40 Knots You Should Know How to Tie

This knot is useful to secure rope to a tree or post in a pinch. However, be warned. You can’t use it alone. The Clove Hitch requires some other knots to make it stable. You may have seen it used in old western movies. Any cowboy worth his salt could show off his prowess by quick hitching his horse to a post.

The purpose of a bowline is to create a loop. However, unlike a slipknot, this one doesn’t move. Therefore, the rope does not shrink or expand so you have a solid loop to work with. Maybe you remember this knot from Boy Scouts as the one where the rabbit runs around the tree, comes out of the hole, then goes behind him back down the hole again.

This knot creates a line stopper. It’s necessary to know this one if you want to tie other complex knots. To create a figure-8, or Flemish knot, just take the free end of your line and cross over itself to make a loop. Then continue under, around and out, passing your free end down through the loop. Easy peasy.

Use this knot when you want to secure a length of line or rope to posts or trees. It’s great for tying up things, like tarps for shelter, or hammocks for sleeping. Just be careful, you need to make sure the free end doesn’t slip. Some people tie overhand knot at the end of the hitch to prevent this.

Learn to tie this knot and you won’t need to use slides on your rope. The taut line hitch takes their place to create tension or slack, much like a tent guy line. Also, this knot grips really well. Just make sure proper tension is placed on the taut side of the loop.

The fisherman’s knot is true to its name. It’s only real honest use is fishing line. You have probably seen it used to secure a hook. However, if you’re stranded and need a meal, the fisherman’s knot could be your rescue. You’ll be glad you learned it then.

If you need to secure belts, webbing or straps, the water knot is your answer. It’s a safe way to secure these types of material so they don’t slip and compromise at the point of connection. To make one, just create a loose overhand knot then pass one of the other straps in the opposite direction to mirror the first. After that, take both straps and pull tight.

Despite its name, this line does nothing of the sort. Its purpose is to add a leg to an existing piece of line. Essentially, it’s the basic knot behind the concept of a tautline hitch, only it can be incorporated into existing line. This type of knot was historically used to hook more dogs to a dogsled line.

This knot is handy for using a loop. The purpose is to have a utility that can ascend or descend. It’s also quite useful for adding loop to a rope when both ends are occupied. That’s the advantage of “slide and grip knots.” As long as weight is applied to the loop, the Prusik knot will hold fast to the rope.

This knot is useful for securing rope to cylindrical objects. The purpose would be for support or hauling. To make this one all you do is run a free end of rope around the object you intend to haul. Then take the free end and wind it around the standing end. Afterwards, wrap the free end around itself several times and tighten the hitch so all wraps are snug against the object.

This knot is quite useful, especially for fishing line. It can be used to attach two lines together and make them secure. That gives options. Either mend a line that is broken or attach things like tippetts and leaders. Just remember to spit on the knot after you’re done. It helps reduce damage caused by friction.

This little knot is devious. Its main use is to create a loop on a line when neither end of the line is accessible. It’s a sort of a cheat knot. The Man Harness is especially useful if you are in a game of something like tug-of-war. Grab some slack before the whistle blows, make a Man Harness own on the game!

One of the classics, the square knot can be used for many different applications. Say you need to connect two pieces of line, or secure a small bundle of firewood. Square knots can lengthen rope for more use and is more secure than other knots, like the Granny Knot. To make one just lap right over left. Then reverse the direction left over right.

You may have heard this called the “sack knot” ors “bag knot.” It’s used to secure bags and sacks of all things. Who knew? It’s been historically used for wheat binding. Most commonly, it would be used to tie up sacks of grain. Hence, the name “Miller’s Knot.”

If you need to make a temporary handle, this is your go to knot. It’s commonly used to attach rods to ropes in situations where a handgrip is needed. It supports added rope tension and is fantastic for gripping with your bare hands. This hitch is also used for many other types of rope work.

This is a binding knot, very popular among surgeons. It’s designed to hold tension over the side of a suture. It’s also one of the easiest knots to use when combining two pieces of line. In fact it’s the best because the diameters of each piece of rope are inconsequential. One can be much larger than the other and the surgeon’s knot will hold strong.

Think of this knot as an alternative to the square knot. It looks very similar, but is much easier to untie. It’s also used for the same purpose as a square knot. If you need to join two ropes together in a secure manner, the Carrick Bend is your friend.

The name of this knot should give you a clue. It has a unique sort of mechanical advantage. The Trucker’s Hitch allows you to tighten up a line. While the knot is a bit complex, it’s worth learning. It gives you the ability to tighten lines before you need to finally secure them. Think of trucker’s with shifting loads or other loads that need tarp coverings. The Trucker’s Hitch is perfect for those instances.

This is knot is centuries-old. It has roots in maritime sailing and ancient construction work. The purpose is to allow one to secure a vessel, like a bucket or barrel, for hoisting. For that matter, you can secure any cylindrical object and lift it. The object remains well-balanced so any liquid inside will not spill over. When camping, this should be one of your go-to knots.

If you need to secure two ropes of different thickness, or different material for that matter, give this one a try. In fact, the sheet bend allows you to join two materials together that would be impossible to do otherwise. Simply take the thickest, or most slippery rope and bend it into a fishhook. Pass the other rope through the hook from behind, wrap the entire thing once, then tuck the smaller rope underneath itself. Voila!

This little wonder is perfect for securing an object to a piece of line or rope. However, please don’t confuse it with a square knot, or reef knot. Doing so could prove costly. Heck, it might even be fatal if you find yourself in a mountain climbing situation. Just remember, granny knot for objects, square knot for really, really important things.

This is essentially a noose. It’s adjustable, which is where the term “running” comes into play. You may also hear it referred to as a running noose. The main thing you need to know is it tightens when you pull on the rope.

Of course, what knot list would be complete without a mention of the basics. This simple knot is the foundation for every other knot you will create. Other fundamental types involving the overhand are the reef knot, simple noose, water knot and overhand loop.

Say you want to shorten a piece of rope without cutting it. Turn to the Sheepshank. Think of it as a practical, mystical creation named after a common herding animal. Its main use is to keep your long ropes long, particularly when miscalculations occur in the field. For instance, if you need to hoist your food off the ground and have a lot of extra length leftover, use a Sheepshank. No more extra length, yet still have extra long rope.

This is most commonly used to create shelters. It resembles another knot, the square lashing. Start by lying your polls together on the ground. Next, tie a clove hitch to one of the polls on the end, then wrap all poles five or six times. Now wrap your line in between each pole twice, working back towards the clove hitch. Finish by taking the free end and tying it to the free end of the clove hitch. Spread tripod and enjoy.

This knot is quite useful for creating many things. It’s similar to the tripod lashing, only more versatile. Create chairs, bridges, towers or even dining tables. You may also use it to simply join two poles together. It’s an over-under knot that begins with a clove hitch. It ends by securing the free end to the clove hitch free end. Pretty easy stuff.

If you know how to create an overhand knot, consider this version-2.0. You just make one additional pass. It’s a bit bigger and slightly more difficult to untie (but just slightly). Feel free to come up with a more catchy name too. Something like “overhand times two” or “fat overhand.” You get the point.

Use this handy knot for things like shoelaces, climbing or fishing. For that matter, you can use it to tie other knots as well. The value of the overhead bow lies in the fact it is difficult to untie. However, the trade-off is it is reliable and strong.

So if you have rope that is heavy, the double carrick bend is your friend (that rhymes when you say it fast). And when we say heavy, we mean very-large-almost too-stiff type rope. Using this knot allows you to lift a very heavy load without the knot jamming up. Totally utilitarian and pure genius.

Some knots are more decorative than useful. Such is the bow knot. If you have ever tied a shoelace, then you have made a bow knot. Most likely, you have been performing the skill since you were a small child. Just don’t get those free ends tangled, or untying it might take a while.

You may of heard this one referred to as a “dogeared loop.” Some people even call it the “bunny ears” knot. It’s fairly easy to make. Just form two parallel loops and tie them together as you would a figure-8 knot.

Say you need to hitch a piece of rope to an odd shaped object. This type of hitch is the perfect solution. It’s also referred to as a kelleg hitch. It’s a combination knot involving two reliables, timber hitch and half hitch. The best use for this guy is to pull or lift something. Try it on that creepy uncle you don’t like.

If you need to attach a piece of line to hook temporarily, use the Blackwall. It contains a half hitch and will hold fast, as long as tension is constant. Keep in mind though, only use the Blackwall when both rope and hook are equal size. It slips when stronger tension is applied, so the key here is constant, even tension.

This is another tension knot. It’s essentially an adjustable loop used for light applications. For example, say you are camping and need to pitch a tent quickly. The Midshipman’s hitch is perfect for this scenario. You can arrive at camp 30 minutes before sunset and still get your tent up.

This knot can be as temporary as your elementary school girlfriend. It’s a loose knot commonly used on rods and poles. Mostly considered decorative, you find this type of hitch knot used in mounting processes.

If you need to attach a line to a cylindrically-shaped object, the Halyard Bend is an awesome solution. Just make sure to tie the knot at a right angle so your object remains secure. This is essentially another form of the timber hitch. You run a double loop around, then tuck it underneath once.

Tie off a stuff sack with this knot. It’s easy to untie and very simple to make. Essentially, it’s nothing more than a slipknot tied really tight around an object. However, keep in mind this isn’t a strong knot so stay away from using it for extreme situations.

This is a good holding knot. And just like the hitching tie, it’s easy to undo. Many consider this to be a looser version of the sheet bend. It’s perfect for situations where you need to release something quickly.

Yet another knot used to connect some sort of object to a length of line or rope. You might find it similar to the Cow’s Head. The exception is this: there's an extra twist on each slack side of the rope. The reason? It prevents slippage.

This is a jam-proof secure hitch. Consider it a rarity among knots. You can use the sailor’s knot to fit any rope to an object it’s already attached to. It’s a variation of the Josephine’s knot, only two loops are used instead of three. For that reason, it’s still considered different and given another name.