These three knots can quite possibly be the only knots you’ll ever need.
It is not necessary or practical to try to learn every possible knot.
Learn these three and you’ll handle many different types of situations.
Adjustable Grip Hitch
This hitch can be used to tie a rope to a solid object or to another rope. It grips securely and has the advantage that it can be used to form a loop that tightens or loosens by sliding the knot.
Take the rope and pass it around the object to which you wish to secure it. Hold the free end next to the other end. Pass this free end around the other end two times on the side towards the loop. Next pass the end around again but go around both sections of rope. Finally pull the end of the rope through the final loop you just made with the last pass. Tighten the knot. You now should be able to pull on the main end of the rope and the loop will not slip but hold securely. If you wish to tighten or expand the loop you can simply hold the knot in your hand and slide it along the rope. This method can also be used to securely tie a rope to another yet permit the knot to be slid in either direction along the rope.
Alpine Butterfly Loop
This can be used as a secure loop of any size that will not expand or tighten regardless of the tension put on the loop.
Hold the mid section of a rope over the outstretched palm of your left hand. Next, wrap the rope twice more around your closed four fingers. Take the rope loop section closest to your wrist and place it closest to your fingertips on the other side of the other two loops. Next, take the section of rope that is now closest to your wrist and take it over the other two loops and under them. Pull this section under and out toward your wrist while letting the other loops slide off your fingers. Pull the loop your formed and tighten the resulting knot. The size of the loop may be changed by adjusting the size of the loop you wrap around your hand initially. Practice for different sizes of loops. Double or triple loops may be formed by increasing the number of times you wrap the rope around your hand. This process can be used to create a makeshift ladder out of loops along a length or rope.
Trucker’s Cinch Hitch
Use this hitch to tie any object to the roof of your car or truck. It provides greater tension by making a pulley out of the rope.
After tying one end of the rope to the other side of the car and pulling it over the object to be fastened, make a small loop in the rope. Pull another loop of rope below this and then pull it through the first loop. The part of the rope connected to the car is wrapped by the loose end of the rope and then the loose end passed through the second loop made above. Pull the loose end to tighten. Finally, fasten the loose end of the rope using two half hitches or the adjustable grip hitch above.