The Clove Hitch
The clove hitch may be among the most useful knots. Although the clove hitch is intended for temporary use, it is secure enough for you to trust your life on it. Indeed, rock climbers around the world do so each day. In addition to being really easy to tie, it can be quickly tied in a variety of ways. Despite being a highly secure knot, it also unties very quickly. The clove hitch is in many ways a troublefree knot.
On this page, we will review three very different ways to tie the clove hitch. A video clip is provided for each method, which may make things easier. If you wish to learn to tie a basic clove hitch (and of course, you should learn!), there are many animated web sites to show you.
The first method is the pre-form method. This approach is very useful, because you can genuinely tie the knot in advance (“pre-forming” it), and drop it onto a post, flip it onto the end of bar or rail, hook it to a handle, or anything with an open end. Give the rope a quick tug, and it’s done. Watching the video to the right, you can see it dropped easily onto a post. Note that the knot does not slip down—it holds its place easily. Boaters will tie this knot in advance of docking; when approaching the dock, it can be easily tossed onto a cleat and yanked taut.
The second method is a manual method, because often you simply won’t have an open end to tie it onto. By looping the rope down-to-up, down-to-up again, then passing the end through the second loop, you can secure the clove hitch to a vertical support like a tree or fence post, a horizontal support like a beam, rail, or board (in our video clip, we use a firebreak in a studwall for a construction application). As before, a quick tug makes the knot secure.
The third method is a one-handed method. This can be used in climbing, where your other hand is clutching to a rock. Simply roll the loops with your fingers, pass the first loop over the second, and you’ve got a pre-formed clove hitch wrapped around your fingers. With your fingers and thumb, you can press the clove hitch into a carabiner. Carefully tugging each side of the line will tighten the knot without pulling it out of the carabiner.