You would be amazed at the sheer amount of knots that one has to learn when in the boy scouts (I sure know I was). But what surprised me the most was, how knowledge of these knots can be applied in other situations.
Of course, when you are learning something, it can be hard to see how what you are learning can be applied to real life situations. But boy scout knots are functional in a range of situations.
Here, I demonstrate some of the ways you can use boy scout style knots in real life encounters.
Bowline Knot:
This is one of the more basic knots that you first learn, and is pretty useful. By creating this knot, you can fashion a non slip loop that is ideal for rescue work, should you unfortunately find yourself in circumstances that warrant this knot’s creation.
Square Knot:
Following on from the Bowline, a Square Knot allows you to clamp dressings to wounds. As it is a binding knot, you can also use this in a range of other applications.
A Square Knot is very similar to how you ties your shoe laces, and pretty much everyone knows how to do that! In fact, all a Shoestring Knot is really, is a double Square Knot – see, you already know how to do it!
The Sheet Bend:
This knot was originally invented by sailors, who needed to tie up their boats or ship’s sails, hence the name Sheet Bend.
I like to use this knot when I have two separate pieces of rope that I need to join together. It is especially handy where those two pieces of rope are of different diameters.
The Taut Line Hitch:
If you like camping, this is an essential knot to know, as it will enable you to adjust the lines on your tent poles. This knot is extremely reliable and is also trustworthy.
Clinch Knot:
Ok, I’m gonna cheat a little here, but I feel that this is an essential knot that everybody should know. Not essentially a boy scout knot, the clinch knot is used by fishermen to attach hooks to their fishing lines.
Everybody should know this knot, and if you are on a combined fishing / camping expedition, you really will benefit from knowing how to tie this one!
The Timber Hitch:
Following on from the camping theme, if you are intending on making a camp fire, and will have to heave firewood back to base, a good knot to know is the Timber Hitch.
This knot stays tight under pressure and comes away easy when slack is put on the rope. You can also use this to attach a rope to a log, if you need to clear some forest area.
I use these Knots on a regular basis. We could all do with having a little more knot related knowledge!