Six KnotsWhat each knot is for, and — as importantly — what it must not be used for.Practical skillsA knot has a job. Using one outside its job is how knots fail.KnotUse it forNot forBowlineA fixed loop that will not slipLoads that shake it looseFigure-eightA stopper, and climbing tie-inJoining two ropesClove hitchQuick tie to a postAnything critical aloneTaut-line hitchAn adjustable guy lineHeavy loadsSheet bendJoining two ropes of different sizeRopes under shock loadTwo half hitchesSecuring to a ring or railSlippery synthetic ropeEvery knot weakens a rope by 20–50%. Dress it — lay the turns flat —before loading it.Six Knotslearnposters.com
Six Knots — printable life skills wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

What’s on the Six Knots poster

A 6-row table: Knot · Use it for · Not for.

A knot has a job. Using one outside its job is how knots fail.

Every knot weakens a rope by 20–50%. Dress it — lay the turns flat — before loading it.

Questions about the Six Knots poster

What’s on the Six Knots poster?
A 6-row table: Knot · Use it for · Not for. A knot has a job. Using one outside its job is how knots fail. Bowline — A fixed loop that will not slip — Loads that shake it loose; Figure-eight — A stopper, and climbing tie-in — Joining two ropes; Clove hitch — Quick tie to a post — Anything critical alone; Taut-line hitch — An adjustable guy line — Heavy loads; Sheet bend — Joining two ropes of different size — Ropes under shock load; Two half hitches — Securing to a ring or rail — Slippery synthetic rope. Every knot weakens a rope by 20–50%. Dress it — lay the turns flat — before loading it.
Who is the Six Knots poster for?
Six Knots belongs to the Practical skills section rather than to a school year, because life skills is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning outdoors can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Six Knots poster?
Learn six properly rather than twenty badly. These six cover almost everything. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Six Knots belongs on the wall where that life skills work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Six Knots?
Building a Fire, Foraging Safety and Staying Found sit alongside Six Knots in the Practical skills section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Building a FireForaging SafetyStaying Found
Is the Six Knots poster free to download and print?
Yes. Six Knots downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Practical skills section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Six Knots poster print at?
Six Knots is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Six Knots loses nothing.Printing guide

Related posters

Charts that sit alongside Six Knots on the same wall.

Browse every Practical skills poster, or start from the full catalogue.