Excerpted from Knots for Backpackers - A Nut's 'n Bolts Guide by Frank Logue

You might use this knot when hanging your food for the night or securing you tarp to a tree. The clove hitch is also used to start and finish lashings. There are two ways to tie this knot, the method you should use depends on what you are tying the clove hitch to.

Tying a clove hitch to a post. This method is also used by rock climbers to connect a rope to a carabiner.

Holding the standing part of the rope, twist it into a loop so that the line in your right hand comes from beneath the loop. Make a second loop the same way.

Place the right hand loop over the left hand loop, then drop the loops over the top of the post. Cinch the knot tight.

Tying a clove hitch to a tree. If you can't throw the two loops over the object being tied to, use the following method.

Form a loop around the tree so that the free end lies on top of the standing part. Take the free end and cross over the standing part as you wrap around the tree below the first loop.
Come back through this new loop with the free end. Cinch tight.

Move on to Fisherman's Knot

Return to Top