Tying a round turn and two half hitches to a fixed camp post

A round turn and two half hitches ties a line to a fixed object such as a tree, a post or a stake loop. It is a camp tie-off for a ridgeline or a guyline. Treat it as a practice knot until an instructor has checked your tying. It is not for any life-safety use.

When to use it at camp

Use it when a line must end at a fixed object rather than at a stake, for example a ridgeline run to a tree or a guyline tied to a post. Choose an object that is firmly fixed to the ground, and check that it will not lean, move or break when the line takes tension. A sapling that bends under the pull is not a fixed object for this purpose.

Look at the tie before you walk away from the pitch, every time. A knot can look finished and still be wrong, and the check takes less time than correcting a tie-out in the dark.

A ridgeline runs along the top of the pitch, and a guyline runs from a point on the shelter down to the ground. This knot finishes a line at a fixed object. A ridgeline run to a tree or a post fits that description. A guyline that ends at a peg in the ground does not, and this knot is not what that job needs. The points where lines meet the shelter are set by its geometry, which the A-frame geometry guide sets out, so decide where each line ends before you choose the object you will tie to.

Setting up before the first pass

Before you make the first pass, decide which side the standing part should leave the post. Lay the line so the working end can reach the post and the hitches can be made without reaching across the knot. Keep the line clear of other lines and of anything that could catch it while you tie. If the line is tangled, straighten it on the ground before you begin.

The four steps

The Knot bench gives four steps, and step 1 uses a fixed practice post. At camp, the post is your tree or fixed object.

1. Pass the working end around a fixed practice post.
2. Make another pass around the post: a round turn.
3. Make a half hitch around the standing part.
4. Add a second half hitch in the same direction, then verify with an instructor.

Step 2 is the round turn, and the bench shows it on its own: round turn at step 2. Practise the whole sequence on spare cord and a fixed practice post, moving through the steps with the bench slider until the shape is right each time.

What the round turn is

A round turn is two full passes of the line around the post, one after the other. Steps 1 and 2 make it. Keep the two passes side by side and flat, so that neither one crosses over the other in a tangle. The hitches come after the round turn is complete, not before.

The turns do the early work. The knot reference Animated Knots describes the round turn as taking the initial strain while you complete the knot, and recommends adding a turn or two when the pull is heavy, because extra turns let you control the load. Once the turns hold, the hitches only have to secure the end.

The two half hitches

Step 3 makes a half hitch around the standing part. Step 4 adds a second half hitch in the same direction as the first. Tied in the same direction, the two half hitches form a clove hitch around the standing part, which is the shape to look for. Pull them snug against each other so they lie side by side, then check that the working end leaves the last hitch on the side you planned. Animated Knots also notes that this tie is probably less secure than the anchor (fisherman's) hitch, so check it often on a line that moves.

Keep the working end under control while you tie the hitches. A loose end can pull a hitch out of place before you have finished, so make each hitch deliberately and check it before starting the next.

Checking the knot before you rely on it

Check these points before you leave the tie:

• Two full passes of the line around the post, lying side by side and not crossed.
• Two half hitches, both made around the standing part and in the same direction.
• Hitches snug against each other, with no loose turns.
• A fixed object, and a line that runs cleanly from it to the ridge or guy point.

Looks are not proof. Ask an instructor to check the tie, and check it again whenever the line has been eased, moved or retensioned.

If one pass crosses over another, or a hitch is not snug, untie the work and tie it again. Do not tighten a wrong tie and hope that it settles into shape.

Protecting the bark

A line pulled hard against bark can cut into it. Wide tree straps or padding placed between the line and the bark are commonly used to spread the contact. Keep the knot clear of existing wounds in the bark, and move the line instead of wrapping it tighter.

Look at the bark each time you return to the pitch. If it is worn or wounded at the tie point, move the line to a new point on the tree rather than tying over the damage.

Untying after the line has been loaded

Take the tension off the line before you untie anything. Loosen the two half hitches first, then unwind the round turn. A knot that has carried tension can set tight, so ease the hitches with a finger or a blunt tool rather than forcing them. If the hitches have set tight, ease them apart with a tent peg or another blunt tool rather than a blade, so the cord is not cut.

Where this knot stops

A knot percentage is not a working load, and this knot has no rating on this site. Before you assume a knot keeps any particular share of a rope, read why published knot strength figures disagree.

The material changes how a tie-off behaves. Guyline cord materials covers how stretch and slipperiness change a tie-off, and the tarp guyline length guide sets out how much line to allow. For the ridge height and end-guy distances that set the tie points, see A-frame tarp geometry, and check the ridge and end-guy distances with the Shelter studio.