Adjustable and tensioning knots

Adjustable-grip hitch (taut-line hitch)

What it is for: tent and tarp guy lines, clotheslines, and any rope you need to tighten or loosen later. The knot slides by hand along the standing part and locks itself under load.

1. Go around the stake (or the tree) and bring the working end back next to the standing part.
2. Two turns inside: make two turns around the standing part, moving toward the stake, inside the loop that formed.
3. One turn outside: pass the working end outside those turns and make one more turn around the standing part, now on the tent side.
4. Finish like a half hitch: tuck the working end under itself and tighten the turns.
5. Adjust: slide the knot toward the tent to tighten and toward the stake to loosen.

On very slippery or very stiff rope it can slip: add one more turn inside.

Trucker's hitch (pulley hitch)

What it is for: tightening a rope to the maximum to tie cargo to a vehicle or trailer, or the ridgeline of a tarp. The rope works like a pulley: in theory it multiplies your force by three, although friction reduces the gain.

1. Tie one end to the load or to a fixed point.
2. Make a fixed loop in the standing part, leaving space between it and the anchor so you can tighten. The alpine butterfly is best; a slipping loop jams and can come loose.
3. Go around the anchor (hook, bar, or ring) with the working end.
4. Pass the working end through the loop and pull toward the anchor to tighten.
5. Finish off by pinching the rope under the loop and tying two half hitches around both legs, or with a slipped half hitch to release quickly.

Do not over-tighten: you can break a thin rope, crush the load, or bend a roof rack bar. Where the rope rubs inside the loop it wears: check it each time you use it.

Prusik

What it is for: a sliding grip on another rope: it moves by hand when loose and locks when loaded. It is useful for fixing the corners of a tarp to the ridgeline, hanging items from a clothesline without them sliding, or making a gripping point on a rope.

1. Make a loop of cord thinner than the main rope, closed with a double fisherman's knot.
2. Pass the loop behind the main rope and then through itself (like a cow hitch).
3. Repeat until you have three turns, always through the same loop.
4. Arrange the turns parallel, without crossing, and tighten. The load should pull from the center part of the knot.
5. Test it: if it slips (wet, icy, or slippery rope), add turns.