Before you decide to channel your inner Indiana Jones and run off to explore nearby caves, deserts or mountain trails, you may want to take a step back and think if you are completely prepared for that kind of adventure. Learning how to tie a few popular knots won’t take an extreme amount of time and you will be surprised how often you can actually use them when you know what you’re doing. Here are five knots that every camper, hiker, mountain climber and survivalist should know.
If you were ever in a Scout troop, you might've learned how to tie lashings to build camping gear. If you missed that merit badge, however, these charts can show you simple lashings to help when you need to build something a little on the low-tech side.
A good fishing knot will be extra strong and keep the hook from having unnecessary movement in the water. The modified clinch knot does just that, and you can learn how to tie one in less than two minutes.
Video: If you've ever wanted to build a structure or shelter with nothing but some branches and some rope, this video will show you how.
A damaged rope can be totally useless for doing most tasks safely, especially if the damaged section is somewhere in the middle. This simple knot can bypass the damaged section and make the rope fairly safe to use again.
Video: Knots may seem like an old-fashioned skill to learn, but they can actually be really helpful in a lot of situations. This video will teach you how to tie the constrictor knot, which is essentially the primitive version of the zip tie.
A knotted necklace chain can seem impossible to undo, but with the right tools, you can slowly untangle it.
If you're ever in the unfortunate position of needing to restrain someone, the "handcuff knot" does exactly what it sounds like. This versatile knot can do a few other helpful things too.
Only knot you know involves your shoelaces? This infographic provides clear, step-by-step instructions on tying some of the most useful knots.
If you need to tie your shoes and haven't a second to spare, YouTube user Hank shows how to tie a workable knot so quickly it seems like magic.
Good quality water bottles are great, but the lid for many of them can get lost if you remove it while camping or hiking. Tactical weblog ITS Tactical shows how to tie a handy retention strap using 24 inches of paracord.
The majority of us don't use power tools every day, and chances are you have a box or cabinet somewhere with cords and cables sticking out everywhere. Instructables user KaceyK shows a simple method to wrap cords so they don't stretch out and they stay organised.
Having cordage on hand can often save the day when your shoelace breaks or you need to tie down a piece of furniture as you drive it home. Paracord is the best type to keep on hand for general use, and as the video above from ITS Tactical shows, it's easy to keep a hank of cord nearby using a storage lanyard.
Last time you moved something in your car that was too large to fit in your trunk, you probably lamely cobbled together a few insecure knots. (Oh wait, that wasn't you - that was me.) The Trucker's hitch is a relatively simple knot you can tie with one rope that secures anything with the power of pulleys.
We recently adapted a headphone wrapping method for other cables, though some of you with more expensive cables were uncomfortable wrapping them that tightly. Reader Travis shares a cord wrapping technique he learned working at Apple to keep the bundle kink-free.
We've shown you a few ways to tie your shoes more efficiently, but if you're looking for a super-speedy way to get your shoes on and out the door, the Ian Knot is a super-fast method that will make it happen.
The time-saving technique of crossing two loops known as Ian's Knot gets the video treatment it deserves through a promotion for US carrier Sprint. Whether you "Save four days of your life" depends on how adaptable your fingers are to this speedy knot.
Tugboat bowlines, fisherman's knots, sheet bends. The best knots are named for their jobs on the ocean, but they have numerous, practical uses on land as well. Here's how to tie the versatile bowline (and more properly tie any knot).
