Knots – There’s No Right Way

There’s no right way just that which works and which doesn’t. If you cant remember a knot or cant do a knot, tie many is the saying. A mate called me up asking about the which 5 knots question and the conversation turned into how to teach knots to someone. This has plagued me for some time.

The hardest part would be the applications and having ready made projects available to manufacture the knots around. I think the easiest way would be to divide up the knots into sections as I did in the Bush Knots Master Course posts and Ive found the best way to remember is to make something with them not just have a piece of cordage in front of you.

Remembering you can fudge something with multiple granny knots, there is no right way. However there are better ways of doing a thing. The classic Bowline is a good example of this. As in the last post there are 18 variations or more of this knot. KISS Keep It Simple Stupid, pick the version that is easiest to do and remember under stress. I like doubles for strength and incorporate a locking feature. The double Bowline with a Scotts Lock is what I would choose to use. However to show that you first need to teach the basic Bowline knot.

Since doing the original Bush knots series linked below I have found multiple ways of tying a tautline hitch including the Midshipmans Hitch. None are wrong but I would show all of them and say which is easiest to remember.

I could quite easily do half a day on fishing knots and take someone out fishing and tying rigs, or knots for tying down loads on a trailer would be another half day. climbing knots,etc.

Setting up a tarp takes 5 different knots alone but to show a student do you teach to a certain level and describe easy knots or more advanced versions? On one course I participated on trying to show a Siberian hitch was over most of the students heads and the knots had to be dumbed down to suit the students ability. Velcro being the underlying problem.

I may have a student that says their not into fishing and wont require those knots. However a Surgeons knot can also be used for tying shoelaces so they don’t come undone and the trilene for attaching guy-lines to the corner of a tarp eyelet.

When I was learning to operate heavy vehicles we spent a good half day learning to secure a load with ropes. Nowadays its all strapping.However they had to teach to a certain level to avoid loosing a load on a heavy vehicle. I would like to teach to that same level.Even if it just for securing a load on a backyarders 6×4 trailer.

Only 5 knots