Skip to main content

Six Essential Knots for Summer Shenanigans

Knowing the right knot for any situation is one of the most useful skills a man can have, and with summer just around the corner, we thought it’d be helpful to give you a quick-reference guide to knots that will most likely come in handy during all the crazy recreational activities you’ve undoubtedly got planned. Enjoy!

Trucker’s Hitch

This knot comes in handy in lots of different situations, but it’s particularly useful for fastening large things (kayaks, rafts, bikes, etc) to the roof of your car. When tied properly, it works a lot like a pulley system and allows you to apply a great deal of tension to the rope before it’s secured.

Bowline

Honestly, no good knot guide would be complete without a mention of the bowline. It’s sometimes called The King of Knots, and for good reason. It comes in handy in just about every situation. If you need a solid loop that won’t slip –for, say, securing a towrope to the back of a boat for waterskiing– this is the knot you want.

Fisherman’s Knot

This knot only really has one use, but there’s no better way to secure a hook to the end of a fishing line. There are other knots that get the job done, but this one is arguably the easiest to remember of the bunch.

Cleat Hitch

Now that boating season will soon be in full swing, chances are pretty good that you’ll encounter a situation where some kind of watercraft needs to be fastened to a dock. The cleat hitch is the fastest and most secure way to do this, and knowing it will make you a much more useful sailing companion.

Taut Line Hitch

This knot is immensely useful when setting up a tent, shelter, or any line that requires adjustable length and tension. When not under a load, the knot slips along the standing part of the line allowing you to remove the slack, but when placed under a load, it locks in place

Square Knot

Much the bowline, the square knot is another knot that’s great in numerous different situations. It’s great for tying two pieces of rope together — so long as those ropes will not be subjected to large loads. We’ve found that it’s particularly useful for tying up bundles of firewood for easy transport

Know of any other knots that might come in handy this summer? Tell us about ’em!

Topics
Drew Prindle
Drew is our resident tech nerd. He’s spent most of his life trying to be James Bond, so naturally he’s developed an…
From Gilda Radner to Ali Wong, these are the best female comedians of all time
These women from all generations will make you laugh out loud
Ai Wong comedian 2017 Moontower comedy festival

Hot take: I don’t care for straight male comedians. It’s not that they’re not funny, they’re just … I don’t know, boring? Maybe that’s reductive of me, but I never seem to leave a straight male comedian’s set feeling particularly inspired. And though some may argue that it’s not important for a set to "inspire" its audience, I’d actually argue that the opposite is true. For me, I want to see a comedian use humor to address real issues and say real things about the world, even if they do it in a completely goofy way.

Therefore, I tend to prefer female and female-identified comedians. They’re sharp, tough, and have often seen shit that makes their comedy feel raw and true. Undoubtedly there are male comedians who do this, too, but to a much lesser degree, in my very humble and very personal opinion.

Read more
12 classic sci-fi books everyone should read
If you love science fiction and reading, these classic sci-fi novels are a must
Man reading a book and drinking coffee

It may feel like we were recently living in a science-fiction dystopia life -- and in some ways, we were -- but that doesn't mean that we should simply avoid an entire genre of writing. Hardly. In fact, this is probably the perfect time to explore classic sci-fi books, to see what the masters have written, and maybe even see if someone predicted anything like this. Many, though, simply ignore sci-fi wholly and completely because of an association with robots, aliens, and the like.

Long story short, if you think you don't like sci-fi, you have never read great books from the genre. But indeed, many such books abound, including a number that has delighted generations of readers going back well over 150 years. In fact, one of the best things about so many sci-fi books is their very timelessness. As by definition, this type of fiction breaks away from the norms of the everyday world -- whether slightly twisting things or taking place on entire other worlds -- the stories often feel as fresh and relevant today as when they were published decades ago.

Read more
The 7 best classic fantasy books to get lost in
Even adults can enjoy entering the fantasy world
Man reading a book

Using the term "fantasy" when it comes to fiction, we are admittedly casting a pretty wide net. After all, think about just how many shows and movies could technically be considered fantasy, too. If. we're talking about classic, canonical fantasy, though, the net shrinks considerably. If a book is to stand the test of time to be considered a classic -- regardless of genre -- it has to be damn good. At the risk of offending plenty of authors and fantasy fans both of yesteryear and today, most fantasy writing ... how should I put this? In a few decades, it won't be on some future writer's list of fantasy classics.

I say all that as an absolute fan of fantasy writing. From the Game of Thrones books, our era's Lord of the Rings, to the novels of Neil Gaiman, to the Twilight series (except not that), there is a plethora of great fantasy writing being produced today. But if you're looking to get into the genre or are already an aficionado with a few gaps in your reading list, classic fantasy novels are always a fine choice, as are classic mysteries, classic adventure books, and on it goes across every genre of literature.

Read more