The trainer
A knot is a name plus a load case. Bowline: loop that will not collapse, rescue and ridgelines. Clove hitch: to a post, fast, add half-hitches if it matters. Square knot: two equal ropes or a bandage — never a climbing join. Sheet bend: two different thicknesses. Taut-line: adjustable guy. Figure-eight: stopper. Prusik and alpine butterfly when the load can come from more than one direction.
Bowline
Fixed loop at the rope end — the most useful survival knot
Make a small loop (the rabbit hole) about 30 cm from the rope end.
TipThe rabbit comes up from the hole, goes around the tree, and back down the hole.
Bone line = standing part · Signal line = working end
The bowline, in one mnemonic
Make a small loop well back from the end. The working end comes up through that loop (rabbit out of the hole), around the standing part (around the tree), and back down the same loop. Dress it so the knot sits flat. A bowline can loosen if it is unloaded and shaken for a long time — back it up if a life depends on it. That sentence is why this is a trainer, not a certification.
Further in the library — titles only
5 titles · 400 articles in this cluster · full text in-app
- 01Essential Knots and Lashings for Expedient Water Crossings
- 02Building a Field Expedient Lean-To Shelter Using Natural Materials
- 03Debris Hut: The Ultimate Survival Shelter for Warmth and Simplicity
- 04Improvised Tools for Shelter Building: Making Do Without Modern Gear
- 05A Guide to Survival Snares: Simple Snare, Drag Noose, and Twitch-Up Explained
Titles only. Full text, regional variants, and tables are in the offline library — they are not published on this site.
Then get it on the phone
You’re reading this with a signal. The situation it describes is one where you won’t have one.