Skill Sets: Rope Use

I'll start with a topic that I have an arguable level of expertise in: knots, lashings and splices. The following knots are the minimal level of proficiency; there are other knots that are useful, but these knots span the range of useful application for most people.

Remember: Any knot or splice will weaken the rope, so be mindful of the working-load allowances.

- Anchor Bend: While not a "bend" in the contemporary sense, an excellent hitch for general use; it has an exceptionally high strength-rating.

- Bowline: The original non-slip loop, used often as a rescue knot. It's rumored that the pharaoh Khufu that commissioned the Great Pyramid at Giza was buried with a "solar barge", and some of the lines were tied-off with bowlines.

- Constrictor Knot: An infinitely better substitute for the Clove Hitch, in my opinion. The Constrictor self-tightens on twisted rope, and grips to slick surfaces more firmly as a result.

- Figure-Eight with follow-through, plus Double Overhand: The standard way to tie into a climbing-harness today. The figure-eight won't overtighten under strain, which is a big bonus when it comes time to remove the rope from the harness. If you have plenty of rope, use this instead of a bowline.

- Prussick Hitch: I love this knot, as it makes the application of force parallel to the object very easy. I used this to replace fence-posts a few summers ago.

- Sheet Bend: Notice the similarity to the bowline; the sheet bend inherits all of the non-slip properties. Unlike the square-knot/reef-knot, which has been known to capsize under strain, the sheet-bend is a very stable and robust bend. Personally, I will use a double sheet-bend for added security if needed.

- Tauntline Hitch: An adjustable-loop hitch that maintains its position under strain. Extremely handy for almost everything.

- Timber Hitch: Useful for hauling items around, particularly timber (imagine that). Be sure to keep the rope from rubbing on the ground when using this knot.

- Truckers' Hitch: I'm providing the link here for basic form; the variation I use on a regular basis for its non-jamming nature is at Wikipedia:



As one might infer from the title of the knot, the Truckers' Hitch is generally used to tie-down a load on a truck, car or other conventional vehicle. It may be re-adjusted after having tied-off the running end by undoing the knot (typically a slippery-hitch or two half-hitches), applying tension, then retying the stopper-knot.

Bonus:

While knots are wonderful things, lashings and splices have an equal or superior amount of utility. Splices, being constructs from braiding the rope (or cable) back into itself, have a greater percentage of structural integrity of the original rope than almost any other knot. The eye-splice and short-splice are particularly noteworthy.

Lashings bind two or more objects (usually spars) together. The square-lashing and the diamond-lashing are the most frequently used, but the tripod-lashing gets a special mention for pure utility. A few pointers:

- Use a Constrictor Knot instead of a Clove Hitch. Your lashings will be tighter, and thus more secure.

- If attempting a tripod-lashing, keep the lashing somewhat loose (about an inch between spars and ropes). The lashing tightens when the tripod is erected, and an overly-tight lashing will snap the spars, rope, or simply fail to open enough to stand.

- Natural-fiber twisted rope seems to grip spars more effectively, from my experience. Manila-hemp rope seems to be a inexpensive and frequent choice.