SAS and Elite Forces Guide Ropes and Knots

Introduction



1. The Basics of Ropecraft



What rope is made from and the best type of rope to use, rope terminology, choosing the right knot, hitches for every occasion, lashings

Types of Rope:

Materials: Cotton, manila, sisal, hemp, jute, synthetic polymer rope/polyamide (nylon), yarn, codline, coir (coconut), flax, horse and camel hair, date palms, reeds, esparto grass, wool and silk, polyester, polypropylene and polyethylene.

Construction: Laid, braided, plaited, sheath-and-core

Manufacturing processes/tools: Netting needle, gripfid, hollow fid, wire loop, jeweller's pliers, round-billed pliers, marlinespike

Choosing the right knot: Select for security, stability and strength

Stopper knots for prevention of fraying; handholds or footholds; decoration

Bends for joining two pieces of rope or string together

Binding knots for binding together poles, logs, spars and so on

Hitches for attaching a rope to a whole range of objects, including hooks, karabiners, rings, posts and so on

Loop knots for creating a single or double loops at the end of a line

2. Using Ropes in the Mountains



Making an improvised seat harness, the use of belaying, procedure for belaying, the importance of rappelling, rappelling techniques, anchoring climbing ropes

Knots for use in mountains or for climbing:






Overhand bend

Figure of eight (double or triple)

Clove hitch

Fisherman's knot

Double fisherman's knot

Triple fisherman's knot

Water knot

Prusik knot

Double Prusik knot

Bachman knot

Kleinheist knot

Italian hitch

Alpine butterfly bend

Bowline

Bowline with stopper

Bowline with two turns

Figure-of-eight loop

Threaded figure-of-eight loop

Bowline on the bight

Portuguese bowline

Common whipping

Flemish bend

Adjustable bend

One-way sheet bend

Heaving line bend

Mariner's knot

Peuberthy knot

Munter friction hitch

Double Munter friction hitch

Double Munter mule

Heddon knot

Double Heddon knot

Release hitch, top loaded

Release hitch, bottom loaded

Extended French Prusick knot

Ch-Fi knot

Wrapped and Reef Knotted Coil

Alpine coil

Figure-of-eight coil

Fireman's coil

Figure-of-eight loop

Alpine butterfly

Three-quarters figure of eight loop

Frost knot

Double Frost knot

Triple bowline

Adjustable loop




3. Using Ropes to Build Rafts



How to make a brush raft, vegetation raft and log rafts

4. Using Ropes to Build Shelters



Polar regions, A-frame shelter, pole preparation, lean-to shelter, willow frame shelter, sheltering in desert regions, challenge of the tropics.

Knots for rafts and shelters:






Marline hitch

Oklahoma hitch

Transom knot

Packer's knot

Square lashing

Sheer lashing

Diagonal lashing

Pole lashing

Double constrictor knot

5. Using Ropes at Sea



The skills, terminology, and uses of ropes (known as lines) in a maritime environment. Tips and skills from naval and marine soldiers.

Maritime knots:






Overhand knot

Slipped Overhand knot

Double Overhand knot

Figure-of-eight

Slipped Figure-of-Eight

Stopper knot

Sink stopper

Stevedore knot

Monkey's fist

Crown knot

Wall knot

Matthew Walker Knot

Manrope knot

Diamond knot

Double diamond knot

Sailor's cross

Reef knot

Slipped Reef knot

Surgeon's knot

Clove hitch

Clove hitch tied in a bight

Clove hitch tied with a working end

Constrictor knot

Double constrictor knot

Sheet bend

Double sheet bend

One-way sheet bend

Carrick bend

Hunter's bend

Ashley's bend

Fisherman's knot

Double Fisherman's knot

Water knot

Rolling hitch

Round turn and two half hitches

Buntline hitch

Three-way sheep bend

Poldo tackle

Versatackle

Braid knot

Fisherman's bend

Cow hitch with toggle

Sheepshank

Sheepshank man o'war

Marlinespike hitch

Highwayman's hitch

Waggoner's hitch

Sheer lashing

Prusik knot

Alpine butterfly

Bowline

Figure-of-eight loop

Bowline on the bight

Portuguese bowline

Spanish bowline

Angler's loop

Jury Mast knot

Back splice

Eye splice

Short splice

Long splice

Common whipping

French whipping

Sailmaker's whipping

Palm and needle whipping

West Country whipping

Flemish bend

Zeppelin bend

Heaving line bend

Racking bend

Seizing bend

Bowline bend

Twin bowline bend

Pedigree cow hitch

Cow hitch variant

Ground line hitch

Ossel hitch

Ossel knot

Gaff topsail halyard

Snuggle hitch bend

Boom hitch

Timber hitch

Lighterman's hitch

Icicle hitch

Bale sling hitch

Anchor bend

Halter hitch

Mooring hitch

Chi-Fi knot

Knife lanyard knot

Wrapped and reef knotted coil

Alpine coil

Figure-of-eight coil

Fireman's coil

Constrictor knot tied with an end/tied with a bight

Eskimo bowline

Double bowline

Water bowline

Brummycham bowline

Midshipman's hitch




Directory of Knots

A comprehensive directory of all of the most useful knots, from the half hitch and reef knot to complex slip knots and unusual splices




Stopper knots

Overhand knot

Slipped overhand knot

Multiple overhand knot

Oysterman's knot

Stevedore's knot

Figure-of-eight knot

Heaving line knot

Monkey's fist

Wall knot

Crown knot

Matthew Walker knot

Diamond knot

Manrope knot

Bends



Double grinner knot

Sheet bend

Fisherman's knot

Double Fisherman's knot

Figure-of-eight bend

Carrick bend

Ashley's bend

Hunter's bend

Harness bend

Blood knot

Water knot

Nail knot

Needle knot

Racking bend

Bowline bend

Flemish bend

Zeppelin bend

Adjustable bend

Surgeon's knot

Strop bend

Heaving line bend

Albright special

Simple Simon Over

Simple Simon Under

Shake Hands

Tumbling Thief knot

Alpine butterfly bend

Hitches



Half hitch

Timber hitch

Cow hitch (ring hitch, Lark's head, girth knot)

Ring hitch

Cat's Paw

Clove hitch

Round turn and two half hitches

Fisherman's bend

Rolling hitch

Hatter hitch

Highwayman's hitch

Mooring hitch

Barrel hitch

Bachmann knot

Prusik knot

Italian hitch

Barrel sling

Waggoner's hitch

Tucked half blood knot

Grinner knot

Turle knot

Figure-of-eight hitch

Buntline hitch

Ground line hitch

Ossel hitch

Gaff Topsail Halyard Bend

Snuggle Hitch

Boom hitch

Lighterman's hitch

Pile hitch

Icicle hitch

Bale sling hitch

Ring hitch

Anchor bend

Half blood knot

Palomar knot

Jansik special

Turle knot

True lover's knot

Binding knots



Reef knot

Surgeon's knot

Constrictor knot

Marline hitch

Oklahoma hitch

Transom hitch

Packer's knot

Square lashings

Sheer lashing

Diagonal lashing

Common whipping

French whipping

West Country whipping

Sailmaker's whipping

Seizing

Loop knots



Angler's loop

Figure-of-eight loop

Bowline

Eskimo bowline

Water bowline

Blood loop dropper knot

Farmer's loop

Manharness knot

Alpine butterfly

Three-quarter figure-of-eight loop

Frost knot

Spanish bowline

Brummycham Bowline

Triple figure-of-eight

Triple bowline

Bowstring knot

Midshipman's hitch

Tarbuck knot

Adjustable loop

Hangman's noose

Arbor knot

Bimini twist

Portuguese bowline

Tom Fool's knot

Handcuff knot

Fireman's chair knot

Glossary





Equipment Requirements





Useful Websites





Index