Knots and Lashings That Matter in the Field

Two different skills, often confused

A knot secures one line to an object or to itself. A lashing joins rigid pieces, usually wooden poles, by wrapping cordage around the joint and tightening the wraps. Knots are judged by how well they hold and how easily they untie. Lashings are judged by how little the joint moves when it carries weight.

Mixing them up wastes cord and produces joints that slip. A clove hitch tied around two crossed poles slides once the frame is loaded. A square lashing used to tie a guy line to a stake takes far more cord than the job needs. Match the technique to the task, then practice the finishing steps, because a lashing that is wrapped correctly and finished loosely still comes apart.

Three knots worth knowing cold

Clove hitch

The clove hitch attaches a line to a pole, post or tree limb. Pass the cord around the pole, cross over the standing part, take a second turn around the pole, and tuck the working end under the crossing turn. It tightens when the load pulls steadily at a right angle to the pole. It can creep along a smooth pole or loosen when the load changes direction, so add a half hitch on the working end when the knot will stay in place. It is also the knot that starts and finishes most lashings.

Taut-line hitch

The taut-line hitch makes an adjustable loop on a guy line or ridgeline. Run the line around the stake or tree, then wrap the working end twice around the standing line on the side nearest the anchor and once more on the side away from it, finishing with the end tucked through the last wrap. Dress the turns neatly and slide the knot to set the tension. The hitch grips under load and moves when pushed by hand, so a tarp line can be tightened after the cord stretches or the weather changes. Slick synthetic cord may need an extra wrap on the inside.

Trucker’s hitch

The trucker’s hitch tensions a line between two anchors, which suits a tarp ridgeline or a load strapped to a pack frame. Tie a small fixed loop in the standing line partway along it, such as an overhand loop, and anchor the far end. Pass the working end around the near anchor and back through the loop, then pull down on it. The loop acts as a pulley and gives a theoretical 3:1 pull, less in practice because of friction. Hold the tension and secure the end with two half hitches.

The three lashings that build structure

Lashings turn loose poles into frames, from shelter ribs to a drying rack. Each one starts with a hitch, runs through several wraps and frapping turns, and ends with a second hitch. Only the layout of the wraps changes.

Square lashing

Use a square lashing when two poles cross at roughly a right angle, such as a rail resting on an upright. Start with a clove hitch on the upright just below the rail. Wrap the cord around both poles for three or four turns, keeping each turn snug against the last and not overlapping it. Make two frapping turns between the poles to pull the wraps tight, then finish with a clove hitch on one of the poles, close against the lashing.

Diagonal lashing

Use a diagonal lashing where poles cross at an angle and tend to spring apart, such as the brace of a frame. Start with a timber hitch around both poles at the crossing. Make three wraps around one diagonal and three around the other, then two frapping turns between the poles. Finish with a clove hitch on one pole. Check the angle of the frame before the final turns, since the wraps draw the poles toward each other.

Tripod lashing

Use a tripod lashing for a drying rack, a stove stand or the base of a shelter. Lay three poles side by side with the thick ends level. Tie a clove hitch on one outer pole, then wrap the cord loosely over and under all three poles six to eight times. Make two frapping turns between each pair of poles and finish with a clove hitch on an outer pole. Keep the wraps loose enough that the poles can open into a stand.

For a larger frame, the same lashings join the ridgepole and ribs of a debris shelter, where a square lashing at the support keeps the ridgepole from rolling.

Choosing cordage that will not fail you

Type III 550 paracord is a nylon sheath around seven inner strands. The name comes from its minimum breaking strength of 550 pounds when new and untied. Working loads should stay well below that figure, and every knot lowers the strength of the line at the bend. Lashing poles and rigging camp gear put loads far under the breaking point, so the practical differences between cords are stretch, grip and durability.

Nylon stretches under load, so lashings on green poles loosen as the wood dries and the cord settles. Retighten after the first few hours. Natural fiber cord such as jute or sisal twine grips well. It shrinks slightly when wet, which tightens a lashing, but it rots if stored damp and breaks down faster in sunlight.

Cut more cord than seems necessary. A lashing that runs out of cord before the finishing hitch has to be redone from the start. Check the sheath for glazed or flattened patches and for cuts. Stiffness points to abrasion or heat damage. Replace cord that shows any of these before it carries a load that matters. The full packing list covers where cordage fits in a trip kit.

Gear worth considering

Two items cover this article: a hank of cord and a fixed-blade knife for cutting poles to length and trimming cord ends.

A fixed-blade knife such as the Morakniv Companion handles pole cutting, notching and cord trimming, and it appears in the fire-starting guide for the same reasons.

Caring for cordage and lashing poles

Dry cord before storing it and keep it out of direct sunlight, since damp storage and ultraviolet light shorten its life. Untie knots when a job is done. A knot left under load for days is hard to untie and stresses the same fibers each time it is reused.

Cut the ends of nylon cord clean. Sealing a cut end with a flame stops fraying, but melted nylon sticks to skin and burns, so let it cool before touching it.

Choose straight poles of similar diameter and flex each one before trusting it with weight, since dead wood that snaps cleanly is brittle. Cut live wood only where the land manager allows it. Green poles shrink as they dry, so retighten their lashings the next day. Untie lashings when you break camp and leave poles as you found them.