Last Saturday was a turning point for me. I tied my first truckers hitch. I know some of you may scoff at this but I felt like I needed a gold star. Then on Sunday my boys had some friends over and I set up their tarp "fort" in the back yard and nailed a prussic knot too. I am kind of regretting the Dutch bling I bought now that I have skills and the 2nd graders think I am Yoda with a rope.

Nice Rs! Always fun when you can impress the kids. Mine used to call me knot man when they were younger

Congratulations. Knowing how to tie knots is a very good thing.

Hey, knots are HARD for some of us! With dyslexia, it is REALLY hard. Heck, a Trucker's hitch is about the only thing I CAN tie with regularity. That Prusik frustrates me, so I'm impressed!

Congrats! I think I felt the same way. I would have a much higher Boy Scout tank of I had been better with knots.

This is something that I need to scrape the rust off. Thanks for the reminder.

I learn both a truckers and taut line hitch, then I forget, then I re-learn, forget, wash, rinse, repeat...

For anyone who wants to brush up on old or learn new knots, I regularly use this website, Animateknots.com, as a resource. Usually they are pretty good visually.

Good deal, Rs - now for that bowline. :)

I learned a new one a while back - the Siberian Hitch - which I like for the anchor end of the tarp.

Congrats! I get it, and the gold star is deserved. For some reason, the trucker's is a very elusive/difficult one for me. I go with a tautline almost every time, just because it's simple and effective and I can't forget it. Embarrassingly, I have to repeatedly re-teach myself the bowline, which should also be very simple but I always seem to blank out after I've not done it for a month.

Congrats, I too have trouble tying and remembering knots. I probably know 5 knots but wish I could be an expert at them. Keep up the good work.

Well done grasshopper, you have passed the Gordian Knot stage!

butthead

johndku: "I learn both a truckers and taut line hitch, then I forget, then I re-learn, forget, wash, rinse, repeat..."

Me right here.

I use them so seldom that I always forget in between.

Congratulations on achieving Yoda with a rope.

Several key knots will serve you well. My list of knots in order of importance for what I do.
Bowline, Truckers hitch, Prussic, and Siberean Hitch.

It takes practice to get knots so that you do not end up just making a rat's nest.

Animatedknots.com is the best to see how they are tied. For learning knots I have found it best to work on one knot at a time.

I find the Prussic easiest to tie if you make a loop and then coil it around your fixed line. Also if the prussic cord is of a softer hand it tends to have more friction to hold than a hard layup cord.

DanCooke: "Congratulations on achieving Yoda with a rope.


It takes practice to get knots so that you do not end up just making a rat's nest.


"

But don't overlook the Norwegian Ratnest Doubleclinch Hitch knot! You get that one done right, it ain't coming apart!

Never too late to learn! It is really useful when a strap breaks and people stair at you in amazement as you tie the canoe down with a truckers hitch. I am a visual learner and need the rope oriented in the way I will be tying it to learn. These are my two favorite videos for truckers hitch and bowline.
Truckers Hitch
Bowline the easy way

While I am good with enough knots to get by on a sailboat or in the BW, the trucker's hitch was not in my repertoire. Reading this forum got me to learn it. Knowing that I might be tying one in front of Ben/Nctry got me to practice extra!

HowardSprague: "
But don't overlook the Norwegian Ratnest Doubleclinch Hitch knot! You get that one done right, it ain't coming apart!"

.....even when you want it to.

Jaywalker: "

HowardSprague: "
But don't overlook the Norwegian Ratnest Doubleclinch Hitch knot! You get that one done right, it ain't coming apart!"

.....even when you want it to."

Sounds like my brother in law's theory... need a knot? tie a lot

MidwestFirecraft: "Never too late to learn! It is really useful when a strap breaks and people stair at you in amazement as you tie the canoe down with a truckers hitch. I am a visual learner and need the rope oriented in the way I will be tying it to learn. These are my two favorite videos for truckers hitch and bowline.
Truckers Hitch
Bowline the easy way "

Wow! That bowline video was a game changer!

DanCooke: "Congratulations on achieving Yoda with a rope.


Several key knots will serve you well. My list of knots in order of importance for what I do.
Bowline, Truckers hitch, Prussic, and Siberean Hitch.


It takes practice to get knots so that you do not end up just making a rat's nest.


Animatedknots.com is the best to see how they are tied. For learning knots I have found it best to work on one knot at a time.


I find the Prussic easiest to tie if you make a loop and then coil it around your fixed line. Also if the prussic cord is of a softer hand it tends to have more friction to hold than a hard layup cord.
"

Good knot list. I don't think I've ever tried to tie a Prusik or Siberian hitch -- at least not on purpose!

Wables: "

MidwestFirecraft: "Never too late to learn! It is really useful when a strap breaks and people stair at you in amazement as you tie the canoe down with a truckers hitch. I am a visual learner and need the rope oriented in the way I will be tying it to learn. These are my two favorite videos for truckers hitch and bowline.
Truckers Hitch
Bowline the easy way "

Wow! That bowline video was a game changer!"

Glad to hear it!

MidwestFirecraft: These are my two favorite videos for truckers hitch and bowline.
Truckers Hitch
Bowline the easy way "

Thanks for sharing these videos. It seems like a much easier way to when dealing with a fixed point. I always tell my students to have as many tools (skills) in their toolbox (mind) as possible as it will help them problem solve. Thanks for adding a few more tools to my toolbox. Now to just make sure my toolbox doesn't become a junk drawer, taking tips on that too. :)

boonie: "I learned a new one a while back - the Siberian Hitch - which I like for the anchor end of the tarp. "

I have never used a Siberian Hitch before - just used a bowline to anchor a ridge line. I watched Maddy the Goose's video on it and practiced, and really see it as faster to both tie and untie. It's basically a Figure 8 knot with a slip on the tail end and the working end passing throug the middle of the 8. I'll definitely give it a try.

The Siberian Hitch is easy to tie once you get the hang, holds tight to the tree, and is real easy to untie. I'm not as fast as Maddy the Goose though! :)

boonie: "The Siberian Hitch is easy to tie once you get the hang, holds tight to the tree, and is real easy to untie. I'm not as fast as Maddy the Goose though! :)"

It's amazing Maddy can tie that knot without opposable thumbs

I've been using a trucker's hitch but never by running twice through the loop to prevent tension loss. Tighter ridgelines are in my future!

fadersup: "I've been using a trucker's hitch but never by running twice through the loop to prevent tension loss. Tighter ridgelines are in my future!"

This was a game changer for me. It was difficult for me to pinch and tie tightly, but also if there is any stretch in the line, or you just want to adjust, it is easy to tighten without fighting it.

Finally getting my head wrapped around the essential knots after messing with the NiteIze Figure 9. Will probably still use it when hanging a food pack, but everything else is bowline and tautline hitch for me moving forward along with a few prussiks. Also just got dialed in on the Merlin Spike knot for hanging my hammock. Can leave my heavy daisy chain straps at home!