How to Tie Slip Knots

Slip knots are a simple type of knot with the benefit of being both easy to tie and simple to loosen. You can use them in a variety of applications including rock climbing or temporarily fastening objects to an anchor; you typically need only one hand to tie them and can untie them in a similar fashion by simply yanking on a section of the rope. While not very secure or strong, slip knots can quickly and easily secure items with very little effort.

Things You'll Need

  • Rope
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fold the rope in half so that the two loose ends are pointing in the same direction and a continuous section of rope appears on the other end. The rope should look like a "U."

    • 2

      Fold the top of the loop under at the curved end of the "U" so that the rope forms two loops. At this point, the rope should resemble a lower case "d" and "b" placed back-to-back (db).

    • 3

      Take the loop on the right and lift it over and through the left loop. This will allow you to tighten the knot using the left loose end of the rope. If you want to use the right end, simply reverse the process and lift the left loop up and through the right loop.

    • 4

      Grab the knot and tighten it so that it is firmly in place and forms a small loop at the closed end of the rope.

    • 5

      Pull on the appropriate side of the open end of the rope to tighten the loop through the slip knot. For instance, if the knot was tied so that the left end of the rope is the shortest end, use it to tighten the knot. In this same instance, tug on the right side of the rope to untie the knot. Note that, if the loop doesn't hold anything and the knot faces no resistance, it will simply untie itself if pulled completely tight.