Skill drill

How to Tie a Taut-Line Hitch

An adjustable loop that slides to tighten a tent or tarp guyline and holds where you leave it. A camp knot, not a roof-rack knot.

5 steps, about 3 minutes

Tie it in 3D one decision at a time. Choose wrong and you will watch the line let go.

When to use it

Staking out tent and tarp guylines at camp. Scout Life calls it the knot for guylines because it can make a line taut. Not for tying a boat to a car: the Kayaking pamphlet says road vibration makes it slide.

The steps

Round the stake
Two turns inside the loop
One turn outside
Snug it and slide it
Not for the car

A drill is practice. Tie each knot a few times in the driveway before you trust it on the highway.

The written guide

Step by step

1
Round the stake
Pass the end of the guyline round the tent stake.^{[3, 4]}
The loop round the stake is what the hitch will tighten and loosen.
2
Two turns inside the loop
Bring the end up beside the guyline and wrap it twice round the standing part, working back toward the stake: inside the loop.^{[3, 4]}
Scout Life takes the end round the standing part, then round again closer to the stake. The AMC coils it twice, working back toward the tent stake.
3
One turn outside
Going the same direction, take one more turn round the standing part outside the loop, above the first two, and tuck the end through it.^{[3, 4]}
That outside turn is a half hitch that locks the two inside turns. Scout Life says to go in the same direction.
4
Snug it and slide it
Work the slack out of the knot, then slide the hitch up the line to tighten the guyline, or down to loosen it.^{[3, 4, 5]}
The hitch slides to adjust and holds once pulled tight. The Antarctic Program calls it an adjustable loop that remains secure once the knot is pulled tight.
5
Not for the car
No. On the car, use a trucker's hitch. Keep the taut-line hitch for guylines at camp.^{[1, 2, 4]}
The Kayaking pamphlet is direct: the taut-line needs the rope kept tight to stop it slipping, and wind vibration from a moving car makes it slide. The AMC adds that it can loosen if tension is not maintained.

Avoid these

Common mistakes

Using it on the roof rack
Road vibration slides it loose. Use a trucker's hitch for bow, stern and hull lines.^[1]
Leaving it slack
It holds by staying under tension. A guyline left slack can let it loosen.^[4]
Slippery line
Scouting magazine notes the trucker's hitch, unlike the taut-line, won't slip when used with slippery line.^[2]

Watch & learn

Taut-line hitch on video

Picked from our video library. These are other creators' videos, so where one differs from the drill, the drill's sourced steps are the ones to follow.

YouTube
How to Tie a Taut-Line Hitch
Scout Life
0
YouTube
Taut-Line Hitch: How to Tie Knots (Eastmans')
Eastmans Hunting Journals
0
YouTube
How To Tie A Taut Line Hitch / Guy Line Knot
Bushcraft Boy
0