Bowline
Also known as the King of Knots.
A fixed loop at the end of a rope that will not slip and will not shrink under load. If you only ever learn one knot, learn this one.
- CategoryLoop
- StrengthHolds well, easy to untie
- Time to learn10 minutes
- Best forRescue, mooring, anchoring
The loop you bet your life on.
The bowline gives you a fixed size loop at the end of a line. It holds firm under load, will not collapse on whatever you have looped through it, and unties easily even after a hard pull. Sailors use it to moor. Climbers use it to tie in. Rescuers use it to throw a line.
Avoid it for life critical climbing on its own. Modern climbers back it up or use a figure eight follow through. As a general loop knot, though, nothing else is quite this useful.
Eight moves to a perfect bowline.
Set up first. Lay about 1.2 metres of rope across your lap with the long end (the standing line) running away from you and the short end (the working end) facing you. Aim for a working end that is at least 25 to 30 centimetres long. The classic teaching story helps every step: the rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree, and back down the hole.
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Pinch the standing line
Hold the standing line in your weaker hand, palm facing up, about 30 centimetres from the working end. This becomes your reference point.
A relaxed grip is faster. White knuckles fight the rope. -
Form a small loop, working end on top
With your free hand, lay the working end across the standing line so it crosses over the top. You now have a small loop the size of a coin. This is the rabbit hole.
If the working end goes underneath instead of over the top, you have set up a left handed bowline. It looks identical but is measurably weaker. -
Decide the size of the big loop
Below the small loop, leave enough working end to form the finished loop. Longer for a person to climb in to, shorter for a post or a ring. For a body loop, leave roughly the length of your forearm.
Better to leave too much than too little. Excess can be tied off later. -
The rabbit comes out of the hole
Pass the working end up from underneath through the small loop. The tail now points up toward the standing line. Pinch the small loop closed between thumb and forefinger so it cannot collapse.
If you can see daylight through the small loop, you have it right. -
Around the back of the tree
Take the working end behind the standing line, going right to left if you are right handed. The working end should now sit behind the standing line, pointing back toward you.
Trace the path slowly the first three times. Speed comes after accuracy. -
Back down the hole
Bring the working end forward over the top and feed it back down through the small loop, following the same hole the rabbit came up through. The tail now points down.
If the tail ends up on the outside of the big loop, you tied it backwards. Untie and try again. -
Dress the knot
Use both hands to pull each strand straight. The two strands of the big loop should sit parallel. The working end should sit inside the big loop, not poking out the side.
Dressing matters more than tightening. A messy knot loses up to 30 percent of its strength. -
Set with a sharp tug
Pull the standing line and the big loop in opposite directions. Then pull the working end down. The knot snugs into its locked shape. Leave a tail at least ten times the rope's diameter.
For a 10 millimetre rope leave at least 10 centimetres of tail. Short tails can creep out under shock loading.
Field check. A correct bowline shows three clean loops in cross section: the small loop you started with, the big loop you finished with, and the working end tucked neatly between them. If your knot looks like a tangle, it is. Untie and start again.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the rabbit through the wrong way. Trace the path slowly the first few times.
- Leaving too short a tail, which can pull through under shock loading.
- Tying it left handed by mistake. The mirror image looks similar but is weaker.
- Loading the knot sideways instead of along the standing line.
How to untie a bowline
Even after holding a heavy load, a bowline pops free in seconds. Push the round part of the working end where it crosses the standing line. The knot will hinge open and you can pull the working end straight out.
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