Since it can be slipped to tighten or loosen a line, and it also holds well under load, it is a great not for camping.
This makes it useful for lines that may need adjustment.
I learned it in the boy scouts and use it to tie tent and tarps to stakes, because it slides freely, yet jams under load, which makes adjustments easy.
Tying a Tautline Hitch
- Make a turn around a post or other object several feet from the free end.
- Coil the free end twice around the standing line working back toward the post.
- Make one additional coil around the standing line on the outside of the coils just made.
- Tighten the knot and slide it on the standing line to adjust tension.
The taut line hitch was the first knot I learned in the Boy Scouts (but I already knew the square knot from my dad). This knot is perfect for guy lines on tarps and tents.
I can think of 8 taut line hitch knots being used semi-permanently at the land – tying down the tarp at my campsite, and trying down a tarp on the back of the shed.