The only 3 knots you need for canoe camping

[Glenn MacGrady]

In this video, the YouTuber demonstrates 3 knots that are useful for camping, hiking, and bushcraft: the stopper knot, the double dragon knot, and the farrimond hitch. The stopper knot is a simple knot that prevents things from slipping through loops. The double dragon knot is a strong and versatile knot that can be used to create a loop in the middle of a rope or around a fixed object. It is stronger and more secure than a bowline knot. The farrimond hitch is a friction hitch that can be used to create tension on a line. It is easier and more secure than a tautline hitch or prusik knot.

The canoeist will also want to know the trucker's hitch for cartopping, which is not part of this video.

 

[kahel]

The canoeist will also want to know the trucker's hitch for cartopping, which is not part of this video.

here it is:

 

[MrPoling]

I'm going with my principal of being conservative about safety stuff. I was taught to use a figure 8 for creating critical loops, like for roping a climber into a harness or end of a throw rope. It creates little stress and is easy to untie.

I don't like the farrimond either because it is a slipknot. Lovely for a tent or a tarp. But not appropriate for a anything that needs to stay tied or not fail all at once.

 

[snapper]

I used to teach knots in an undergraduate outdoor education class I was a part of in the Adirondacks (Raquette Lake to be specific) for years. Since many of the students had no previous experience, we taught knots that would handle their needs in the course. Since a 6 day canoe trip was the capstone of the class, we made sure the kids knew the following: square knot, taut line hitch, bowline, clove hitch & trucker's hitch. Once they had those down, they were able to handle everything that came their way. It was always great to see the "a ha!" moment when the knot finally clicked for them. Those smiles were priceless.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[jdeerfoot]

Nice video with some useful looking knots. I just wish I could remember them when I need one.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I'm going with my principal of being conservative about safety stuff. I was taught to use a figure 8 for creating critical loops, like for roping a climber into a harness or end of a throw rope. It creates little stress and is easy to untie.

I don't like the farrimond either because it is a slipknot. Lovely for a tent or a tarp. But not appropriate for a anything that needs to stay tied or not fail all at once.

It is the YouTuber not me, of course, who makes the claim that the three knots shown are all he needs for camping or bushcrafting. He's not making claims about rock climbing, although he does say that the double dragon knot is as strong as the climber's alpine butterfly knot, more secure than a bowline, and easy to untie. I read that the alpine butterfly is more secure bidirectionally than a figure 8 knot, but I've never used any of these knots so I can't speak to any of this from personal experience.

As for canoe camping, I never use ropes for anything other than canoe painter lines, tents, tarps or clotheslines, so these three knots (two really, the stopper being just a simple safety thing) are perhaps all I would ever need if I learned them.

 

[ppine]

I am wary of Brits talking about "wild camping." Is there some other kind?
Three knots I will never use.
Bowline, two half hitches, clove hitch. is mostly all you need.

 

[MyKneesHurt]

I've never seen a Farrimond hitch before. It's like a little walking prussik. I'm happy with a tautline for tarps and lines but the farrimond does seem like it would easy to tie with numb fingers.

I used to love learning new knots. I still carry an armspan of string around with me most days. But I generally use the same handful of knots for all applications, so I'm less knotledgeable than I was.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I don't use knots enough to remember more than three or four. The trucker's hitch is the most useful knot I've used for canoeing and camping for 40+ years. I use it not only for cartopping but for ridgelines and clotheslines in camp. I know the bowline and square knot. I learned that 90% of people have crooked and loosening shoe laces because they tie granny knots instead of square knots when tying their shoe laces. I've known and used the prusik and double fisherman's knot but keep forgetting them. And I do use some simple hardware gadgets instead of tautline hitches.

 

[Bob B.]

I am like Snapper in the knots I use most often. Bowline, taught line hitch, truckers hitch and half hitch cover almost all of what I need. They are super simple to tie and importantly to untie, even when wet and under a load. The function of each hitch is important, but to me it is equally important to be able to untie the knot and put my lines away quickly and easily to be ready for the next set.

Bob.

 

[snapper]

@Bob B. - Thanks for mentioning the ability to easily untie a knot. That's a point that gets overlooked more often than not; no pun intended.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

 

[Boatman53]

I’d like to add the butterfly knot. I use that knot to create the loop for bear hang rope to keep the food safe.
Jim

 

[Mihun09]

I use ratchet straps for tying down either my stripper or kevlar canoes on my vehicle. Never had an issue.
Truckers hitch for the ropes for the bow.

 

[ppine]

Rachet straps have wrecked plenty of boats by over tightening them.
I like rope and a trucker hitch.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I use ratchet straps for tying down either my stripper or kevlar canoes on my vehicle. Never had an issue.
Truckers hitch for the ropes for the bow.

I switched to cam buckle (not ratchet) straps for the belly lines about 20 years ago and have never had a problem. I don't like straps on the bow or stern, so I use the painter lines with trucker's hitches for the front and back.

Story: When I was using belly ropes on Thule racks on my Ford Taurus in the early 90's, I used to keep the ropes neatly wrapped around the bars when driving without a canoe on top. They never came loose. Until the day I took the car through the local automated car wash. The ropes came loose and wrapped around the giant cylindrical roof brush in the middle of the wash tunnel and shut the whole thing down. Thankfully, there was no damage to my racks, car or the car wash equipment. But the car wash guy was really $^%&** at me.

 

[Mihun09]

Rachet straps have wrecked plenty of boats by over tightening them.
I like rope and a trucker hitch.

That works but I still prefer ratchet straps. I use 2 x 4's bolted to the factory roof rack rails with carpet and eyebolt attacment points. Never have had an issue in 14 years doing this.

To each their own.

Karin

 

[Mihun09]

It looks like this.

 

[pblanc]

You can't run the rope around an object or through a grab loop and tie a double dragon knot, or conversely untie the knot while the rope or line is still around or through the object, at least not as shown in the video. Doing either is very easy with the bowline. It is pretty easy to do with the figure-of-eight follow through knot, although not so easy as with the bowline.

The disadvantage of the bowline, apart from the fact that it can be tied incorrectly in a couple of ways, is that it can untie itself if the standing end of the line is repeatedly tugged on and released. But this is easy to prevent by throwing a half hitch around the standing part with the free end, or tying a stopper knot into the free end.

The figure-of-eight has been shown to produce somewhat less reduction in breaking strength than the bowline which may be of concern for climbers and arborists, but hardly of concern to paddlers or campers, at least in the vast majority of plausible scenarios. I'll stick with the bowline, thanks much.

I have used the Farrimond hitch (not a knot) and agree it does hold a bit better than the tautline and is easier to untie, although in most cases the trucker's hitch is a viable alternative to either the Farrimond or the tautline.

As for being the only three "knots" required for canoeing, camping, or bushcraft I guess it depends on what kind of canoeing, camping, or bushcraft you are doing. As a minimum I would add some type of hitch such as the clove hitch, and some type of bend (used to join two lengths of line together) such as the sheet bend, or one of my favorites, the Zeppelin bend.

 

[ppine]

Maybe it depends on which country you live in.,

 

[Mihun09]

Maybe it depends on which country you live in.,

Doubt it, likely just personal preference. Different ropes for different folks you know.