Last week we went over the different types of cordage you
should take into the field. Cordage just like any other tool is useless unless
you work with it. Just like with your knife, you practice carving; with cordage
you practice knots. There are as many knots in this world as there are people
that annoy you so there is no point in trying to show you them all. Some are
great for hiking, some are great for climbing, some are great for fishing, and
some are just fun to do. What I’m going to do is show you the ones that I think
are best for a simple camp. Warning:
failure to complete a knot successfully or using the wrong knot in a situation
can lead to serious injury or death. DO NOT USE ANY OF THESE KNOTS WITHOUT THE
APPROVAL OF AN EXPERT. And with that, let’s get into the blog.
Now this may not come as a shock to most of you, because of
the aforementioned warning, but I am not the best knot person in the world.
Shocked, I know. Personally, I think I’m an amateur at best. However, I have
used these knots, and I know that they work. So, I feel comfortable enough in
giving you my own opinion. Another reason I consider myself an amateur is
because I am not very good with the terminology. But, for this blog I have put
together the most common terminology when dealing with these knots. You won’t
pass any classes, you might sound foolish, but you’ll understand me. So,
really, no upside.
The working end of the rope is where the knot is being made.
This will come in handy later on because certain knots require the working end
to be on one side of an object. The next is the bight (pronounced “bite”). This
is when you take a section of the rope and turn it into the “U” shape as
demonstrated in the picture. The loop is when you place one part of the cord on
top of another, forming a circle. You can have overhanded and underhanded
loops, but for this we are just going to be worried about loops in general.
After that you have the standing part. This is basically just cordage that is
not being used in the knot making process, which leads into what I have seen
called the running end or the static end. Basically, the other end of your rope
that isn’t doing anything.
Improved Clench Knot
Now with that very basic terminology, we should be able to
talk to each other. And since we can talk to each other, let’s talk knots. For
the first knot I am going to start off super easy with just a fishing knot.\ It’s widely popular and famous
for its seven turns. To perform this knot, you will need a fish hook with an
eye, the metal circle at the top of a hook, and fishing line. To begin, feed
the working end of your fishing line through the eye of the hook. Once you have
two inches of the working end through the eye of the hook, twist seven times.
This will form a loop in the line on top of the eye of the hook. Run the working
end through this loop. This will then make a second loop back where your
working end just came from. Feed the working end through this second loop and
pull the working end until the knot clenches down on itself. Always when
working with fishing line, wet the line to ensure you have a tight knot. Trim
off any extra if you want to.
The next two knots I want to introduce you to are going to help you with your ridge line. A ridge line consists of a piece of cordage suspended tautly between two points. Your ridge line must be taut even with weight placed upon it. Again in my own terms, I call these holding knots, again, probably not the correct term. The reason I call these holding knots is because it holds on to whatever it’s being tied to. Some other knots that we’ll talk about later can be tightened down and can be tied off when you are happy with it. For these knots to work right you must apply tension to them at all times, or the knot will not function as it is supposed to.
Timber hitch
Now let’s move on to where knots really come in handy and
that is your ridge line. The first knot we are going to look at is the timber
hitch. It gets its name from its use in lumber. To tie the timber hitch we’re
going to have our working end in our right hand and our static end in our left
hand. We’re going to place the cordage on the back side of the tree, forming a
U. Wrap the working end over the
static end, and under the static end
again. Take the working end and wrap it a total of five times around the
working end that is coming from around the tree. Once you have done this, pull
on the static end until the knot is cinched tightly around the tree. To undo
this knot, simply release tension from static line which will loosen the
working end enough that you can unwrap and pull it apart.
Siberian Hitch
Next we’re going to talk about the Siberian hitch knot, or as
I have also heard it called, the Siberian witch knot. To perform this knot, take
the static end in your right hand and the working end in your left. Take both
the static and working end into your left palm and wrap the working end around
your hand so that there are three strands over your hand. With your hand palm
side up, twist under the static line and then over again with your palm side
down over top of it. Use your thumb and forefinger to go through the closest
loop on your hand and grab the working end. Pull the working end up through the
loop and create another loop with the working end. Dress the knot so that the
loop is cinched in place and adjust it so that it is tight on the tree. To undo
this knot, simply pull the loose working end and the knot will fall apart. This
knot can be used the same way as a Timber Hitch.
These next knots are the other end of your ridge line. These
knots apply tension to your cord and keep it ridged. I call these tightening
knots. It’s like a second grader’s vocabulary. These are just as important as
the first knot. Maybe even more. Because these have to keep the tension on the
other knot and it must keep the ridge line taut enough to perform its other
duties. You will notice with these that they will often have places that you
can tie off to set your tension, and that instead of tightening around the
object like the other knots, they tighten around the cordage itself.
Trucker’s hitch
Make a U shape around the tree with the working end in your
right hand and the static end in your left. Make an overhand loop on the static
end of the line. Reach through the top of the loop and pull the static line
from the bottom to create a bight. Cinch the bight in place. Now place the
working end through the bight on the static line and pull towards the tree to
tight the knot to the desired tautness. Lay a bight on the back part of the
back part of the knot and pull another bight through it, creating a slip so
that the knot can be undone quickly. To undo the knot, pull the working end to undo
the slip, then pick the top of the static knot enough to pull the working end
out. Pull apart in different directions to completely release the knot.
To perform this knot, make a U shape around the tree with
the working end in your left hand and the static end in your right hand. Cross
the working end under the static end and wrap two times around the inside of
the loop on the static side above the working end. Next, cross the working line
over the static line BELOW the working line and make a loop. Pull the working
end through the loop and dress the knot. Pull taut. To undo this knot, push the
working end down until it releases the last loop you made, then simply pull the
knot apart.
Overhand knot
I want to join these two end of the rope so I have one
continuous loop. I could tie a fisherman’s knot, however, to make it easier, I’m
going to just tie an overhand knot using both ends of the cordage. This may not
be as strong as the fisherman’s knot, however it will suit my purposes for the
next knot, the Prusik knot.
With the Prusik knot, its most powerfully used when in
conjunction with mountain climbing, due to its ability to slide up and down on
a piece of cordage as long as there is not a tremendous amount of tension
placed on it. While used in rock
climbing it can help prevent someone from falling because applying the climber’s
weight to the knot will stop it from sliding down the line. However, it can still
be useful besides being life-saving. In a camping situation you can use this
knot along with your ridge line to tighten your tarp corners when you’re using
it in conjunction with your hammock. You can also use them to hang equipment
such as lights and then move them out of the way when you wanted to. To do the
Prusik knot, after you have made your cordage into a continuous loop, you want
to find as close to the middle of the cordage as you can find and take a bight.
Hang the bight over the ridge line, leaving the rest on the back side. You then
want to pull the cordage through the bight which will create loops on your
ridge line. Pull the bight out and wrap it around the back of the ridge line
and over the top, once again pulling the bottom of the cord through, creating
two more loops on your ridge line. Repeat this once more to have a total of six
loops on the ridge line and pull taut. This creates the Prusik knot.
Bowline knot
To do the bowline you want to start off by taking the
working end in your right hand and the static line in your left. On your static
line you want to make an overhand loop. Place the working hand through the
loop, around the static line, and back down through the loop. People remember
this by saying “the rabbit comes out of the hole, runs around a tree, and goes
back in to his hole.” This knot can be very useful because it will know cinch
down like other knots. You can tie this knot around your body without worrying
about constricting yourself when being pulled out of a tight space.
I hope you get the chance to try out these knots. You could
go out into the woods and tie between two trees, or you could just tie them
between parts of your porch and deck. Hell, I often practice knots on my foot.
But the key word there is practice. The more you do these, the easier they’ll
become, the more they’ll make sense, and the better you’ll look as a woodsman. I
have been getting a lot of views lately and I want to thank you all. I had 1000
views last month alone. For this blog, I want to end it a little different.
There is a picture of a knot to the left of this paragraph. If you want, you can comment what
you think the next topic will be about, and your only clue is that it will
involve this knot. Whoever gets it correct first, will get a shoutout in the
next blog and on Twitter, Facebook, or wherever they would like. The deadline for
this will be 11:00pm Sunday July 9th (est).As always feel free to comment, share this blog, and check back next week for a new one. Follow me on Facebook: @BPackBushcraft and on Twitter @BPackBushCraft. Until next time, keep those fires burning and put another log on for me.
What do you guys think?
ReplyDelete