We’d like to introduce our first Knot of the Week mini-series, climbing knots. We’ll be reviewing some of the most common and useful knots used in climbing and mountaineering for the next few weeks.
Today we start with the Tape Knot. The Tape Knot is a quick and simple knot which only slightly differs from the traditional overhand knot or water knot. A Tape Knot is tied with tubular webbing, which is sometimes referred to as tape. Tubular webbing is used in climbing to make slings, runners and anchors due to its strength, surface area and ability to lie flat.
We’ll be using the Tape Knot in our demonstration to not only show how to tie it, but also how to join opposite ends of webbing together to make a sling, runner or anchor.
Tape Knot » Bend
(Strength: 2/Security: 3/Stability: 2/Difficulty: 2)
Please refer to our Knot of the Week introduction post for a description of what these ratings mean.
Make sure the initial Tape Knot is tied loosely so the opposite end of the webbing can be threaded through easily.
Uses:
- Making a sling, runner or anchor
- Join two ropes
- A knot less likely to get caught when getting pulled over rocks
Instructions:
- Start with a simple overhand knot in the tubular webbing
- Ensure you leave at least an 8 inch tail on the working end
- Thread what was the standing end behind the working end
- Continue to trace the original knot ensuring the webbing is flat
- Ensure you wind up with equal tails at least 8 inches in length
- Backup the knot with an overhand knot on each side of the tape knot
View the gallery below and follow along with the steps above!
Check back next week as we continue our Knot of the Week mini-series with the Figure Eight Knot
which I quoted in the previous article.
Stenciling is something the Navy hammered into our brains as a way to distinguish our equipment from the next guy. It worked most of the time, even though I lost several pairs of skivies during laundry… go figure.
Before we start delving any further into our “Knot of the Week” series, we wanted to go over some terminology which is commonly found in knot tying. The purpose of this review is to make it easier to understand the words that get thrown around with some visual examples.
We’ve tallied up the entries and chosen a winner for our Blue Force Gear VCAS Giveaway, and the winner is “BootlegGucci.” To make things fair, we assigned each person a number based on what position they appeared in on the comments… for multiple entries you were assigned that many numbers.
Gates of Fire
by Steven Pressfield is another one of those books on the top of our list here at ITS Tactical. We’ve all talked about how this book should be on the required reading list for anyone attempting any type of Spec Ops training. Pressfield gives an in depth look into the Greek’s way of life and their suicide mission at Thermopylae.
In Tactical Driving the ability to perform a quick, calculated turn is an important skill, but what about while your vehicle is in reverse? Enter the J-Turn… This little maneuver can be traced back to the prohibition days when bootleggers called it the moonshiner’s turn. Can you picture those old cars performing a J-Turn? It must have been quite a sight!