Technical Tips:   Tying Two Ropes Together

There is a lot of discussion about the "best" knot for tying two ropes together.

It depends - of course it depends. It always depends. For many of us, the preferred knot is the EDK, or Euro-Death-Knot, WITH a back-up knot. The first picture shows it loosely tied; the second, tightened up. Leave at least 6" of tail.

The EDK is good because it is easy to tie and untie. It is flat on one side, so it pulls easily over edges, and resists getting stuck in cracks better than many knots.

There are other names for this knot. Since it is based on an overhand knot, it could be called an "Overhand-EDK, with an overhand backup". Knot-nerds would call it the "one-sided overhand bend". For more on tying this knot, refer to The Oz Ultimate page of Canyoning Knots.

ALWAYS use a backup knot on the EDK. This is CRITICAL when the two ropes are different sizes.

When NOT to use an EDK The most important time to NOT use an EDK is when the ropes are very stiff. The EDK is a simple knot, and relies on the knotability of the rope for security. Therefore, when the rope is quite stiff, and resists being tied, use a higher-security knot, such as a double-fisherman's. Or get yourself a better rope.