Skills & DIY

Knots every hiker should know

You don't need to be a sailor — five knots handle nearly everything a hiker rigs, from tent guy-lines and tarps to bear hangs and field repairs. Here's what each one does and when to reach for it, so a length of cord becomes one of the most useful things in your pack.

By Marcus Hale, Founder & Lead Pack Analyst · Updated September 14, 2026

The short answer

Learn five knots and you're set: two half hitches to tie a line to something, the taut-line hitch for adjustable tent lines, the bowline for a loop that won't slip, the trucker's hitch to cinch a line drum-tight, and the figure-eight as a stopper. Carry a few feet of cord and you can pitch, hang, lash and repair almost anything.

Knots are a skill, not a fact — reading about them only gets you so far. Use this as a map of which knot to learn for which job, then practice each one with a real piece of cord (a short video and five minutes of fumbling is all it takes) until your hands remember it.

Two half hitches

What it's for: quickly and securely tying a rope to a tree, post, or the ring on a tarp. It's the everyday "attach this line to that thing" knot.

Wrap the rope around the anchor, then tie two identical half hitches around the standing line — essentially the same simple knot, twice.
It holds under steady load and unties easily afterward, even after it's been pulled tight.
Use it for a ridgeline, a clothesline, or securing a load — anywhere you need a solid, non-adjustable attachment.

Taut-line hitch

What it's for: adjustable tension. This is the tent and tarp guy-line knot, because you can slide it up and down the standing line to tighten or loosen without untying.

Tie it around the standing part with a couple of wraps inside the loop and one outside; it grips under load but slides when you push it.
Perfect for re-tensioning guy-lines when nylon cord stretches in the rain or sags overnight.
A line-loc or friction tensioner does the same job with hardware, but the knot works with any cord and never breaks.

Two half hitches plus a taut-line hitch will pitch almost any tarp or tent: fixed end on one side, adjustable end on the other so you can dial in a taut, quiet pitch.

Bowline

What it's for: a fixed loop that won't slip or jam, no matter how hard it's loaded. The classic "loop at the end of a rope" knot.

Form a small loop, pass the end up through it, around the standing line and back down — "the rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree, and back down the hole."
The loop stays the same size under load and unties easily even after heavy strain.
Use it to drop a loop over a branch or post, join a line to a grommet, or make a secure handhold. (It's not a life-safety climbing knot — that's a different discipline.)

Trucker's hitch

What it's for: mechanical advantage — pulling a line really tight and locking it off. This is the knot behind a good bear hang, a taut ridgeline, and lashing a load down.

It forms a loop partway along the line that acts like a simple pulley, so you can haul the line drum-tight and then tie it off.
Use it to hoist a food bag high on a branch, tension a tarp ridgeline, or cinch gear onto a pack or vehicle.
Finish it with a couple of half hitches so it holds, and it still releases when you need it to.

Figure-eight (stopper)

What it's for: a bulky knot in the end of a rope that stops it from pulling back through a loop, a tensioner or your hands.

Make a loop, wrap the end around the standing line and back through — it forms a neat "8".
Bigger and easier to untie than a simple overhand knot, and it won't jam as badly.
Use it as an end-stop on guy-lines and ridgelines, or as the basis of other knots.

How to actually learn them

A knot you can only tie in the living room is no use in the dark, in the rain, with cold hands. Build real, useful muscle memory.

Learn one at a time with a short video and a length of cord, and tie it ten times until you don't need to think.
Practice in the field: pitch your tarp in the backyard, hang a stuff sack from a branch, lash something to your pack.
Carry cord to use them: a few meters of thin utility cord (and it doubles as a repair item) makes every one of these knots worth knowing.

That same cord is one of the five items in a good trailside repair kit — see how to fix a backpack on the trail for the rest.

Frequently asked questions

What knots do I really need for camping?

Five cover almost everything: two half hitches (tie a line to a tree), a taut-line hitch (adjustable tent guy-lines), a bowline (a fixed loop that won’t slip), a trucker’s hitch (cinch a line tight, for bear hangs and lashing loads), and a figure-eight stopper (keeps a rope from pulling through). Learn those and you can pitch, hang and rig almost anything.

How do I hang a bear bag?

The trucker’s hitch is the key knot: throw a line over a high, sturdy branch well away from the trunk, tie your food bag on, then use a trucker’s hitch to haul it up and hold it high off the ground and out from the branch. In many popular areas a bear canister is required instead — always check the local rules first.

What’s the best knot for pitching a tarp?

Use a bowline or two half hitches to attach the line to a fixed point, and a taut-line hitch at the other end so you can slide it to tension the tarp — and re-tension it when the line stretches in the rain or sags overnight. A trucker’s hitch works too when you want a really tight ridgeline.