Knots-Whats your favorite

**Fixxr5** · 03-30-2013, 19:55

Double Slippery half hitch. Good, quick laid knot, holds tight, easy to undo.

**Boghollow** · 03-30-2013, 21:24

One handed bowline is my goto knot

**polymath2718** · 03-30-2013, 22:10

The Alpine Butterfly Loop (see here and here) and the Zeppelin Bend (see here and here). Both are easy to tie, very stable, and are basically impervious to jamming up, even after high loads. These two knots, along with some Dutchware, take care of just about everything on my setup.

I highly recommend both http://www.animatedknots.com/ and http://notableknotindex.webs.com/ to anyone wanting to learn how to tie knots, how to splice, and what works best for what application.

**tgbrowning** · 03-30-2013, 22:28

If we're making recommendations for references, I would suggest taking a look a the Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford Ashley. The only edition I've seen is from Doubleday (originally Doubleday-Doren) and it's wonderful if for no other reason than general knowledge of where knots come from and general usage, even by trade. I can't say that I've ever found the more difficult knots in the book anything I can actually tie. I just don't have the knack (or eyesight for that matter). But take a look. Amazing book.

**Catavarie** · 03-30-2013, 22:43

The knot I use the most when camping is the clove hitch (at least 4 times for my guy lines and stakes), although I also use the prussic (tarp ridgeline) and the MSH (hammock suspension).

As for my favorite knot, I'd go with the slippery half hitch.

**Rat** · 04-01-2013, 14:49

Leaving for posterity, but use the link below for this information.

Wow! I can't believe I wrote this almost six years ago! Still holds true today though...

Rat's Essential Outdoor Knots

Let me know if any of the links are dead; I will update them.

**hecta_g** · 04-01-2013, 15:21

I have 3 go-to knots: Tautline Hitch with a triple instead of a double, Bowline, and the Trucker's Hitch.

Definitely tempted to buy shiny hanger's bling but since I'm cheap and enjoy getting knotty I stick with what I know.

**Rat** · 04-01-2013, 15:48

Well, most of those links were dead! I have updated this old topic as an Article, checked and updated all the links and collated some of the information in the original thread into the article.

Enjoy...

Essential Outdoor Knots, According to Rat!

**Rat** · 04-01-2013, 16:07

Originally Posted by Duggie Bravo

Rob,

Tie them both and compare the knot.

You could argue the the bowline is a sheetbend tied with a single piece of rope.

The Bowline and the Sheetbend are not the same knot. I have a training video somewhere illustrating this, I will find it and post it to YouTube for us to discuss. They look the same, but they are not the same, if you tie a Sheetbend and use it as you would a Bowline it will fail!

**tgbrowning** · 04-01-2013, 16:45

Addendum on the stopper knot of names. The Ashley Stopper (?) is aka the blood-knot and can be very usefully tied with several more turns. I generally use thee or four. I believe the name was derived from its usage in making a cat-of-9-tails which has many tied closely together, say 2 to 4 inches apart.