Survival Skill: Knots
At True North, our instructors teach our clients that when dealing with an emergency, a response that is simple and quick is usually best. That’s because in an emergency, a survivor is almost always handicapped in some way by limited resources, whether it be gear, energy, or time. So a survivor often must make the most of these limited resources by making good decisions as quickly as possible, and taking action as automatically, almost robotically, as possible. One survival skill, then, that should reflect this is tying knots.
Why is knowing such a skill so well so important? Because this ability can help you to hit all seven of your survival priorities. So with the right knot, or set of knots, the survivor can more effectively and efficiently build a shelter for the night; create a bow to make a fire by friction; or make a litter to haul an injured hiker out of the woods, just to name a few examples.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you need to know 101 types of knots. Instead, in our courses, we typically teach just five simple ones. This may not sound like much, but since they are fundamentally useful in multiple ways, if the survivor knows how to tie just these five knots quickly and effectively, then, with even these few, she can accomplish 101 objectives.
Check out our training videos below to learn more about them, or to provide a refresher. However, if you want to better use such knots, I strongly encourage you to take a training class, like our Wilderness Survival 101 or Basic Wilderness Survival. After all, books, videos and apps, while helpful learning tools, are never a substitute for understanding what’s really involved.
1. Timber Hitch
2. Butterfly Knot
3. Trucker’s Hitch
4. Slip Knot
5. Clove Hitch
