Knots for Vertical Caving and Cave Rescue

[@justrione]

Thank you

[@matuszwalus9295]

Best knots video I've seen so far. Clean, easy to read and with good commentary. Thank you very much! Just in time to practice before my cave exploration camp in Tatra mountains, Poland.

[@bushuaiwei3840]

Thank you for your analysis！

[@benoduartebd]

Wow nice video👍

[@wozwandering4255]

great video and plenty of information will be watching again thanks Derek for your time 👍

[@lindseyschippers6156]

I love this video. Easy to follow along! Thank you!

[@dynamicconceptjb]

Great video, thank you for sharing.

[@syzygy2043]

Educational as always. Thanks Derek.

[@southernindianaoutdooradve7783]

I’m a part of our local cave rescue team. Excellent video

[@RawSauce338]

Nice! loving what the VTC has i store for the community.

[@lundysden6781]

Cool review!

[@benhazell470]

Great video, can you do a video on how to set up cowstails/safeties so they’re the right lengths for SRT etc?

[@maxshramkov]

Good morning mate. I hope Derek wil answer, but I want to share my experience also) As i was tought in speleology school, based on French sistems (sorry, don't know in English) - so, long cow's tail should be 65 sm and short one - 40 sm , including the carabineer. So we count as a standard Petzel Spelegyka

[@benhazell470]

@@maxshramkov thanks for your comment, do you attach your had ascender to a cows tail? Therefore do you find a cowstails length is personal to your arm length etc? Or do you have a separate line for hand ascender and foot loop?

[@maxshramkov]

@@benhazell470 in our school sometimes also have discussions about this)) Basic sistem, as i was tought, is when you have two standarted cowstails and ascender with the foot loope is your separate line. So in general, we have 3 cow's tails. And the length of that third one is individual and depends on hight and reach. Arguments to this sistem are: 1. lt is easier to walk on horizontal rope lines (don't know in English) when they're placed on the wall with no natural stares for feet. 2. You can use acender, when going through the station (also don't know the proper word:)) when descending, to remove short cowstail safely and easy. 3. When cowstails are standarted, then it is easier to do standart lengths of the rope loopes in stations when rigging, so it would be comfortable for every caver to pass them.

[@douglaspinsak1246]

You seem like a guy who knows what he's doing.

[@bushuaiwei3840]

I learned a lot from your video. thank you very much! It would be better if there were more in-depth Technical Aid Climbing!

[@maxshramkov]

Thanks, man! Very useful video. I was searching for this tricky Yosemite bowline, you showed me. I personally use mostly double bowline when rigging , instead of double figure eight. By the way, in Russian speleology, we call it "rabbit's ear's" :)

[@DerekBristol]

I may make a video on double-loop knots to show how they're tied, applications, pros and cons of each. Would cover double figure-8, bowline on a bight, fusion knot, and figure-8 + butterfly. This video is limited to those knots taught by NCRC, which does not include the bowline on a bight. I think some cavers might say "rabbit ears" for any double loop knot, but in the US it means specifically the double figure-8.

[@PedroSR97]

Derek I know this is not the topic, but I think it will be cool to talk more about what type of clothes, boots or backpacks take to a cave. Turns out that this topic is very difficult to find any information. If you know some site I will be grateful.

[@DerekBristol]

www.derekbristol.com/gear-overview

[@PedroSR97]

@@DerekBristol Thanks Derek.

[@AdHocF1]

No mention of the fusion knot, or even the bowline on a bight? The former is safer than the Fig-8 and doesn’t jam.

[@DerekBristol]

I may do a double-loop knot video in the future. This video wasn't intended to cover every knot... just what most would consider the fundamental ones. I agree the fusion is easier to untie than the double figure eight... but safer?

[@AdHocF1]

@@DerekBristol Can’t remember exact test results, but from memory, several load/strain tests showed the Fig-8 to rupture before the Karash/Fusion knot. The Fusion knot can also be used on two anchors vs. one for the Fig-8. It’s what we commonly use (along with the bowline on a bight) in Tasmania, no one has used Fig-8s here in many years.

[@hauntedcaptainphoenix5363]

I need a cave deep underground.

[@CDurai]

Hi Derek. Why would one choose to do a clove hitch on a carabiner as opposed to a figure eight on a bight? I've used a clove hitch to attach buoys to the railing of a fishing vessel but never imagined using it on a biner. Is it simply like you said that it uses less rope and is easily adjustable?

[@DerekBristol]

These are knots taught by NCRC for cave rescue purposes. The most common use of the clove hitch in their world is to attach bridles to Ferno litters. They don't use a lot of rope, are easy to adjust, and hold tight when tied around a litter handle. I generally don't use them in cave rigging, though I frequently use them when building rock climbing anchors. The advantages are as you stated.

[@BrianRRenfro]

My thing with knots is you can get by with three or four knots in SRT. Honestly you can get by 90 percent of the time with just a figure 8. Knowing a specific knot for everything is awesome but not knowing ANY for a certain purpose is a killer. I tell people if they have to think about how to tie it for even a millisecond...use a different knot. One they can tie while asleep. I see a lot of guys pause, start, stop, start over and I am like, "Just tie a figure 8 in it and learn the other knot again at home." Again I am not saying to ONLY learn a couple knots but I am saying to learn the absolute basics first AND THEN become a walking encyclopedia of knots. Learn to tie 3 or 4 knots expertly first instead of being crappy at 40 different ones!

[@cezarybadocha3587]

Hi Derek! In Your opinion, is knot in 3:00 well dressed? I think, the bottom left strands are crossing each other.

[@DerekBristol]

It's in process. Definitely a bit harder in stiff static rope. I'm not sure there's such a thing as a perfectly dressed knot, and it's generally a good thing to do, but a poorly dressed knot is not necessarily unsafe.

[@cezarybadocha3587]

@@DerekBristol thak You for Your answer. I totally agree.

[@jackk7380]

No square knot, in the history of square knots, has ever come untied.

[@DerekBristol]

Ha!