In our latest installment of the Knot of the Week, we’ll teach you how to tie the Diamond Hitch and explain what benefits it offers over traditional methods of securing a load.
What’s truly versatile about the Diamond Hitch is that once tied, it creates a diamond pattern in the center which not only is where its namesake comes from, but is what gives it the ability to compensate for the load shifting.
Whether being used to secure a load to a roof rack, truck bed or even a pack animal, the Diamond Hitch is definitely one to put into your knot tying toolbox. [Read More…]
Today’s Knot of the Week is a bit of a departure from our usual knots and is more of a paracord wrapping. What we’ll be demonstrating is wrapping a small hand sanitizer bottle, often referred to as a Germ Grenade.
We’re demonstrating this not to simply have a bottle of hand sanitizer at the ready, but to show the overall wrapping with a Solomon Bar and get you to see that you can realistically wrap just about any bottle or container using this method. [Read More…]
On today’s Knot of the Week, we’re going to go over instructions for creating your own Bola or Boleadora from natural fiber rope and a few golf balls for weighted cores. While we’ve gone over the Monkey’s Fist Knot in a previous KOTW, we’ve never show in quite like this.
Bolas throwing weapons were primarily used by South American Gauchos to capture/hobble running cattle or game, by utilizing an over-the-head swinging motion and releasing it on target. While I’m sure our readers could come up with a multitude of uses for these, one could come in handy in case of Zombies! [Read More…]
On this week’s Knot of the Week, we’re going to look at an interesting knot called the Poldo Tackle. Using two simple fixed loops, the Poldo Tackle affords you multiple options for anything that requires a tensioning device.
The most applicable use we’ve considered is in a rescue situation, where you might need the mechanical advantage to lift a buddy to safety. There are far better methods to lower someone in a rescue situation, but the Poldo Tackle would work well to aid in lifting. Just remember that it’s not the same type of application for lifting that pulleys would provide.
You could also use this knot for a clothesline, guyline or anywhere you may need to release or provide tension periodically to a line under load. [Read More…]
In this week’s Knot of the Week we’ll teach you how to tie the Frost Knot and form a length of tubular webbing into an Etrier, which is a French word meaning stirrup. In climbing, an Etrier is often referred to as an aider or a climbing ladder.
While hard to pronounce, the Etrier is an easy to tie and very effective way of creating a ladder to reach heights when climbing or in an emergency situation.
With a little practice, you can trust in your skills and know that you too will be able to simply carry some tubular webbing into the field and create a field expedient climbing ladder if needed. [Read More…]
A bottle sling? What, you’ve never heard of a bottle sling before? We’ll admit we’ve seen them before but never give them much thought to include in the Knot of the Week until we tied one and realized how versatile of a knot it is!
From what we can tell, the bottle sling was first used by ancient greeks to not only carry jugs and bottles, but to also use as a surgical sling and as a traction device for dislocated joints. [Read More…]
After a winter slumber the Knot of the Week is back in full force! Today with the help of contributing author Justin Spindler, we’re going to take you though the steps to create your own Coiled Paracord Lanyard.
You may have seen these before from places like TAD and wished you would have gotten in on one while you could have. Now you can learn how to build your own out of a few simple materials. [Read More…]
This isn’t a bracelet to relive the 80s, simply a different take on the standard Solomon Bar Paracord Bracelet that resembles a DNA strand.
Funny enough, this knot is what happens when you don’t tie a standard Solomon Bar, or a Cobra Knot for some of you out there, the right way. You’re left with a twisted pattern that actually makes a neat design.
We wanted to not only highlight the Twisted Solomon Bar with this week’s Knot of the Week, but to also demonstrate an alternative method of closure on a paracord bracelet with a loop and Lanyard Knot. This closure can be used for any type of paracord bracelet. [Read More…]
Making a Fast Rope for Climbing has certainly been a fun project to undertake for our Knot of the Week!
Today we’ll be demonstrating the last steps in completing your rope, which are whipping and fusing the bitter end. Whipping and Fusing are traditionally methods to prevent a rope from unraveling and to stop fraying. We’re essentially using these techniques in the same way on our Fast Rope, to strengthen and protect the end.
The reason we chose to terminate the Fast Rope in this fashion is that in reading the Mil-Spec for Fast Rope construction, it distinctly mentions that “The free end shall be seared and whipped.” Seared is just another word for fused and fusing is actually the proper terminology. [Read More…]
Today we continue our KOTW Lashing series with the Diagonal Lashing.
The Diagonal Lashing is “diagonal” because it’s used to bind poles that cross each other at a 45° to 90° angle. Binding poles together in this way will prevent racking and add stability, thus preventing them from moving apart.
A Diagonal Lashing can replace a Square Lashing (which is stronger), but not vice-versa. [Read More…]
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