Easy Knots for Climbing, Boating, Fishing & More

Whether you're a rock climbing fiend, a boating fanatic, or just someone who would like to know how to attach a rope to something, knowing how to tie a sturdy knot is a must. We’ll walk you step-by-step through how to tie some of the most basic knots, from the classic overhand knot to the fancy-sounding Prusik knot. Next time you need to tie a knot, you’ll have plenty of options at the ready.

Things You Should Know

Tie an overhand knot if you need to make a quick but tight knot.
Use a rethreaded figure 8 or double bowline to tie yourself securely into a climbing harness.
Make a clove hitch knot or an anchor bend knot to secure your boat or anchor to something else.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Basic Knots

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1
Overhand knot: Most people learn how to tie an overhand knot before anything else. It’s the easiest and simplest knot to learn, but it’s also very sturdy and strong.^{[1]
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- Make a loop by crossing one end of the string over the other.
- Insert one end of the string into the loop.
- Pull both ends in opposite directions to tighten the knot.
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Bowline knot (bowline hitch): Tying a bowline knot creates a fixed loop at the end of a rope or string. This knot is useful if you need to moor a boat, haul something up, or tie two pieces of rope together.
- Lay the rope down on a flat surface. Hold the right end of the rope in your hand and create a loop a little less than halfway down the string by placing the right end over the center.^{[2]
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- Pull the right end of the rope through the loop. The right-hand end should come towards you as it goes through the loop. Don’t pull the knot taut yet.
- Bring the left end of the rope up and tuck the right end behind it. This will create a smaller top loop above the large loop you already made.
- Pull the right end back through the top loop. Thread it through so that the rope is going away from you instead of towards you.
- Pull the two ends of the rope away from each other to tighten the knot. This leaves you with a knot and a large loop at the end.
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Square knot (reef knot): Tying a square knot creates a simple, handy knot that’s great for holding two pieces of rope together with a temporary tie. This is especially handy if you have a rope that’s too short and need to make it longer by adding more rope.
- Hold an end of the rope in each hand. Cross the end in your left hand (end A) over the end in your right hand (end B) so that the rope forms an X.^{[3]
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- Wrap end A so that it goes under end B and comes up again. End A will then be in front of end B.
- Bring the two ends up and place the top of end A over the top of end B.
- Wrap end A back over end B to form an overhand knot.
- Pull tightly on all four pieces of rope coming out of the knot. The result will be a knot that looks like a loop stuck in another loop.
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Sheet bend knot (weaver’s knot): Sheet bend knots are used to tie two ropes together. Therefore, you’ll need 2 different pieces of rope to tie this knot. It’s especially useful if the two pieces of rope are different sizes and have different thicknesses.
- Take one rope (rope A) and fold it back on itself to form a bend (also called a “bight”). This makes your rope look like a U turned on its side.^{[4]
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- Take one end of the other rope (rope B) and slip it through the loop from behind.
- Pull the end of rope B up and wrap it behind both straight segments of the U.
- Bring rope B up to the front and pass it between itself and the shorter end of rope A.
- Tighten the knot by pulling on both ends of rope B.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Climbing Knots

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Double bowline knot: This is one of the most basic knots used by climbers when tying themselves into their harnesses, though it is less common than the rethreaded figure 8. It’s easier to untie after being loaded than a figure 8, but it is still incredibly strong and will support your body weight if you happen to fall. It’s essentially the same as a bowline knot, but has 2 loops instead of one.
- Starting towards the middle of your rope, make two loops of equal size stacked on top of each other. When making the loops, twist the rope so that the right end is in front of the left end.^{[5]
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- Take the right end of the rope (end A) and pass it up through the loops towards you.
- Wrap end A behind the other end (end B) and bring it back towards the front.
- Thread end A back through the two loops away from you.
- Tighten the knot by pulling on both ends in opposite directions.
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Re-threaded figure-of-eight knot (figure-of-eight follow-through): Tie a re-threaded figure-of-eight knot to tie yourself into your climbing harness. This knot is also commonly used in creating climbing anchors with dyneema or cordelette.
- Make a loop in the rope by crossing the right end of the rope (end A) over the left end (end B). Make it so that the loop is just about less than halfway down the rope from end A and be sure to leave end A a bit long.^{[6]
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- Pinch the top of the loop and twist it once to the left.
- Pull end A through the top of the loop from behind.
- Pull on both ends of the rope to loosely tighten the knot and form a figure eight.
- Take end A and thread it back through the knot so that it retraces itself. Follow the path of the existing figure eight and leave a loop at the bottom of the knot. Tighten the knot by pulling on both ends.
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Prusik knot: Make a prusik knot when you need a "third hand" for rappelling or when you need to tie a loop around a rope so that a rope can be ascended. This is a classic ascending knot that’s often used for self-rescue. For this friction hitch, you will use a thinner piece of rope (rope A) around a thicker piece of rope (rope B).
- Start by tying a double fisherman’s knot in rope A. Hold one end of the rope (end 1) in your right hand and the other end (end 2) in your left hand. Cross end 1 over end 2, then wrap end 1 around both itself and end 2 twice.^{[7]
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- Feed end 1 through the two loops you just made and pull it through to tighten the knot.
- Make another double fisherman’s knot by wrapping end 2 around itself and the rest of the rope twice. Feed end 2 through the two loops and pull it through to finish your second knot.
- Make a “bight” in rope A by folding the rope in half so that it makes a U shape. Make the bight on the opposite side of the rope from where the double fisherman’s knots are.^{[8]
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- Wrap the bight around rope B.
- Pull the end of rope A that has the double fisherman’s knot through the loop of the bight. Thread the rope through the bight front to back.
- Lift up the bight and wrap it around rope B again.
- Repeat threading rope A through the bight and wrapping the bight around rope B two more times to make your friction hitch strong and secure.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Boating Knots

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Clove hitch knot: Clove hitch knots are fairly simple knots that are useful for securing ropes to trees, posts, or other things that stand upright or horizontally. For example, if you need to temporarily secure your dog’s leash to a post, this is a good option. Tying a clove hitch knot is also your best choice when you have to tie a strong knot quickly.^{[9]
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- Loop the running end of the rope counterclockwise around the pole or object that you are tying the rope to. The running end of the rope is the end that will be loose after you tie the knot.^{[10]
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- Cross the running end over the part of the remaining length of rope to form an X.
- Slide the running end underneath the X and pull on both ends of the rope to tighten the knot.
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Trucker’s hitch: Tie a trucker’s hitch when you need to lift heavy loads or tie them down to your truck or trailer. On a boat, the trucker’s hitch is used to lash things to the deck or secure them down below. Use it in combination with a bowline and half hitch for a very secure knot.
- Secure one end of your rope onto your load or whatever it is you’re tying down with a bowline knot.^{[11]
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- Make a slip knot towards the middle of your rope. Start by making a loop in the rope.
- Then, fold a piece of the rope that’s on top of the loop in on itself to make a bight. Push the bight up through the loop and pull the slip knot tight.
- Wrap the free end of the rope around a post, tree, or whatever it is you’re using to anchor your load.
- Feed the free end through the slip knot and pull it taught.
- Tie off the line by using your non-dominant hand to pinch all three strands of rope where the slip knot is. Use your free hand to make a loop in the rope you just pulled through the slip knot. Leave a bit of slack between the loop and the slip knot.
- Cross the loop over the two strands of rope below the slip knot then wrap it under and back up through the slack. Pull it tight to secure the knot.
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Anchor bend knot: Anchor bends are used to tie a rope to something like a ring. As the name suggests, this knot is primarily used for tying boats to large rings or other anchors.^{[12]
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- Loop the end of the rope through the ring twice. Thread the rope through the ring from the back so that it’s coming towards you.^{[13]
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- Take the end of the rope and wrap it behind the remaining rope that’s tied to your boat (the “standing” end).
- Pass the end of the rope through the loop you made and pull the knot tight.
- Wrap the end of the rope once more behind the standing end and pull it through the loop that forms. Pull everything nice and tight to secure your knot.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Knots for Specific Uses

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Palomar knot: You usually tie a Palomar knot to secure a fishing line to a hook. This is one of the strongest knots used for fishing, and it’s also one of the easier knots to learn.^{[14]
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- Make a loop in your cord or fishing line by folding the cord in on itself.^{[15]
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- Feed the loop through the hole at the top of the hook. Pull the loop through so that you have a good amount of line on both sides.
- Do an overhand knot by crossing the loop over the two strands of cord on the other side of the hook (the “main line”). Pull the loop out through the hole you created after crossing the two pieces of cord. Pull the loop through so that it’s big enough to fit the hook through it.
- Feed the hook through the loop and then pull the main line to tighten the knot.
- Use a pair of scissors to cut off the excess cord that isn’t attached to your hook or fishing pole.
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Chinese sliding knot: If you’re feeling crafty, use a Chinese sliding knot to make some adjustable necklaces and bracelets. This knot allows you to adjust the tightness of your jewelry simply by sliding the knot up and down the string.
- Get a length of string that’s 24 inches (60 cm) long.^{[16]
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- Lay the string on a flat surface. Take one end (end A) and fold it back along the string to create a 6-inch (15 cm) loop.
- Take the other end (end B) and wrap it around the outer edge of the loop so that end A and end B are laying parallel to one another.^{[17]
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- Pinch the top of the loop between your fingers with your right hand, then use your left hand to wrap end A around the string below the loop twice.
- Feed end A through the loop from the back and pull it through to the front.
- Pull on the piece of string that’s on the other side of the knot to tighten it.
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Quick-release knot: Quick-release knots (also called a Highwayman’s hitch) are used to tie a horse up in such a way that the knot can be easily be undone by pulling the loose end of the rope. If you don’t have a horse, tying a quick-release knot can still be useful if you have something you need to secure temporarily and release quickly later on.
- Hold your rope in one hand. The part of the rope connected to your horse (or whatever it is you’re fastening) is the “lead” rope. The part of the rope that hangs loose is the “tail.”^{[18]
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- Fold the tail in half to create a loop.
- Wrap the loop under the fence, beam, or rail you’re anchoring the other object to and drape it over so that it’s hanging down. The tail will be on one side of the loop, and the lead rope will be on the other side.
- Cross the tail over the loop and under the lead rope.
- Fold the tail in half and push it down through the original loop.
- Pull the lead rope to securely tighten the knot.

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How do I tie a hard knot?

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You can use a double knot, which means to follow the steps of tying a knot twice. Or you can look up more difficult, but sturdier, knots.

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What knot is good to use when I play an escape challenge game?

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Generally, I use a double knot, as it holds everything and is really quick and easy.

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How do I tie a holding knot to use with salami?

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Follow the directions listed in the article above.

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Tips

Combine knots like the Trucker's Hitch and Bowline knots for a more powerful knot.

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Try visualizing how you want the knot to look if you’re having trouble tying it. This can help you think through the knot-tying process.

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