BUCKHORN CLIFFSA preparedness field manual

Tools and Repair · Skill

Clove Hitch

Two wraps and a tuck. Fast, adjustable, quick to untie. When to use it, the four moves to tie it, and what makes it fail, with drawings.

Quick facts

Type
Hitch
Holds when
Steady, straight pull on a round pole
Fails when
  • Sideways pull
  • slack
  • square posts
  • slick rope
Unties after load
Yes, unless thin cord was pulled hard

Two wraps and a tuck. Fast, adjustable, quick to untie.

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

Start a lashingOpens and closes square and diagonal lashings.
Tie to a pole or railRidgelines, tent poles, rails. Slides to adjust.
Guy lines to a stakeQuick, adjustable, off in a pull.
Hang gearLanterns, buckets, fenders off a rail.
Clip to a carabinerAdjusts under load. Load the spine side.
Tie it in the bightTwo loops dropped over a post.

How to tie it

Two wraps. One tuck.

Standing lineWorking end

  1. 1Clove Hitch step 1: Wrap the railWrap the railEnd down across the front of the rail and round behind it.
  2. 2Clove Hitch step 2: Cross overCross overUp over the rail, then down the front over the standing line.
  3. 3Clove Hitch step 3: Wrap againWrap againRound behind the rail on the right, coming out above it.
  4. 4Clove Hitch step 4: Tuck and tightenTuck and tightenFeed the end down under the diagonal, then pull both ends.

Where it fails

Watch out

It only holds under a steady, straight pull. Pull it sideways or let it go slack and it rolls along the pole or works loose. Thin cord pulled hard can jam.

  • Back it up. Add two half hitches around the standing line before leaving it tied.
  • Use it on round poles. It slides on square posts and slick synthetic rope.
  • Skip it for shifting loads. If the load swings or jerks, tie a bowline or a round turn and two half hitches instead.

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 clove hitch?

Take the end down across the front of the pole and round behind it, up over the pole and down the front across the standing line, round behind the pole again coming out above it, then tuck the end down under that diagonal and pull both ends. Two wraps, one tuck.

What is a clove hitch used for?

Tying a rope to a round pole, rail or stake where you want to slide it to adjust: the start and finish of a lashing, ridgelines and tent poles, guy lines to a stake, hanging gear off a rail, and clipping to a carabiner. It can be tied in the bight by dropping two loops over a post.

Does a clove hitch slip?

Yes, when the pull is sideways or the rope goes slack: it rolls along the pole or works loose. It also slides on square posts and slick synthetic rope. Back it up with two half hitches around the standing line before leaving it, and use a bowline for a load that swings or jerks.

What knot starts a lashing?

A clove hitch. It opens the square and diagonal lashings and closes them too. Tie it snug to the pole, run the wraps and fraps, and finish with another clove hitch.

How do you tie a rope to a pole so it can be adjusted?

A clove hitch. It grips under a straight pull and slides along the pole when you ease it. If it will be left under load, add two half hitches round the standing line so it cannot roll loose.

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 Bowline Knot Loop. Holds: Steady pull on the loop. Fails: Slack and shaking, or stiff 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
Everything in Tools and RepairNever-mix checkerShelf life tableFind a recipe by needWalk-around auditStart here

Membership · $49.95 per year

There is a lot more behind the lock

158member pages in full
125recipes with exact amounts
6field guide PDFs, 206 pages
1manual of your own, built from any page

Every recipe and resource from the Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, all six field guides to read here and download, the full audit and logbook, all twelve reference charts, and no ads.

My Manual · included

Build your own field manual

The most useful thing a membership gives you. Save any page on this site, recipes, charts, and whole field guides included. Arrange them in the order you want, name it, and print one manual with a cover and contents, or keep it as a PDF that opens with no signal.

  • It works when this site does not
  • Only your pages
  • Anyone in the house can use it
  • One current copy, not a pile of printouts
  • The house binder
  • A copy for the bug-out bag or truck
  • A copy for family
  • An offline PDF

Join for $49.95 per year

Tools and Repair · SkillLast reviewed 2026-09-25

Membership

Save to My Manual is a member tool

Members build their own manual from the pages that fit their household, then print it or keep it as a PDF.

Why it matters

When the grid goes down, this site goes with it. Paper does not. Membership is how you get the whole manual off the screen and onto the shelf: every page in full, every field guide, and a binder built for your own household.

The field guide library

All six field guides. 206 pages. Included.

The complete Buckhorn Cliffs PDF set, yours to download, print, and keep from the day you join.

$60if bought one at a time

  • Cover of Stockpile Essentials Field GuideStockpile Essentials39 pagesEverything to keep on hand, category by category, plus the 20 multi-use items.
  • Cover of Survival Foods Field GuideSurvival Foods35 pagesStoring, extending, and using the food supply. Real shelf life by the numbers.
  • Cover of Chemical Compounds Field GuideChemical Compounds29 pagesThe 33 compounds: storage, top uses, hazards, and the never-mix chart.
  • Cover of Spare Parts and Repair Stock Field GuideSpare Parts and Repair Stock40 pagesWhat to keep on hand to fix the home and land when the supply chain breaks.
  • Cover of Walk-Around Preparedness AuditWalk-Around Preparedness Audit33 pagesFifteen systems scored 1 to 5, with the printable scorecard.
  • Cover of The Preparedness LogbookPreparedness Logbook30 pagesThe household information that needs to be on paper.

My Manual · included

Build your own field manual

The most useful thing a membership gives you. No book fits your household exactly. My Manual does. Save any page on this site, recipes, charts, and whole field guides included, arrange them in the order you want, and print one manual with your name on the cover. It holds only what is relevant to you, and nothing you would skip.

Why it matters

  • It works when this site does notNo power and no signal means no website. A printed manual and an offline PDF still open, which is the whole point of writing any of this down.
  • Only your pagesThis site covers every household. Yours needs a fraction of it. Your manual holds the pages that match your water source, your climate, and your gear, so nobody digs through the rest under stress.
  • Anyone in the house can use itThe person who reads this site may not be the one home when it counts. A binder on the shelf, in the order you chose, with a contents page, is something a spouse or a teenager can follow.
  • One current copy, not a pile of printoutsEvery page prints in the same field guide layout with a cover, a contents page, and the print date. Change a page, print again, and the old copy is easy to spot.

What to build with it

  • The house binderYour water source, your climate, your gear. Only the pages you would reach for.
  • A copy for the bug-out bag or truckA short version that travels: water, first aid, comms, and the recipes you rely on.
  • A copy for familyHand a parent or a grown kid a manual built for their house and their supplies.
  • The shop and the barnParts lists, repair skills, and the never-mix chart, kept where the work happens.
  • A recipe book of your ownThe cleaners, fuels, and remedies you make, with exact amounts, in one place.
  • An offline PDFSaved to a phone, a tablet, or a drive in the Faraday bag. It opens with no signal.

How it works

  1. 1Save what fitsPress "Save to My Manual" on any page: a recipe, a chart, a guide, a parts list, or a whole field guide.
  2. 2Arrange it your wayOn My Account, drag the pages into the order you want. Name the manual and add your household name.
  3. 3Print it or save a PDFOpen the preview, then print it or save a PDF. It is sized for 8.5 x 11 inch paper, with a cover and a contents page. Field guides go in exactly as the PDFs are laid out. No ads, no photos.
  4. 4Keep it currentAdd a page, pull one out, print again. The cover carries the date, so you always know which copy is the latest.

Also included

  • The entire site, unlockedAll 158 member pages open in full: exact amounts, every step, every warning, every parts list. Nothing held back.
  • Every recipe and resource in the bookAll 138 recipes and 33 compounds from Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, with exact amounts, every step, every warning, and the reference charts.
  • A clean PDF of any entryOne press turns any page into a field guide sheet for the binder, the truck, or the shop wall.
  • Checklists and audit scores that follow youSaved to the account, so the phone, the laptop, and the shop computer always match.
  • No adsMembers read the whole site without a single ad.
$49.95per year. About 14 cents a day. Cancel any time and keep the year you paid for.
Join now