BUCKHORN CLIFFSA preparedness field manual

Tools and Repair · Skill

Bowline Knot

A fixed loop that holds under load, won't slip, and unties easily after. When to use it, the four moves to tie it, and what makes it fail, with drawings.

Quick facts

Type
Loop
Holds when
Steady pull on the loop
Fails when
Slack and shaking, or stiff slick rope
Unties after load
Yes, even after a hard load

A fixed loop that holds under load, won't slip, and unties easily after.

Part of Knots: which knot for the job, where the knot is picked by the problem. This page is the one knot: when it is the right one, the four moves to tie it, and what makes it fail.

When to use it

Rescue loopUnder the arms. It will not cinch down.
Tie off to an anchorTree, post, ring, bumper or stake.
Hoist gearPacks, buckets, bear bag.
Tarp and guy linesFixed loop at the grommet, tension the other end.
Mooring linesOver a cleat or piling. Unties after it soaks.
Join two ropesOne bowline through the loop of another.

How to tie it

Four moves. One knot.

Standing lineWorking end

  1. 1Bowline Knot step 1: Make the holeMake the holeSmall loop in the standing line. Working side lies on top.
  2. 2Bowline Knot step 2: Rabbit comes upRabbit comes upWorking end goes up through the loop from underneath.
  3. 3Bowline Knot step 3: Around the treeAround the treeBehind the standing line, then back around the front.
  4. 4Bowline Knot step 4: Back down the holeBack down the holeDown through the loop. End sits inside the big loop. Pull tight.

Where it fails

Watch out

It can untie itself when slack. It holds under steady pull. Loose and shaking, or in stiff or slippery rope, it can work open.

  • Leave a long tail. At least 10 times the rope thickness.
  • Lock it if it will sit slack. Half hitch the tail around the nearest leg of the loop.
  • Check it before loading. Tail lies inside the loop. Outside means it went round the wrong way. Retie it.

The other three

Four knots cover nearly every job on a homestead, a campsite, or a truck. The rest are on the knots page, picked by the job.

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

How do you tie a bowline knot?

Make a small loop in the standing line with the working side on top. Bring the working end up through that loop from underneath, around behind the standing line, and back down through the small loop. Pull the standing line and the loop apart to set it. The tail should lie inside the big loop.

What is a bowline used for?

Any job that needs a fixed loop that will not cinch down: a rescue loop under the arms, tying off to a tree, post, ring or stake, hoisting packs and bear bags, the fixed end of a tarp or guy line, and mooring lines. Two bowlines linked loop through loop also join two ropes.

Does a bowline slip?

Not under a steady pull. It can work open when the rope sits slack and shakes, and in stiff or slippery rope. Leave a tail at least ten times the rope thickness, and if the knot will sit slack, half hitch the tail around the nearest leg of the loop.

How do you keep a bowline from coming undone?

Leave a long tail and lock it: a half hitch with the tail around the nearest leg of the loop, snug to the knot. Check before loading that the tail lies inside the loop; if it lies outside, it went round the wrong way and needs retying.

What is the best knot for a loop that won't tighten?

The bowline. It makes a fixed loop that holds under load, does not close down on whatever is inside it, and unties easily afterwards. That is why it is the rescue loop.

Keep going

Read nextKnots: Which Knot to Tie for the Job, and How to Tie ItFour knots cover nearly every job. Pick by the problem: tie to a post, join two ropes, a loop that will not close, a tarp. Then the bowline, clove hitch, two half hitches and sheet bend, each drawn step by step with when it fails.Tools and Repair · Guide

Related to this

Tools and Repair · Skill Clove Hitch Hitch. Holds: Steady, straight pull on a round pole. Fails: Sideways pull, slack, square posts, slick rope. Tools and Repair · Skill Two Half Hitches Hitch. Holds: Any steady pull, any post shape. Fails: Hitches turned opposite ways (a cow hitch), or a tail too short. Tools and Repair · Skill Sheet Bend Bend. Holds: Two ropes under a steady pull, even different sizes. Fails: Tails on opposite sides (left-handed), or slack and shaking. Tools and Repair · Supply Synthetic Rope: Nylon vs Polyester vs Polypropylene Nylon is strongest and stretches; polyester holds tension wet; polypropylene floats
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