The Anchor Hitch

The anchor hitch snugs tightly against a carabiner and is easy to untie. Although this hitch has been commonly used to attach connecting links in a closed climbing system, it can also be used to terminate cordage in connecting links within an open climbing system.

[@dragan3290]

I love the anchor hitch. It grabs beautifully!

[@ericbudtaylor]

good job explaining how to do this knot. Since May of this year, I have started using it in my search and rescue classes. It seems to stay put while we pull our "dummy" person up the embankments to safety. Before, we used a constrictor knot that was harder than heck to untie and wasn't as quickly tied. Thanks!

[@keithklassen5320]

Constrictor! Jeebus; that's for when you wanna untie it with a knife!

[@buddahslayer]

This is my preferred anchor knot because of it's cinching qualities, it's easy to tie and easy to inspect. I use it on a dmm ultra o with my hitch climber set up.

[@Lanchoooo]

Exactly..... quick and easy and can retie on an ascent. My favorite.

[@DonutMaster001]

good job. was clear and showed from a correct distance and angle......

[@bixbybixby6752]

This would hold somewhat---depends on type of rope and tension/no tension, but a regular anchor hitch always has the tail end half-hitched around the standing line, and done in the right direction, so it forms a clove hitch (around the standing line). There are variations, like putting the tail end TWICE under the round turn. Meh. (btw I wouldn't use an overhand stopper knot in the tail end because they are ridiculous to untie out of the line if subjected to any pressure. Maybe an overhand knot tied around the standing line with the free end.

[@sohnrog]

It's so fitting that you remind me of anchor man.

[@PLEDGEY]

Nice easy to understand video. Even if you're not a climber it's a good knot to know. Can't see why it got 4 dislikes.....strange.

[@prioritytree]

Excellent knot. I have used it a little before in the past but I was always afraid of it's strength, I know it holds good, it just doesn't look like it though.

[@Treesusb]

Great knot use everyday. For my throwline too.

[@billycrotty4102]

Iv used this but for attaching a rope to a karabiner for rigging or climbing I use a buntline hitch as it uses up less space on the karabiner and holds the same if not better as if you don't put the anchor hitch under tension straight away if you're climbing on it Iv known it to come undone with certain rope.

[@allenbowers4916]

Can you tie thise directly to a center D ring and run an eye to eye on a cbiner next to it???

[@Quadrant14]

good one.... as my main anchor knot anyways I use a round turn and 2 half hitches {or on the bite depending on the type of rope}, in this case I would have done a fig 8, but good to learn new knots

[@ashendenl]

Do these guys climb with groundsman helmets? Would they not fall off all the time? Also there is no maybe about tying a stopper not in an anchor hitch for me,...

[@prioritytree]

No, this videos where made a while ago, petzl helmets where just starting to come into vouge. Plus these guys are sponsored by Huskvarna, that is probably the main reason for the 'Husky' brand saw operator helmet.

[@boxinmetalx]

it is one of the safest there is, only termination knot i'd trust my life with more is the fishermans knot, for safety and peace of mind i tie into the karabiner with an anchor knot then with the tail i tie a fishermans as a stopper knot, ppl might laugh but better to be safe, why not take a few extra seconds to do it

[@keithklassen5320]

Weird how many people are talking about the double-8 loop; that's great for rock climbing, but it's terrible in arborist work! Too much slack in the line which leads to tons of wasted effort on ascents, takes too long to tie, is much more difficult to untie after it's been loaded, and it slops around on the 'biner, so you can't guarantee that your 'biner won't roll into an unsafe and/or inconvenient configuration. If you're climbing trees, you owe it to yourself to use a hitch like this anchor hitch. If you're worried about it coming out, just tie some extra half-hitches into the standing line, but really, a majority of arborists use this hitch on a daily basis, and I've never experienced or heard of any issues with it. The doubled-8 is used in rock climbing, to tie to the soft loops of a rock climbing harness; it has become standard in that usage for some very particular reasons that are totally irrelevant to arborist work. It's used in part because it is incredibly easy to visually identify, and so the belayer can inspect it immediately and know that the climber they are responsible for is safe. It's also good for beginners as well as pro climbers, again because of its easily identified shape; this leads to a cultural norm that everyone can get behind and reinforce consistently, leading to better, more consistent safety in the sometimes casual and sporty atmosphere of rock climbing. It needs to be a fixed loop in order to avoid capsizing the cloth loops of a rock harness; 'biners aren't used, because they would quickly be compromised when they repeatedly impact the rock. This is not an issue in tree work, and so 'biners abound. TLDR: damn rock climbers, this is an arborist video!

[@AnonymousOtters]

Actually, you are entirely wrong on several points here, just shows your incompetence with the technique. Rock climbing biners are not weakened by casual impact with rock. They impact literally thousands of times over their life of use, and never fail from these stresses. They may fail, however, from fractures cause in massive drops, such as down a cliff face. That is a whole magnitude difference in force. The 8 has nothing to do with capsizing the cloth loops of a harness. To be honest, I have no clue what you are even talking about here. The loops on a harness are most often doubled over, thick, stitched through pieces, that can very easily be tied to with restricting knot. Secondly, the 8 (and other knots) can be and often is tied to a carabiner in climbing, especially in applications like gyms or "open climbs" where multiple people are using the same rope over and over. This extends with other knots to anchoring, ascending, and various other rope work. Damn arborist, know your rock-climbing if you are going to spray about it

[@nickdannunzio7683]

Is this the knot used to tie a line to an anchor...???

[@boxinmetalx]

the firgure 8 is a poor choice to be honest, it is strong and safe but it doesn't cinch on the karabiner and it can move and cross load the biner very easily, in the USA now i'm pretty sure it is not illegal to terminate ur life support with one in a work setting

[@zennor_man]

Good demo...but would have preferred you emphasised the stopper knot by including it...thanks

[@purplemonkeyelephant]

Is this a knot that you could rely on to support your full weight?

[@refaiabdeen5943]

Cheers Mate!

[@tromboista]

What is is used for?

[@agustinmireles5817]

Stopper knot is a must. Or figure eight

[@TemplarX2]

No. Never needed it barrel knot for it. Figure of eight consumes too much rope for a prussik/schwabisch type rope. Really impractical.

[@purplemonkeyelephant]

For clipping into a carabiner a figure eight follow through (from a bight) seems like a quicker and stronger option. Still a good knot to know though I guess

[@justincapp9027]

ALL Good INFO BOYS !

[@OverdoseATL]

yes termination knots are life support..

[@Aux1Dub]

Quality video

[@YManCyberDude]

Doesn't the Anchor Hitch require 2 half hitches going back up the standing end ?

[@Sherpaful]

***** Yep. I'm not sure what this knot is in the video, but it's not an anchor hitch

[@keithklassen5320]

It often is used with half-hitches, but that's not the essential anchor hitch.

[@Cannibal713]

I've noticed that after the 50 Shades movie, you're seeing a lot more hits on vids about rope usage. I wonder why....

[@vunguyenanhvu9331]

sao khong co tieng viet vay ban

[@j4grave]

Hmm.....I'll have to try this one. I've always used a clove hitch & a half when securing cargo to my truck. If this is easy to un-do, ya converted me. Thnx.

[@waykno8478]

If load is static, good. If it's dynamic, use a stopper.

[@FranktheDachshund]

Having never had to rely on a knot for safety, I wouldn't be able to help myself from finishing all knots with a bunch of granny knots to keep the whole mess from slipping apart.

[@4seasons163]

That's what he refers to as a "stopper knot". ISA says that if its dress and set correctly that it won't slip based on tests. Personally, and from my mentor I was taught to use a stopper knot on this knot specifically and others. Trust me i feel the same way and i climb on this stuff lol but instead of making a mess of knots we use specific ones that can't come undone. Like the figure 8. Hope this helps lol!

[@angryagain68]

Fisherman's bend.

[@pentachronic]

There's no way I would use that knot. If it gets jarred it can slip over the hard tie-in loop and come loose. I'd use a figue-8 retrace through my hard points. As is typical with climbers. Tail can feed into a yosemite tuck.

[@keithklassen5320]

The thing with an 8 is, it doesn't hold on one spot on the 'biner; it shifts about, and that loses you control and consistency, which you need in commercial tree work. Tons of people run the anchor as their daily bread, and I've neither experienced nor heard about an issue with it. I can't say the same for an 8; it's certainly traditional among rock climbers, but that has more to do with tying onto the cloth loops of a rock climbing harness, and needing a knot that is easily identifiable by all climbers, so that the belayer and climber can both trust each other in a team. Basically, the 8 is good in rock climbing for very real reasons, but those reasons don't exist in arborist work, and other needs take the forefront. An 8 isn't as easy to tie or untie, it's bulky, and it's loose on the 'biner. If you're climbing trees, you owe it to your aching muscles to take some slack out of your system with a hitch like the anchor hitch.

[@marceloberrutti5645]

Keith Klassen

[@TemplarX2]

Try it. It's amazing how reliable this hitch is. Problem with figure 8 is it consumes a lot of rope (especially a prussik type of rope). If you don't have eyes at the end of your rope and want to do for example a schwabisch (which I use to climb), then you'll end up with two bulky fig 8 on the carabiner instead of two elegant anchor hitch. Plus fig 8 don't hold as well along the carabiner strong axis and can be side loaded (which outright dangerous in some case). Anchor hitch looks only shoddy but is actually very reliable. it's just psychological.

[@billymercey4654]

I get creative with a figure eight knot and eat up a bunch of rope

[@theducttapeguy]

yes

[@FFsup]

seems to me that this knot may get undone rather easily

[@GreatDataVideos]

Definitely not.

[@wildlifewarrior2670]

It's a choker hitch it will not come undone the weight will cinch it to the carabiner

[@Oakclimbercj]

If you leave a much longer tail I wonder if you could use it to form a blakes hitch - thus drt system just ad a pulley and go. cheap hitch climber set up.

[@keithklassen5320]

You could, but that might load it up really tight, and the end of the hitch leading to the Blake's would have a sharp bend in it, which is usually discouraged, as it weakens the rope at that point. Generally people use a clove hitch instead if they're gonna use the tail like that; it deals well with load from both sides, as it's symmetrical.

[@steventhaw7711]

Always tie directly into the harness. Or use two carabiners opposite gates reversed.

[@AnonymousOtters]

Too bad arborist replying here still think they have a unique safety approach from all other rope worker's out there that have abandoned this hitch in recent years because it becomes easily undone with if you move around much. The hitch can incidentally untie if the standing loop of the knot becomes hooked against an object like bark or any other sharp edge and is pulled. Any knot or hitch which require more knots or hitches to backup is useless IMO

[@tomthompson7400]

seen anchor hitches come undone too often ,,, they dont like load and unload often ,,, may as well tie a bow ,,, when used on an anchor they are under a constant load , that stops them walking ,,, just my views ,,, to each their own.

[@mr.thomas5186]

Looks like sheet bend

[@wildlifewarrior2670]

A proper anchor hitches going over the standing and not under the standing end

[@Sherpaful]

This isn't anywhere close to how I was taught to tie an anchor hitch.....I think this knot is mislabeled.

[@sensorpixel]

It's actually called the Anchor Bend, which is a mislabel as it is technically a hitch.

[@yunk9]

Fig 8 for me.

[@dqmc07]

It's really sad to see grown men cry about who likes to use what, y'all probably the same ones who speed up when someone wants to change lanes in front of you even when using a turn signal, Have a blessed day.....

[@Onabeach]

Dude, thats a double becket bend