Knot Reference

Essential knots for camp setup — ridgeline, guylines, tarp attachment, and anchoring. Each knot serves a specific purpose. Knowing why you use each one is as important as knowing how.

Trucker’s hitch

Tensioning the tarp ridgeline — creates a 3:1 mechanical advantage so you can get a line genuinely tight.

Tautline hitch

Adjustable guylines on the tarp — slides freely when loose, locks solid under load. The go-to for staking out corners.

Alpine butterfly

Creating a fixed mid-line loop — attach a tarp point to the ridgeline, or isolate a damaged section of cord. Load can pull from either direction or both simultaneously.

Prusik hitch

Sliding tarp attachment on the ridgeline — the pre-tied loops live on the ridgeline permanently. Slide to position, weight the tarp, and the hitch locks.

Siberian hitch

Quick-release ridgeline anchor — ties fast, releases with a single pull even when the line is under tension. Ideal for tarp ridgelines you’ll drop in a hurry.

Bowline

Fixed non-slip loop — tie off to a tree anchor, create a fixed attachment point, or any situation where you need a loop that holds its size and will not jam under load.

Clove hitch

Fast mid-point anchor to a tree or pole — quick to tie, quick to adjust, holds well under a consistent lateral load. Good for hanging a lantern or tensioning a clothesline at mid-point.

Sheet bend

Joining two lines of different diameter — extend a guyline, connect tarp lines to a heavier ridgeline, or join any two cords that don’t match in thickness.

Figure eight on a bight

Strong fixed loop at the end of a line — more secure than a bowline under repeated loading and shock loading. Standard in climbing, useful any time you need a bomber fixed loop.

Double fisherman’s knot

Joining two ends of cord to make a loop — the correct way to make prusik loops. Also used to join two ropes permanently end to end.

Water knot (ring bend)

Joining two ends of flat webbing — the only correct knot for webbing. Use for tree straps on a hammock or tarp anchor slings.

Munter hitch

Friction hitch on a carabiner — creates adjustable friction for lowering or belaying a load. Useful for hauling gear or controlling descent on a line.

Half hitch (and two half hitches)

Locking off the trucker’s hitch, securing a line to a post, or finishing any knot that needs a quick stopper. Two half hitches is the standard lock-off.

Overhand knot on a bight

Quick fixed loop, stopper knot, or emergency attachment point. The simplest loop knot — not as strong as a figure eight but faster to tie.