Skip to main content

Learn to tie the trucker’s hitch knot in under 5 minutes

From securing loads to setting up ridgelines, the trucker's hitch is an indispensable knot

A trucker's hitch tied in yellow rope.
Tom Kilpatrick / The Manual

Even the strongest person can only get a line so tight by heaving on it, and in the outdoor world, there are any number of situations where tight lines are imperative. Whether you’re tying a ridgeline for your tarp, setting up a washing line in camp, or using rope to attach your new kayak to the roof of your car, the trucker’s hitch knot gives you the edge to get your line taut. Unlike traditional outdoor knots, this hitch isn’t about securing or attaching ropes but creating a mechanical advantage using the rope.

A trucker’s hitch is a midline knot used between two objects — in this instance, trees — to tighten the line. In theory, the trucker’s hitch creates a system giving you a 3:1 mechanical advantage, giving you three times as much pull on your line. The friction from the rope limits this a little, but this knot is the best way to create a tight line without having to carry pulleys or ratchets into camp with you. Here’s how to tie a trucker’s hitch knot in four easy steps.

A directional figure-eight is tied in a yellow rope to start a trucker's hitch.
Tom Kilpatrick / The Manual

How to tie a trucker’s hitch knot

Step 1

  • Attach one end of your rope securely to the first tree using a bowline knot or similar.
  • Then tie a midline knot a couple of feet short of tree two.

The midline knot we have chosen is a directional figure-eight knot — a traditional figure-eight tied with a bight of rope rather than a tail — tied with the loop towards tree two. You could replace this with an alpine butterfly knot or a bowline knot on a bight. You may have seen the trucker’s hitch tied using a simple slip knot, but when the rope tightens, it can clamp and become extremely difficult to untie.

A trucker's hitch tied in yellow rope.
Tom Kilpatrick / The Manual

Step 2

  • Take the clean end from your figure-eight knot and run it around tree two, then back to your knot.
  • Loop this working end through the loop that is leaving your figure-eight.
  • Pull this rope until your line is tight. You may have to redress and adjust your knot to prevent the loop from becoming too large to work with, and you may also have to move or re-tie the knot if it pulls to tree two.
A trucker's hitch tied in yellow rope.
Tom Kilpatrick / The Manual

Step 3

  • Secure your trucker’s hitch in place with two half-hitches. Use one hand to retain the tension on your rope and lay the loose rope over the top of the two lines going to tree two.
  • Take that working end up through your created loop and pull it towards your trucker’s hitch knot.

Top tip: pinch the trucker’s hitch loop while you tighten your half hitches to prevent losing tension.

A trucker's hitch tied in yellow rope.
Tom Kilpatrick / The Manual

Step 4

Depending on how much rope you have left, it may be easier to tie these half-hitches on a bight rather than pulling the whole tail through. Tie your first half hitch with a long enough bight to tie a second with the entire loop, then leave the tail trailing towards tree two. These half hitches and the trucker’s hitch should easily untie, no matter how much tension you put on it.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tom Kilpatrick
A London-born outdoor enthusiast, Tom took the first ticket out of suburban life. What followed was a twelve-year career as…
5 mountain biking habits everyone on a mountain bike must learn ASAP
Ride hard, stay safe, avoid injury
Pedaling a mountain bike up a hill is harder than going down. Riders coming down should stop.

If you have jumped into the world of mountain biking like so many over the past few years, you may find that it can be an overwhelming space. Even figuring out what type of mountain bike you need (or that there even were different types) can feel like a lot.

With the first step of actually purchasing a mountain bike behind you, there are quite a few other things you want to consider. What mountain bike helmet should you get? What should you bring on each ride?

Read more
More people disappear in the Alaska Triangle than anywhere else
The mystery of the Alaska Triangle is solved. Well, sort of
Clouds surrounding a mountain in Alaska

If you’re into alien conspiracies, unsolved mysteries, high school geometry, and tropical islands, it doesn’t get more intriguing than the Bermuda Triangle (aka Devil’s Triangle). That was, of course, until the mystery of The Triangle was finally solved a few years ago! Well ... not really.

No matter, because we now know the Alaska Triangle exists and the mystery behind it is way, way more interesting. So much so that the Travel Channel even made a TV series out of it, where "[e]xperts and eyewitnesses attempt to unlock the mystery of the Alaska Triangle, a remote area infamous for alien abductions, Bigfoot sightings, paranormal phenomena, and vanishing airplanes." So, yeah, the Alaska Triangle has everything the Bermuda Triangle has, but with more mountains, better hiking, and a whole lot more crazy.

Read more
Going camping? You should take Irish Spring Soap with you, and there’s a really good (and weird) reason why
We bet it's not for the reason you think, either
Camping views through larch trees in the Enchantments during fall

Even if your mind has turned to colder times and the thought of hitting the slopes has you willing winter into existence, the reality is that we still have plenty of fall to come. Cooler weather and shorter days make fall an excellent camping season, with plenty of time for stargazing and getting cozy around your campfire. But it's not just us humans who like to get comfy as the weather turns.

Regular campers will be all too familiar with the ongoing challenge of keeping critters away from their tent or RV. Often, we focus on larger animals — after all, a bear trying to snag your lunch is more of an immediate danger than a swarm of bugs all after a bite of you — but there's one critter we often overlook. Around this time of year, mice and other small rodents are hunting for somewhere warm and cozy, and your sleeping bag or the inside of your RV is just the place they're looking for. Fortunately, there's a tried-and-tested camping hack to deter them, and the best news is that it's safe for pets and kids.

Read more