Practical Knots:

How-To-Guide on Making Most Useful Knots

and Emergency Roping
Disclamer: All photos used in this book, including the cover photo were
made available under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
and sourced from Flickr
Table of Content
Introduction: You Never Know When You Might Need a Knot!
Chapter 1: Basic Overview of Knot Types and Varieties
Chapter 2: Special Emergency Uses for Your Rope
Chapter 3: Making the Most of Your Ropes while Rock Climbing
Chapter 4: Important Lashings and Ties
Conclusion: Use the Knots You’ve Got
Introduction: You Never Know When You
Might Need a Knot!

You quite literally never know when you might need some extra help
somewhere down the road. And if conditions are bad enough you just might
get stuck on the side of the road. Because I can clearly remember a time
when my own personal rope tying expertise was quite useful in just such a
situation. Until then rope knotting was just a hobby of mine, but on that
particular day it became an entirely practical skill of sheer survival.

I had off from working the late shift at a local warehouse at which I was
employed at the time. The place I worked at back then was in a real remote
locale, and I typically had to take a lot of backroads just to get home. Well, it
was on one of these backroads at the end of my shift at 3 in the morning that I
found myself in near white-out blizzard conditions. It was the middle of
January and fresh winter snow was falling down in full force.
As it accumulated, I could barely see the road, much less stay on it. And
when I hit a particularly slick patch of ice and snow, I lost control altogether.
Careening down a hill and just barely missing a group of trees, I made my
decent down the steep incline. In those frightful moments I thought it was the
end of the line for me, but thankfully my car finally came to a stop right in
the middle of a ditch.

I was very fortunate I didn’t end up wrapped around a tree, and me and my
care were still in one piece. But now I had a new problem—how was I going
to get out of the situation I was in? I was stuck down in a ditch off a remote
country road in the middle of a snow storm. And to make matters even worse,
my phone was completely dead and I had no way to charge it. As the snow
began to completely cover my vehicle it seemed that I was about to literally
get buried in the icy deluge.

Fortunately, enough, a passing motorist with good eyes was able to spot me
from the road before I was engulfed completely. This guy had a four-wheel
drive truck and told me he would be more than happy to pull me out—the
only problem was he didn’t have anything to pull me with!
It was then that I remembered the bit of rope I had stashed in my truck.
Without wasting any time, I pulled that bad boy out and tied a massive knot
around my car’s hitch and then stretched the rope up to the waiting truck to
implement a secure trucker’s hitch from there.

I then hopped back in my car, put it in neutral and my trucker friend pulled
me right out. As you can see, there really is a reason why I am relaying this
story to you, because it’s the perfect illustration of just how practical knotting
can be when it comes to emergency roping. As this story bears testament,
being able to tie a few secure knots into a line of rope can be a real-life saver.
And this book will take you through everything you need to know in order to
become an expert at the craft in a short amount of time. Because you truly
never know when you might need a good knot!
Chapter 1: Basic Overview of Knot Types
and Varieties

In this chapter we will explore the most common knots that the budding
roping enthusiast might come across. There are a wide variety of knots that
you could use for a wide variety of purposes, but presented here are a core
group of the some of the most relevant. This book is not quite big enough to
include all of the practical knots you might come across, but we will go over
some of the most important. Here is a basic overview of knot types and
varieties.

Bowline Knot
If you need a knot with some strength and tenacity, then you should look into
creating a bowline knot. This rope is extremely good at standing up to
pressure, and yet it is also child’s play to undo this knot after it has been
made.

Making this particular knot is relatively straightforward. Simply lay your line
of rope over an outstretched hand, and then take the portion laying atop your
hand and turn it into a loop. Now take one of the ends of your rope and run it
through that said loop.

After this, you will then wrap the line several times diagonally before you
tighten the whole assembly together with a quick jerk of the string. These
knots are used to aid climbers as they go up and down mountains in order to
make sure that their equipment remains secure. As such, you can rest assured
that these knots will hold. Your bowline knot is now ready for business.
Trucker’s Hitch

This knot is a real classic, and when you are in a real pinch, there is nothing
quite like the trucker’s hitch to get you out of it! This is a knot that can wrap
around whatever it is that you need to haul with incredible tightness and
tenacity. To get started just take your rope and tie it to the hitch of your
vehicle. Now stretch out your line of rope and wrap it around whatever it is
that you are trying to haul, securing a double knot around the object. Double
back the rope diagonally and tug the string tight with one final knot. Your
trucker’s hitch is complete!
Your trucker’s hitch can be used to successfully secure hefty objects. The
tightness of the knots is the key to the power behind them. Feel free to tighten
and loosen these knots as needed.

Timber Hitch Knot

Timber hitch knots get their name from the fact that they are created by tying
them around a piece of timber, or some other type of wood. For our example
you can use a sawed-off half of a piece of 2x4.
First, loop your rope around the wood and pull your rope under the loop
before quickly jerking the line to the left to make your first knot. Next,
double up your loop once again before pulling a final knot on top.

Now give your line one more good yank to make sure that it holds and your
timber hitch knot is ready for use. As you might imagine, this type of knot is
ideal if you need to bundle together and carry piles of wood. You can also
make good use of it by securing your backpacks and any other luggage
together under one massive timber hitch knot. It truly is amazing how well
the timber hitch knot can hold everything together.

Prusik Knot
If you have a load to carry, the prusik knot could do the job for you without
any delay. This powerful knot can lift more than its fare share of weight. To
get started, take the full line of rope and fold it in half. Now create a loop in
the middle and give it a few wrap arounds before running the other end
through the loop. And as simple as that, your Prusik knot is ready for use. If
you have a heavy load to carry, the prusik knot can make your work a lot
easer for you. Be sure to give it a try if you feel the need to do so.

The Rolling Hitch

To make a rolling hitch knot you need to take a standard piece of rope and
double it over at the mid-section. Next rope one end around the other and
continue wrapping the rope over each other all the way down the entire
length of the rope.
Passing the leading end underneath and tighten the rope until the knot is
solid. You now have yourself a rolling hitch. This type of knot has been used
by sailboats for thousands of years. It is also worth its weight in gold when it
comes to serving as special shocks for the anchor of a ship.

Half Hitch Knot

The implementation of this hitch knot should begin by tying your rope
around a tree, wooden stake in the ground, or some other such solid structure.
No take the terminating point of the line and use it to create a loop around the
structure. Pull the rope through the loop and tug it firmly in place. Now pull
the rope around the structure again and wrap it around, pulling it tight.
And that’s it! This powerful knot can now be used to tie camping tents
together, bundle up firewood, or whatever else that needs to be secured. This
is the kind of knot you can rely on no matter what.

Figure Eight Knot

If you want to make a knot that will impress your friends, the figure eight
knot is always a good place to start. The figure 8 by design uses a pair of
tight double loops. The easiest way to create these is to simply lay out your
rope shaped like an 8 with about 2 feet of line trailing after your loop. Now
double back the knot, pull it all together, and your figure eight knot is ready.
Feel free to use it in as many applicable ways as you possibly can.
Clove Hitch Knot

This is a good knot to know if you need to quickly secure multiple objects
together. In the old days it was often used to secure things like animal drawn
carts, attaching one to the other in a straight line. This sort of knot is also
quite helpful when it comes to rock climbing. Many climbers have benefited
from being able to make use of these knots in their climbing rope.

The knot itself is relatively easy to make. First off, stretch out your line and
tie the termination point to a sturdy part of the structure you wish to link up
(this is the hitch) and then wrap the rope over multiple times.
Finally, crisscross the lines, bundle it all together and tighten your knot. This
clove hitch knot is ready to go.

Sheet Bend Knot

The Sheet bend knot is used to bring two pieces of rope together. This is a
great skill to know in case your rope breaks or you end up with a piece of
rope that is far shorter than what you actually need. Rock climbers’ fore
example, who have found themselves with a line of rope that has snapped in
half are greatly relieved by the fact that they can simply reconnect the line
through the use of this one ingenious knot.
It’s not all hard to create either. Even the most novice of rope enthusiasts find
it to be a quite doable task. All you do is create an eye at the termination
point of your longest line of material and then run the other line through it.
Double back your rope one more time before securing your knot. This sheet
bend knot is ready for use!

Square Knot

This knot has been the mainstay of ocean faring vessels for thousands of
years. These knots are used on boats to secure cargo, ship sails, or even to
secure anchors. These square knots are also quite useful at securing boxes
and other luggage together. In order to create your own square knot, you are
going to want to start out by taking one end of your line and wrapping it over
the other before creating a secure knot. Next, pull the line to the left,
contorting it into a square shape. The end result is the ever classy and iconic
square knot!
Barrel Hitch Knot

No outdoor enthusiast should fail to educate themselves on the merits of the

barrel hitch knot. The barrel hitch is a knot that enables the user to move
heavy items from one place to another. As you might imagine, this knot was
initially used to lug heavy barrels around, but it can do much more than that.
This knot can bind several items together at once and move them effortlessly
with just one tug of the line!

First off take your rope and wrap it around the base of the item you wish to
haul. No double over this knot from the center and bring the rope up over the
top of the item. Now double the line up and down from top to bottom,
terminating with a strong knot on top. With this structure in place you can
now lift all manner of heavy items with your barrel hitch knot.
Chapter 2: Special Emergency Uses for
Your Rope

You never know when an emergency situation might rear its ugly head so
you better be ready for it! There are several ways in which a piece of rope can
be used to save the day during a crisis situation. Here in this chapter we will
go over some of the most commonly used instances of emergency roping.

River Ropes

If you ever find yourself lost in the middle of nowhere with a massive river
between you and getting yourself back to civilization, being able to
effectively use a river rope could be an invaluable skill to have.
Take a long rope and wrap a tight knot around a nearby tree-trunk and then
create a lasso with the other end and toss it over the side of the river to catch
it on a trunk, branch, or similar solid surface on the opposing side of the
river. Now tighten the rope up until it is taught enough for you to hang on to
as you make your way across the water.

Climbing Ropes

No matter what kind of rope or knots that you may use, if you don’t know
how to climb a rope in the first place, you are going to have trouble. Most
make the mistake of trying to simply use their arms, relying upon the brute
force of their upper body to climb the rope. If you are strong enough, this
may be possible, but it certainly isn’t the best way to approach climbing and
will quickly leave you exhausted in the process.
A much more efficient means of climbing a rope is reach up to the suspended
rope, grasp the line as far up as you can manage, and then lift your knees up
to your body while hanging from the rope. From this position, bring your
knees all the way up to your chest and then clutch the rope between your feet.
Hold your grip on the rope with your knees and feet, and raise your torso up
from here, raise your arms once again and clutch the rope. Now simply repeat
the process until you climb as far up as you need to.

Rope Fish Netting

Capturing fish by way of rope netting is an ideal way to passively hunt some
great food while you are in the great outdoors. Just toss this net in a body of
water and watch the fish begin to pile up.
For starters, take your line and pull it out to its full length and attach it
between two tree trunks (or similar standing structures). After you have done
this, take another line of rope and methodically weave it over the suspended
rope. This will establish a webbed design on the rope. From here you can
create additional looping across this webbed pattern. Create this looped
pattern throughout and you have yourself a viable piece of rope fish netting.
It doesn’t get much simpler than this, yet it is extremely effective when it
comes to catching a few stray fish.

Learn to Make a Lasso

No, they are not just for cowboys—you to can enjoy the finer points of a
lasso. Not only that, if push comes to shove out in the wilderness somewhere,
knowing how to make a proper lasso could just save your life.
If for example your hiking buddy falls off a ledge, you can use a lasso to pull
him up. This is just one example, but in a wide variety of ways this
emergency roping skill is a good one to know. To get started, take out your
line of rope and create a sturdy bit of knotting at the termination point of the
rope. At the other end, you are going to want to create a simple but strong
overhanded knot, creating a big loop—large enough to lasso a person. This,
my friends, is how you make a lasso.

Rope Restraints

Yes, you most certainly can make some rather formidable restraints with
nothing but a line of rope. This may seem like a rather abstract skill to have at
first glance, but if you and your family are ever beset upon by an intruder for
example, and you find yourself forced to restrain the perpetrator, then such
knowledge just might be vital.
To get started on your very own rope restraints, just create a basic knot in the
middle of the rope and then double up the line in two double knots, with
loops large enough to fit you hands through. Once this is established, in order
to restrain the crooks—or however else—just put their hands through the pair
of loops and pull on the end of the rope. With this skill at your command you
can keep the bad guys in check!
Chapter 3: Making the Most of Your Ropes
while Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is a great way to relieve stress, and provides us with a

rigorous form of recreational activity. But eat could also prove to be an
invaluable survival skill if you ever found yourself out in a rough and rocky
wilderness terrain. Here in this chapter we will give you some essential tips
in making the most of your ropes while rock climbing.

Get Enough Rope

Standard rock-climbing ropes equal roughly 200 feet in length, fairly long
considering the fact that a small mountain might only be 400 feet above sea
level.
The average mountain however is much higher than that reaching about 2000
feet. So, at any rate, 200 feet should be enough length for rock climbing
either way. Anything surpassing the standard 200-foot limit, would probably
prove too difficult to use (not to mention carry), rendering any advantage in
length rather pointless. You don’t want a rope so long that it trips you up as
you climb up the rock face. You need to have it just long enough for the task
at hand. So, be sure to get enough rope, but at the same time don’t get too
much!

Test Your Safety Harness

Making sure your safety harness is adequate can quite literally make the
difference between life and death when it comes to rock climbing. If your
harness is not up to snuff one wrong move could cause it to break and lead to
a nasty fall shortly thereafter.

And there has been no shortage of unfortunate enthusiasts who have met just
such a fate. But believe me, you do not want to be among their number.

There are plenty who have had their lives severely disrupted from injuries
sustained due to a faulty harness. In order to avoid a terrible mishap, always
test the stability of your harness before you attempt your climb.

This means that you should always do a practice run with your harness before
engaging yourself with the real thing. So, yes, if you want to stay safe, test
your safety harness.
Learn How to Hang on Tight

The biggest mistake that many rock climbers make is attempting to hang on
to their rope a bit too tight. Yes, that’s right. You want to hang on tight, but
not too tight. There is indeed quite a bit of nuance involved when it comes to
just how tight your hold on the rope should be. Because holding on too tight
will simply tax your muscles and wear you out. There is nothing worse than
working yourself up to near exhaustion simply from climbing rope.
Another thing to remember, is to keep your torso loose even as your arms
become rigid. Another good idea would be to lather up your hands with a
strong powdery substrate composed of magnesium carbonate in order to
minimize moisture and improve friction between the climber’s hands and the
rocks they are climbing. All of these things come together to allow the rock-
climbing enthusiast to hang on tight.

Stabilizing with Your Feet

Just as important as having a good grip with your hands, is knowing where to
put your feet. In order to properly stabilize yourself at all times, you should
make sure that your feet are in the right place.
This means making sure that you are not placing the rope over your fee to trip
yourself up, and not improperly gripping the line with your feet. You also
need to keep in mind the kind of footwear that you use when attempting your
climb.

As a rule, you should wear a light pair of tennis shoes that allow you to easily
grip the line without much effort. Most enthusiasts have also discovered that
socks are not necessary during a climb. In fact, wearing socks can decrease
ability of your feet to grip the rope. Having that said, climbing without socks
or shoes is not a good idea either. The best thing for you to do is to climb
with a good pair of tennis shoes without socks.

Your feet might not smell like roses later on when you take your shoes off,
but if it helps you climb to the top of Mt. Everest, it is most certainly worth it.
Because you see, rock climbing is a delicate enterprise you see, and steel toe
boots are most definitely not necessary! It’s a task that requires precision
instruments. Get the balance right, wear the right apparel, and your feet will
serve as trusty anchors to stabilize your ascent.
Put on the Brakes with a Belay Device

The importance of belay devices in rock climbing can not be underestimated.

The belay device is able to clamp down on your ropes just in case you need
to make a sudden stop while ascending the rock face.

In order to make sure that they are at their best, you should always make sure
that the rope is moving through them freely without any interference or
fraying of the line. Be sure to maintain your belay device so that you can put
on the brakes when you really need to do so. The belay device is an integral
part of your equipment and it most certainly should not be neglected.
Wear Proper Protective Gear

Whether it be elbow pads or a helmet—you need to always wear proper

protective gear when you are rock climbing. Many don’t like the way they
look in such equipment and are tempted to shrug off wearing them, but they
do so at their own peril. Elbow pads may not look like the coolest fashion
accessory but they will keep you from getting unnecessarily banged up.

And the same goes for a helmet and all other protective gear. Every single
one of the tips mentioned in this chapter will most certainly do you a whole
lot of good the next time you try your hand at rock climbing. This type of
gear is designed to protect where you are the most vulnerable so don’t
hesitate to use them.
Chapter 4: Important Lashings and Ties

Lashings and ties have long played an integral role in many aspects of
emergency roping. Knowing these important techniques can really make the
difference when you are in the middle of an emergency situation. Here in this
chapter we will go over some of the best variations of how you can make the
most of this skillset as well.

Diagonal Lashing

If you need to quickly bind two stakes together in diagonal fashion, then
diagonal lashing is just the kind of knot that you need. In order to create a
diagonal lashing, you are going to have to first revert back to a knot that we
went over earlier in this book called a “timber hitch”.
Begin with a timber hitch knot and then wrap the line in diagonal lashing
over and under the knot. This makes the knot incredibly tight and secure. Do
this a few more times before tightening the lash together again with a final
knot.

Anchor Tie

Whether you are a hearty sailor seeking to tie together a few ropes, or simply
an enthusiast wishing to enlighten their craft—the anchor tie is useful in a
wide variety of situations. It is also quite easy to create. Pull the tail end of
the rope underneath the and around the post, turning the rest of the line
backwards in on itself. Proceed to wrap the knot around all the way until the
end of the rope until your bit of knotting is complete. That finishes up a nice
and sturdy anchor tie.
Shear Lashing

This sort of lashing is required if it’s necessary to lash to stakes together into
a standing triangle-type framework. Start this one with the previously
mentioned in this book—clove hitch knot. You are going to wrap a clove
hitch knot around two poles before pulling the termination point underneath
the knot. After this you are going to want to flip the assembly over and pull
the line around. Next, you need to turn the line around the stakes, yanking the
line tighter as you go.

Finally, pull the termination point underneath the knot and trim any excess
line as is necessary. That completes your shear lashing.
Being able to implement shear lashing is a practical skill to have on hand at
the campgrounds when you need to tie down your tent. It’s also good to know
in the advent of rock climbing since it enables the climber to use shear
lashing to help aid them in their climb.

Taut Line Tie

You can use the taut line tie to either close or open up a knot around an
object. First off, take your line of rope and thread it through a loop of rope.
Next, pull it underneath one more time, and then pull the rope through to
create a reversible line that can be pulled nice and tight. Wrap this item
around the object you wish to secure and you have for yourself a taut line tie.
This form of knotting can be used in a wide variety of situations. Be sure to
keep it in mind.
Square Lashing

The square lashing is useful when it comes to binding two stakes together to
bear heavy weight. This is useful for such things as makeshift beds to carry
the sick and injured, or even in the use of constructing temporary bridgework
to cross a ravine. There have been some instances in which survivalists have
even used this technique to create temporary, emergency ladder-type forms of
conveyance.

To start off, for this one you will need to create a knot similar to the example
of the clove knot mentioned earlier in this book. After this has been
established you can then begin to tie two stakes together by lashing your rope
between the two of them. Next, move the line over the front and back of the
stake. Now bring the entire assembly together with one final, solid knot and
you are good to go.
Conclusion: Use the Knots You’ve Got

As this book has demonstrated, adequate knowledge of roping is vital when it

comes to emergencies and quite practical when it comes to regular, day to
day routine. If you are a camper you will find that knowing how to make a
few knots will literally ease your burden by helping you to properly bundle
up and secure your items, or by allowing you to properly tie down your tent.
If you are a rock climber, knowing how to make some knots will make your
climb much easier to manage.

And if you ever found yourself with too short of a rope length, or with two
broken pieces of rope, being an expert knot maker will allow you to simply
tie two pieces together. Knots are durable, they are good for securing items
and they are fairly straight forward to use, so be sure to learn them well, so
no matter what you do, or where you go—more likely than not, you would be
better off if you would simply make use of the knots that you’ve got!