Trucker's hitch
A tie-down with a pulley in it: pulls a load tight, such as a kayak on a roof rack.
- Use
- Boat and kayak
- Lines
- Rope
- Difficulty
- Takes practice
White: the standing part. Orange: the end you work with. Mirror flips the drawing for tying left-handed.
Steps
Part way along the standing line, tie a fixed loop, such as a figure-eight loop or an overhand loop on a bight.
Take the end round the anchor point.
Bring it back up through the loop and pull: the loop works like a pulley and gets the line very tight.
Hold the tension and lock it with two half hitches round both lines just below the loop.
Tips
- Practise it before you need it.
Sources
Each step was checked against these written guides:
- Outdoor Life, Essential knots
- Field & Stream, The best outdoor knots
- Scout Life, How to tie something down
Drawings and animation by Fishwake. We give no breaking-strength figures: published numbers differ with the line and the test.
