How to Tie a Webbing Sling

Webbing is one of the most versatile rock climbing tools to have on hand, but it's worthless unless you know how to use it. Tying webbing into a sling is a basic skill that you can apply to lead climbing, anchor building, rappelling and more. One of the easiest ways of tying a sling is using a water knot.

Things You'll Need

  • 1-inch nylon webbing
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay a single length of 1-inch nylon webbing out. It doesn't have to be flat, but it should be neat and free of tangles with both ends readily accessible. The longer the webbing, the bigger the sling you end up with.

    • 2

      Cross one end of the webbing over itself, forming a loop.

    • 3

      Pull the same end of the webbing up through the loop you made. Leave it loose and do not tighten yet. The result should look like a loose pretzel. There should be at least several inches of webbing sticking out the end of the knot.

    • 4

      Thread the other end of the webbing back through the overhand "pretzel" knot you made, following the knot's path exactly. Again, do not tighten yet. The end result should look like your original overhand knot tied with two strands of webbing instead of one. The ends of the webbing should be protruding from opposite sides of the knot and be at least several inches long.

    • 5

      Tighten the knot, careful to keep both strands of webbing flat against each other, free of twists or kinks. There should be no gaps or air space visible through the knot once you've tightened it. Called dressing the knot, this makes it stronger, less likely to "creep" untied, and easier to untie once you're done with it.

    • 6

      Tie an overhand knot with each "tail" to make your knot extra safe. Just loop the tail around the strand of webbing it's flat against and pull the tail back through the loop. Snug this down neatly, repeat on the other side and recheck the water knot and backups frequently as they tend to "creep" more than others.