Gosh I need to learn more about knots. I've been thinking about this recently: if I wanted to maximise utility and could only learn 5 knots, what would they be.
Or alternatively, what are the "better" alternatives to the classics everyone knows.
Or alternatively, what are the "better" alternatives to the classics everyone knows.
My favourite knot is the bowline. Non-slip loop, very strong, easy to tie, easy to undo. Can be used for tying two ropes together, ropes to things.
Other useful ones (especially for sailing)
* Clove hitch * Reef knot * Rolling hitch * Sheet bend
I think that method was originally taught to me in scouts as an emergency body lift thing, though it would not actually be ideal for that.
https://www.animatedknots.com/farrimond-friction-hitch-knot
(overhand and double 8 are probably used more often by me, but not that versatile)
To tie a bowline, make a loop in the working bitter end up about 2x the desired circumference of the loop you want to make. Your line is now segmented into the bitter end, and the standing line section.
Look at the loop. You want to put the bitter end through the same side of the hole where the bitter end overlaps the line/rope on the other side of the loop (standing section). If you use your right hand to twist the loop, and do so clockwise, you will insert the bitter end from the top. If you turn it counter-clockwise, then you will insert it from the bottom.
In this orientation, if you go around behind the right side of the standing part, you will form a normal bowline. If you go around behind on the left, this will form a "cowboy" bowline. Either works, but the cowboy one allows the bitter end to hang loose, which increases the odds of it getting caught up in other lines.
Finish by inserting the bitter end into the same hole from the other direction (obviously).
If you find the knot comes undone, you are putting it through the wrong side of the hole at the start. Just insert it in the other side and this particular problem solves itself. If you are on a boat, other problems may now be selected for attack. :P
I'd add a butterfly loop to this list for those times you need to add a tie-in point to the middle of a rope for whatever reason.
Edit: Same knot, with an explanation before showing what I knew as the classic trucker hitch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKM5gaYJWN0
You only really need one bend. I suggest the zeppelin bend, but they're all pretty similar. Hitches can benefit from a bit more variety, but a round-turn with two half-hitches will serve you well in most situations, along with its more secure variant, the anchor hitch. There's a trade-off between how secure a knot is and how easy it is to untie, which is why the less-secure variant is useful.
The best loop is the angler's loop, which will even hold in bungee cord. The alpine butterfly is also good to know because you can tie it "in the bight" (without access to either end of the rope), which is very handy.
Bindings are (I think) the most commonly-used family of knots for most people. Lashing a load into a truck so it won't move, tying a bag shut, and even tying shoes are all situations for bindings. For large loads, I'd suggest a trucker's hitch, which is good for (e.g.) tightly strapping a load into a truck bed, hence the name. For smaller situations, like cinching a bag shut, try the jam hitch—an underappreciated favourite of mine. It works like a zip tie, tightening around an object and not loosening. (Make sure the knot itself is tied tightly before you zip it. After you zip it, you can tie the ends together for extra security.)
Zeppelin bend: https://www.animatedknots.com/zeppelin-bend-knot
Anchor hitch: https://www.animatedknots.com/anchor-hitch-knot; round turn & two half-hitches: https://www.animatedknots.com/round-turn-two-half-hitches-kn...
Angler's loop (sometimes called "perfection loop"): https://www.animatedknots.com/perfection-loop-knot; alpine butterfly: https://www.animatedknots.com/alpine-butterfly-loop-knot.
Trucker's hitch (feat. alpine butterfly): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/o3BcaoPXK5Q; jam hitch (aka "rolling hitch zip tie" or "reverse midshipman's hitch"): https://www.reddit.com/r/knots/comments/12vsuk1/how_to_tie_a.... (Though these have "hitch" in the name, I'd argue they're better described as bindings, because they preserve tension.)
If nothing else, learn the round turn & two half hitches, the alpine butterfly, and the trucker's hitch. Some combination of these will serve you well in most situations.
One final tip, while I'm talking about knots. You may be tying your shoelaces wrong: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/grannyknot.htm.
Stopper knots prevent rope from passing through a hole & keep the end from unraveling. The Overhand knot is the simplest. The Double Overhand is a very simple addition to an overhand. The Figure-8 is slightly bigger, and useful to know.
Single loop knots create a single fixed loop in a line. The Butterfly (aka Alpine Butterfly) can be tied mid-line (without access to the end) or with the end of a rope, and is two overhand knots interlocked in a particular manner.
A noose is any loop that tightens when a load is applied. I like the Scaffold Knot, it's a double overhand around the standing part of the rope. Its biggest disadvantage is it can be difficult to undo. Any fixed loop can also be made into a noose by tying it around the standing part, forming a "Running <name of fixed loop>".
Bends join the ends of two ropes. The Fisherman's knot (also has lots of other names) is two overhand knots, one with each rope, tied around the standing part of the other rope. It's strong, secure, but difficult to untie. The Double Fisherman's uses double overhands. The Butterfly Bend is a Butterfly tied as a bend, it's strong, secure, and much easier to untie. The Butterfly Bend is tied the same way the Butterfly Loop is when tying with the end.
Hitches tie a rope to a rigid object. They can attach a rope to something where you have access to an end of the object like a bollard, or where you don't like tying into a fixed ring. They can be for lengthwise pulls, or for right-angle pulls. Adjustable loops are hitches tied around the standing part of the rope. For right-angle pull, the scaffold knot works well (again). It can be tied without access to the end of an object, so it works for rings and bollards. For lengthwise pull, the rolling hitch is nice, and the Rolling Hitch Ziptie is a use of the rolling hitch which works as an adjustable loop and a binding knot.
Binding knots hold only when tied around an object. The Double-Slipped Reef Knot is a common shoelace knot. The Turquoise Turtle or "Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot" are different methods of tying a structurally identical resulting knot that's a bit more secure. Worth knowing at least one of these three, or you'll only wear slip-ons or Velcro closure shoes. Also the Rolling Hitch Ziptie is worth knowing.
There are also some systems of knots called "trucker's hitch"es, which are all ways to use loop knots as improvised pulleys with a final hitch to secure a load in place. IMO they're not independent knots. Handy to know at least one sort though in case you don't have ratchet straps or snatch blocks. The Versatackle is nice, self-locking, and tied with just Alpine Butterflies and any hitch.
So, a list of 5:
1: Overhand knot. 2: Butterfly loop (mid-line). 3: Butterfly loop (with the end). 3 (used differently): Running Butterfly. 3 (used differently): Butterfly bend. 4: Scaffold knot. 5: Rolling Hitch. 5 (used differently): Rolling Hitch Ziptie. 5 (used differently): two opposed Rolling Hitches for tying your shoelaces together works, with difficulty. 2+5: Versatackle trucker's hitch formed from two Butterfly loops and a Rolling Hitch.
All except the Rolling Hitch are based on the Overhand knot. If you're willing to add a sixth knot, pick something better to tie your shoes.
Personally I'd say you need to classify the type of knots you want to learn and pick one knot from each. The classics in my opinion are
1. End loop
2. Mid loop
3. Hitch (opposite of an end loop)
4. adjustable loop
5. Bend (rope to rope)
My suggestions in order are
# End Loop
1a. Bowline (snap variant) - This is a knot that's super easy to tie, remember, and untie. There are a bunch of variants to expand it's usefulness (double, water, slip, yosemite, etc)
1b. Zeppelin Loop - this is my personal favorite, it's a little tricky to tie but I've never seen it slip and it unties easily after it's all done.
# Mid Loop
2a. Alpine Butterfly - learn the butterfly method and this is an easy to tie knot that can be easily sized. It also doesn't bind so it unties easily and can be loaded in any direction (on of the only midline knots this is true for)
2b. Bowline on a Bight - Super satisfying knot to tie, a little wonky to learn just because of the structure but easy to tie once you get it.
# Hitch
3a. Tensionless Hitch - (this is probably the most overlooked 'knot' just look at a diagram you can learn it and never forget it after seeing the diagram once. It's the strongest knot there is if you have the rope for it. (I wouldn't really count this at one of your 5 but it's good to keep in mind)
3b. Buntline Hitch - dead simple and you can usually untie it after a heavy load 3c. Siberian Hitch - This is effectively a slipped noose but I use it all the time, it's my personal go to.
3c. Poachers knot - If you have a carabiner or know you're never going to need to untie this knot it's hard to beat
# Adjustable Loop / Friction Hitch
4a. Adjustable Grip Hitch - Easy to learn and holds better than the Midshipman's
4b. Midshipman - it's a little more complicated but this was Ashley's favorite because it can be tied under tension
# Bend
(Bends and fixed loops usually have the same structure so you might not need this one)
5a. Zeppelin Bend - seriously just learn this one, sixty nine method is the easiest for me. Knot is easy to tie, doesn't slip, and is easy to untie.
5b. Sheet Bend - this knot... is fine but you already know it if you learned the bowline above as it's the same structure
Bonus Section
1. Trucker/Truckee - probably one of the most useful knots around, learn the method that uses a slip knot for the mid loop and it'll make even easier
2. Canadian Jam Knot - Useful for bundling things, it's a knot I find myself using a lot
3. Voodoo Hitch - You can use it in place of a ratchet strap if you have a couple of carabiners
4. Icicle Hitch - Ever wanted to tie a rope to a butter metal pole and keep it from slipping? This is the knot, it cinches and grips things with so much friction you can tie a rope to about anything vaguely cylindrical
https://www.reddit.com/r/knots/comments/12vsuk1/how_to_tie_a...