What knot do I need to learn?

[DaleW]

Bowline, taut line hitch, trucker's hitch, double half hitch, slippery hitch variations, clove hitch, marlin spike hitch, figure-8, square knot, sheet bend, prusik hitch and a klimheist hitch will give you a great knot library to draw from using ropes in general and making safe hangs.

Learning to use rope and knots is really empowering. After Boy Scouts and some sailing, knots became a fun and handy thing. Once you get a few down, it gets easier to learn a new one-- you start to get an eye and feel for it. There are so many great resources on the web now with animated photos and diagrams you can print. I've printed a copy of a knot I wanted to learn or use with a particular piece of gear and put it in the stuff sack-- the hard part is remembering the bits when you haven't used them in a while.

Understanding how the knot works helps too. Study something like a taut line hitch and you can see how the loops provide friction and how the knots "chokes" itself to lock down.

[Riverpirate]

I am all about knots and hitches. Keeps things real simple and you don't have to worry about loosing little trinkets while camping. A few knots and hitches allow you to do about anything. If you throw in small pieced of chordage for nacrobiners you are set. If you loose a nacrobiner you can quickly make another one.

Learn these basic knots and hitches and you can do almost anything.

Bowlin knot
Taught line hitch
Truckers hitch
Prusik knot
Marlin Spike Hitch
Surgeons loop

There are others and I really encourage to learn more but these will get you through most camping situations.

[swampfox]

Bowline, taut line hitch, trucker's hitch, double half hitch, slippery hitch variations, clove hitch, marlin spike hitch, figure-8, square knot, sheet bend, prusik hitch and a klimheist hitch will give you a great knot library to draw from using ropes in general and making safe hangs.

That's a pretty good list.

It's better to know a knot and not need it than to need a knot and not know it.

[gargoyle]

LR, First off .. what line are you using?
If your using zing it or similar, knots don't hold well.

[kayak karl]

don't make it more complicated than it needs to be. pull your line tight, then wrap it around the stake or tree a bunch of times, THEN tie your knot.

what is a good knot?

[ccathcart72]

LR, First off .. what line are you using?
If your using zing it or similar, knots don't hold well.

+1 on what Gargoyle said. A tautline hitch will work well depending on what line you use. If the rope you are using slips with a tautline hitch you could always try adding in and extra loop or two in the hitch and see if it bites more. The best things is to take some of the suggestions made in the earlier post and experiment. Find what works best for you and the rope you are using.

[Lonely Raven]

LR, First off .. what line are you using?
If your using zing it or similar, knots don't hold well.

It is Zing It, 1.75. But the tautline hitch seems to have worked well.

I had my new Superfly up in "super porch" mode (pretty much level at head height) at my testing grounds (my deck with added 4X4 posts along the railing) using my modified tautline hitch. A bad storm rolled through... left everything in porch mode to see what would happen, and the tautlines held perfectly. The storm was bad enough though that the hammock did get wet...lots of sideways rain and heavy winds. So it was a good test of the knot, and it worked perfectly.

I'm using the tautline with two loops in, then the loop that goes outside I leave the tag hanging so I can easily pull it open and off.

Here is my "testing ground" - photo taken during national backyard camping day. My fiance and I both setup tarpless since it was a beautiful night.

[raiffnuke]

Nice looking deck!

[DuctTape]

As suggested the tautline hitch is wonderful. A simple variation which makes it even better is to make it "slippery", that is when making the last half hitch, do not thread the running end, but use a bight. Pulling on the running end releases the bight and the hitch for easy takedown. Sorry i have no videos for the non-knot guys. It is easier than it sounds, I promise.

[raiffnuke]

As stated above....you can put a bight in the last loop to make the knot "slippery" and much easier to untie. You can also add a couple wraps on both sides of the knot to make it grip better.