over "left," and then it is the "left" that goes over "right" to finish the knot.)

Seizing each end of a square (AKA reefing) knot also makes it more secure.

Doubling the sheetbend, as AustinTX Shooter mentions, also makes that bend more secure.
 
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