Most Useful Knots

[treetree]

Having struggled to do a simple job the other day for lack of being able to tie a decent knot, I started watching a few knot tying videos on YouTube and I'm amazed by the versatility of knots.

Which would you say were the top knots everyone should know (excluding shoes and ties!)

 

[amateur]

Reef, clove hitch, bowline, round turn and two half-hitches, hangman's knot

[mgsontour]

4 minutes ago, amateur said:

Reef, clove hitch, bowline, round turn and two half-hitches, hangman's knot

What you use the hangman's knot for I wonder

13 minutes ago, treetree said:

Having struggled to do a simple job the other day for lack of being able to tie a decent knot, I started watching a few knot tying videos on YouTube and I'm amazed by the versatility of knots.

Which would you say were the top knots everyone should know (excluding shoes and ties!)

 

Reef knot is pretty common but you will forget unless you keep practicing 

[JohnfromUK]

The "Knot Bible" is "the Ashley Book of Knots".  I have a printed copy from years back, but I understand you can download it for free from the internet.

[amateur]

33 minutes ago, mgsontour said:

What you use the hangman's knot for I wonder

Always a useful one to know

[walshie]

Bowline, clove hitch, trucker's hitch.

[Ultrastu]

Bow line . 

Slip not (not the band ) 

Round turn and 2 half hitches 

Rolling Clove hitch 

And I use a pruisk not also . 

 

Reef not is weak and is limited in its uses .

Clove hitch  for the same reason .

[oowee]

2 minutes ago, walshie said:

Bowline, clove hitch, trucker's hitch.

^^^^ This with maybe reef and slip knot.

 

[chrisjpainter]

Excluding fishing knots?

Bowline's a very useful one to know. There are a couple of different ways to tie it - useful to know both, as each method can be useful in different situations - and if you get good, you can tie it one handed. It also comes undone really easily, but only when you want it to!

Tautline Hitch You know that little plastic tensioner on a tent's guy rope? It replaces that, but it's got a lot of other uses too. The knot slides up and down to create tension in the line.

Double Clove Hitch Is a fast, secure way of tying something to a post or rail. It's also very easy to tell if it's tied correctly with a very quick glance, which is nice. Single clove works fine, but can slip under serious tension

Trucker's Hitch gives a good tight line between two points. It works by creating a ratchet system with a loop and tag end, so you can get it as tight as you can pull.

Reef knot's okay, but it's not a bend knot and shouldn't be used to join two lengths together that are then put under tension

Fisherman's Knot is a great one for joining two lines together. Very easy to learn and tie and secure.

Prusik Knot. Great for hanging things up on lines.

[Bobba]

To the above add sheet bend and sheepshank 

[ditchman]

a bow..........so you can do your shoes...(and your track suit bottoms)

[Scully]

I remember a few from my fishing days, and a few taught me by my Dad in his days as a truck driver, but I don’t know their names.

Bought this handy little book years ago: 

 

[hodge911]

I wish I knew how to tie a hangmans knot 

[amateur]

48 minutes ago, hodge911 said:

I wish I knew how to tie a hangmans knot 

 

[Jaymo]

Granny knot

[henry d]

Uni

 

[Fatcatsplat]

Most jobs can be done with a series of hitches - The art of a good knot is speed, strength and an ability to be easily undone and the rope reused.

Personally, the knots i always use are:

Clove hitch

Round turn and 2 half hitches

Bowline

Sheepshank

Sheet bend

Square/Diagonal lashings

Figure of 8 knot - Single and double

 

 

[Mungler]

I have been looking at knot videos on You Tube following the loss of my leader line whilst hooking and wrestling with a monster. All my own fault, wrong knot and poorly executed. Problem is I find, unless you’re tying regularly it’s in one ear and out the other for me 😆

[amateur]

1 minute ago, Mungler said:

I have been looking at knot videos on You Tube following the loss of my leader line whilst hooking and wrestling with a monster. All my own fault, wrong knot and poorly executed. Problem is I find, unless you’re tying regularly it’s in one ear and out the other for me 😆

It's:-

"Left over right and under, right over left and under"

"The rabbit comes out of the hole, round the tree, then back into the hole"

 

Don't ask me which knots they apply to, though 😂

 

[JohnfromUK]

13 minutes ago, Mungler said:

Problem is I find, unless you’re tying regularly it’s in one ear and out the other for me

I think that would apply to most of us - it certainly does to me!

[mel b3]

46 minutes ago, Mungler said:

I have been looking at knot videos on You Tube following the loss of my leader line whilst hooking and wrestling with a monster. All my own fault, wrong knot and poorly executed. Problem is I find, unless you’re tying regularly it’s in one ear and out the other for me 😆

I'm having a similar issue with spade end hooks at the moment.  I tied my own for years (and they were perfection) , but I've had a break from fishing for a few years , and I just can't tie them now , it's been driving me mad.

[bluesj]

Reef knot is one that anyone that goes in the the countryside  should know as it is the one most used for securing gates!

[Bigbob]

A carrick knot thats what i use all the time making fox , rabbit and rat nets 

 

[Ricko]

Several years in the scouts, a bit of boating, climbing etc

Reef, Clove hitch, Bowline, Fig 8 rewoven, Round turn and two half hitches, Sheepshank, Sheet bend, Alpine butterfly, Monkeys fist, Thompson knot, Fisherman's, Highwaymans hitch, 

Still like to practice them

[HantsRob]

9 hours ago, chrisjpainter said:

Excluding fishing knots?

Bowline's a very useful one to know. There are a couple of different ways to tie it - useful to know both, as each method can be useful in different situations - and if you get good, you can tie it one handed. It also comes undone really easily, but only when you want it to!

Tautline Hitch You know that little plastic tensioner on a tent's guy rope? It replaces that, but it's got a lot of other uses too. The knot slides up and down to create tension in the line.

Double Clove Hitch Is a fast, secure way of tying something to a post or rail. It's also very easy to tell if it's tied correctly with a very quick glance, which is nice. Single clove works fine, but can slip under serious tension

Trucker's Hitch gives a good tight line between two points. It works by creating a ratchet system with a loop and tag end, so you can get it as tight as you can pull.

Reef knot's okay, but it's not a bend knot and shouldn't be used to join two lengths together that are then put under tension

Fisherman's Knot is a great one for joining two lines together. Very easy to learn and tie and secure.

Prusik Knot. Great for hanging things up on lines.

THANKYOU for giving reasons why each one is used

7 hours ago, hodge911 said:

I wish I knew how to tie a hangmans knot 

Such a waste as you'll only use it once in your lifetime. 

 

4 hours ago, Fatcatsplat said:

 

Figure of 8 knot - Single and double

 

 

Love the figure of 8 double for rock climbing!