Simple guide to bowline knots for tying in

Hey everyone, I've been playing around with using a bowline knot for tying in because I felt that I didn't have enough to worry about while climbing. After combing through the internet and playing around with some knots, I've decided to compile this simple, comprehensive guide for using a bowline knot for tying in. Bowline knots are easier to untie than a rethreaded figure 8, but may come undone spontaneously for the same reason. Thus some considerations are necessary when using this knot to tie in.

First, the simple bowline knot. Shown below, we see the 3 steps for tying in. After threading the end of the rope up through your harness, construct a nipping loop in the rope as shown. Then thread the end of the rope through this loop and back around the rope, forming the collar. Finally, thread the end of the rope back through the nipping loop, cinch tight, and you have a standard bowline.

While easy to untie after a climb, the tail of this rope may work its way back through the nipping loop, rendering the knot useless, as stated previously. This can be solved in a few ways. First, a double-fisherman's knot may be used as a backup:

Additionally, one can make a douple nipping loop to hold the rope tighter, followed up by a double fisherman's:

Another way to increase the security of the knot is to construct a rethreaded bowline. This is essentially a bowline with a bowline backup. This is my favorite as it's simple, secure, and looks good. A yosemite finish can be added for no good reason.

With enough tail, the yosemite finish can be turned into a double rethread bowline knot, such that you have a bowline backed up by a bowline backed up by a bowline. Obviously one can then add a yosemite finish to this if they want to feel special. This may be repeated ad nauseum, limited only by the size of your tie in points or the length of your rope.

Finally, the perfect bowline knot. Simply construct a rethreaded bowline (or double rethreaded bowline, or triple, etc.) with enough tail to tie a rethreaded figure 8. This has all the advantages of a standard bowline and none of the drawbacks. It's easy to untie, as the figure 8 will never see any load. The knot is also mega secure, as it is backed up by an entire figure 8.

The advantages of this rethreaded bowline rethreaded figure 8 knot are endless:

• Bomber
• Easy to untie
• Additional gear loop
• Built-in personal anchor
• Can clip in to and hang on gear easily without people noticing
• People will think you're cool because you tie in on a bowline
• People will think you're smart because you tie in on a simple rethreaded figure 8
• etc.

That being said, I will still be tying in with the standard rethreaded figure 8 for the foreseeable future, as I don't like how the word "bowline" is pronounced.

Please discuss.

I shudder to think of the myriad ways one could clip the wrong strand of that last option while in the throes of a desperate lead.

Surprised you didn't mention this, but if you start with a figure eight a few feet from the end of your rope, you can use a rethreaded bowline backed up by a rethreaded figure eight on your load strand. The figure eight will cinch down in a fall and prevent the tail from unthreading from your bowline.

Elijah Benson wrote:

Surprised you didn't mention this, but if you start with a figure eight a few feet from the end of your rope, you can use a rethreaded bowline backed up by a rethreaded figure eight on your load strand. The figure eight will cinch down in a fall and prevent the tail from unthreading from your bowline.

That's good, but then you lose the additional gear loop created by my method. Pass.

Ian Bales wrote:

That's good, but then you lose the additional gear loop created by my method. Pass.

True, but you create a secure loop for an extended rappel

This is amazing

Can you incorporate a Gri Gri on that loop between the two knots?

PWZ wrote:

Can you incorporate a Gri Gri on that loop between the two knots?

I don’t see why knot. It might also be useful as a second belay loop for aid and big wall shenanigans.

PWZ wrote:

Can you incorporate a Gri Gri on that loop between the two knots?

Super munter would be more appropriate choice.

mbk wrote:

Super munter would be more appropriate choice.

Can we settle on both? Because... redundancy!

Thank you Ian for this wonderful and incredibly helpful guide. Do you mind sharing a printable pdf version so i can distribute it to all the staff at my gym? Last time I tied in with a double bowline with a single rethread (the sugma bowline as I was taught) they revoked my belay card. 

Great advice. When I use the quintuple rethreaded bowline I find that I usually don’t have enough rope left for the climb. My solution is to lengthen the rope using a second rope tied with a double fisherman’s backed up with two more double fisherman’s on each end. You have to deal with passing the knot every pitch but it’s worth it for the extra security.

I find that double ropes, one with a re threaded bowline backed with a re threaded 8 and the other with a re threaded 8 backed with the re t bowline gives a nice symmetrical look and TWO gear loops as well as redundancy that a single rope lacks. Most use this technique with two harnesses and two belayers.

I feel like Trevor could learn quite a lot from this thread

Ian Bales wrote:

Hey everyone, I've been playing around with using a bowline knot for tying in because I felt that I didn't have enough to worry about while climbing. After combing through the internet and playing around with some knots, I've decided to compile this simple, comprehensive guide for using a bowline knot for tying in. Bowline knots are easier to untie than a rethreaded figure 8, but may come undone spontaneously for the same reason. Thus some considerations are necessary when using this knot to tie in.

First, the simple bowline knot. Shown below, we see the 3 steps for tying in. After threading the end of the rope up through your harness, construct a nipping loop in the rope as shown. Then thread the end of the rope through this loop and back around the rope, forming the collar. Finally, thread the end of the rope back through the nipping loop, cinch tight, and you have a standard bowline.

While easy to untie after a climb, the tail of this rope may work its way back through the nipping loop, rendering the knot useless, as stated previously. This can be solved in a few ways. First, a double-fisherman's knot may be used as a backup:

Additionally, one can make a douple nipping loop to hold the rope tighter, followed up by a double fisherman's:

Another way to increase the security of the knot is to construct a rethreaded bowline. This is essentially a bowline with a bowline backup. This is my favorite as it's simple, secure, and looks good. A yosemite finish can be added for no good reason.

With enough tail, the yosemite finish can be turned into a double rethread bowline knot, such that you have a bowline backed up by a bowline backed up by a bowline. Obviously one can then add a yosemite finish to this if they want to feel special. This may be repeated ad nauseum, limited only by the size of your tie in points or the length of your rope.

Finally, the perfect bowline knot. Simply construct a rethreaded bowline (or double rethreaded bowline, or triple, etc.) with enough tail to tie a rethreaded figure 8. This has all the advantages of a standard bowline and none of the drawbacks. It's easy to untie, as the figure 8 will never see any load. The knot is also mega secure, as it is backed up by an entire figure 8.

The advantages of this rethreaded bowline rethreaded figure 8 knot are endless:

• Bomber
• Easy to untie
• Additional gear loop
• Built-in personal anchor
• Can clip in to and hang on gear easily without people noticing
• People will think you're cool because you tie in on a bowline
• People will think you're smart because you tie in on a simple rethreaded figure 8
• etc.

That being said, I will still be tying in with the standard rethreaded figure 8 for the foreseeable future, as I don't like how the word "bowline" is pronounced.

Please discuss.

Just tie a fig 8. Use an "escape loop" (yose finish with room to yank it out) if you're worried about untying it.

This is effin' hilarious.

Tradiban wrote:

Just tie a fig 8. Use an "escape loop" (yose finish with room to yank it out) if you're worried about untying it.

Not for nothing but pretty sweet to see the head troll get trolled