The Most Useful Rope Knots
for the Average Person to Know

Triple-Loop Knots




For your convenience, you can now download this entire website (all 9 articles) in a single .ZIP file: UsefulRopeKnots.zip (approx. 4 MB). To unzip this file, try downloading a free evaluation version of WinZip at WinZip's Download Page. Be sure to come back here periodically to check for any changes to these articles.

 

Site Map

If you have never visited this website before then I would recommend that you begin at the Home Page. It explains that the type of rope you use, the age of the rope, the wear and tear on the rope, the types of knots you tie, whether you tied the knots properly or not, whether you "dressed" the knots properly or not, whether you "set" the knots properly or not, and so on, all have an impact on the Safe Working Load of your rope and the security of the knots you tie. Whatever risks are associated with the rope or string that you use and the knots that you tie, remember that the risks are entirely your own.

Here is a list of the articles in this series. Every link will open up in a new window to give you more control as you browse around in this website:

 

Triple-Loop Knots

Sometimes it can be handy to tie a knot which has three loops in it. In a rescue situation, for example, you can put the injured person's legs through two of the loops and then put the third loop around his back.

If you don't tie knots in rope very often then it might be difficult to remember which knot to use, and how to tie it properly, when you need a triple-loop knot. Therefore, it's a good idea to learn one strong knot which you can remember easily. My preference is the Triple Alpine Butterfly, for reasons which I'll describe throughout this article.

Be sure to practice tying your favorite knots periodically (from different angles) so that you'll know how to tie them when you need them.

  1. Birmingham Bowline
    This variation of the basic Bowline creates two (or more) loops. To tie the Birmingham Bowline, first tie a basic Bowline (picture 1) and then continue around to tie a second Bowline (picture 2). You can add as many more loops as you desire. Dress and set the knot (picture 3).

    -1 -2 -3

    If you are familiar with the basic Bowline then the Birmingham Bowline is easy to remember how to tie, it is fairly easy to tie, it is fairly easy to dress, and it is easy to untie after it has held a load. Also, it is versatile because it can either be tied before the loops are put to use, or else you can pass the end of the rope around an object as you create the knot. One disadvantage of this knot is that it can't be tied in the middle of a rope (when you don't have access to the ends of the rope).

    I haven't been able to find any strength ratings for this knot, but if you absolutely need to pass the rope around an object while tying a triple-loop knot then this might be a knot to consider.

    However, for the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.

     

  2. French Bowline or Portuguese Bowline or ABOK #1072
    This is another variation of the basic Bowline which can create any number of loops.

    -1 -2 -3

    The French Bowline is slightly easier to tie than the Birmingham Bowline, and it seems to have basically the same advantages and disadvantages as the Birmingham Bowline. One disadvantage with the French Bowline is that it is fairly easy for one of the loops to get bigger and another loop to get smaller. This can potentially pose a hazard when hoisting or lowering people or heavy objects because it might allow the load to shift.

    The French Bowline is also called the Portuguese Bowline in some books and websites, but I have seen other websites (such as this one) which describe the Portuguese Bowline slightly differently. Rather than bringing the end of the rope through the small loop in picture 1, you bring the end of the rope on top of the small loop. According to some people, this is the difference between the French and Portuguese Bowlines. I haven't been able to find any strength ratings for the French or Portuguese Bowlines, but they would appear to have a similar strength rating as the basic Bowline because the core knot configuration is the same.

    For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.

     

  3. Triple Alpine Butterfly
    This is now my favorite method for tying a multi-loop Alpine Butterfly. Start by wrapping the rope several times around your hand so that you have five strands of rope laying on the palm of your hand (picture 1 below). The three strands in the middle (strands 2, 3, and 4) will become the loops, so make them as big as they need to be (as in picture 1). Grab the left-most strand (#1 in picture 1) and bring it all the way to the right over all of the other strands (pictures 1 and 2). Now grab the three left-most strands (#2, #3, and #4 in picture 3) and bring them all the way to the right over all of the other strands (pictures 3 and 4). After bringing strands 2, 3, and 4 over the other strands, push those three back to the left under the other strands (picture 5). Dress the knot as in picture 6.

    -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6

    For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.

     

  4. Triple Bowline
    If you know how to tie the basic Bowline then the Triple Bowline is easy to remember because it is tied exactly like a basic Bowline. The only difference is that you tie the knot using a doubled rope (a long bight), then you extend the end of the bight until it becomes a third loop.

    -1 -2 -3

    The Triple Bowline can be tied in the middle of a rope even when you don't have access to the ends of the rope, but I have not been able to find any strength ratings for this knot.

    According to Budworth, "The triple bowline can be used to make a sit sling, chest sling or full harness." (The Complete Book of Knots, p.92).

    For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.

     

  5. Triple Double Dragon
    This is my variation of the Double Dragon which turns it into a triple-loop knot. First begin tying the normal Double Double Dragon as in pictures 1, 2, and 3. To make this a triple loop, simply take the end of the loop which is on the left in picture 3 and bend it back to the right and push it through the knot (pictures 3 and 4). As picture 4 shows, you now have three loops on the right (these are the main loops) and two loops on the left. At this point I find that it is helpful to tighten the knot a bit before continuing (picture 5). Now take the two loops which are on the left in picture 5 and bring them over to the right and around the three main loops until they are behind the three main loops (picture 6). This is similar to the way that the Double Double Dragon is formed. Bring those two loops all the way around until they lay below the knot (picture 7). You can now change the sizes of the loops fairly easily before dressing and setting the knot (picture 7).

    -1 -2
    -3 -4 -5 -6 -7

    This method makes it easy to convert a single-loop Double Dragon into a double-loop Double Dragon, and to convert a double-loop Double Dragon into a triple-loop Double Dragon.

    For an alternate method of tying the Triple Double Dragon which allows you to create three or more loops around an object while you tie the knot (rather than after you tie the knot as with the method above), see the alternate method for tying the double-loop Double Dragon.

    For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.

     

  6. Triple Figure-Eight Loop
    This is a triple-loop version of the Figure-Eight Loop. To tie this knot, you essentially start with a "slipped" Figure-Eight Loop (pictures 1 and 2), which creates two loops where there would normally have been only one loop (for more on a "slipped" knot, see the Slip Knot). Then take the end of the doubled rope which is sticking up at the top in picture 2 and bring it up and around the main part of the rope and tuck it through the same opening in which you had tucked the other two loops (picture 3). Dress and set the knot (picture 4). Make sure to dress the knot properly so that all of the strands of rope are parallel to each other and don't cross over each other.

    -1 -2 -3 -4

    The Triple Figure-Eight Loop can be tied in the middle of a rope even when you don't have access to the ends of the rope, but I have not been able to find any strength ratings for this knot.

    For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.

 

Summary

I haven't seen anything written about the strength and security of the Birmingham Bowline or the French (Portuguese) Bowline, but they have an advantage in that the rope can easily be passed around an object while tying the knot. They have another potential advantage in that you can easily create any number of loops with these knots. One disadvantage is that these knots cannot be tied in the middle of a rope (when you don't have access to the ends of the rope). Another potential disadvantage with the French/Portuguese Bowline is that some of the loops might accidentally change size, which can allow the load to shift dangerously.

The Triple Alpine Butterfly, Triple Bowline, and Triple Figure-Eight Loop are all based on strong knots, so any of these would be a good triple-loop knot to know. However, the Triple Bowline is based on the weakest of these three knots. The Double Dragon seems to rival the Alpine Butterfly in many respects, and the same appears to be true with the Triple Double Dragon as well.

Be sure to practice tying your favorite knots periodically (from different angles) so that you'll know how to tie them when you need them.

The purpose of this series of articles is to try to boil the thousands of knots down to just a few of the best rope and string knots that can safely be used for a wide variety of purposes. People such as climbers, sailors, search-and-rescue workers, etc., have their preferred knots, but for the average person it is probably "overkill" to try to learn and remember a variety of triple-loop knots. Just as the Alpine Butterfly is my preferred single-loop knot, and the Double Alpine Butterfly is my preferred double-loop knot, the Triple Alpine Butterfly is my preferred triple-loop knot. Sticking with the same basic knot (such as the Alpine Butterfly) makes it easier to remember how to tie a single-loop knot or a double-loop knot or a triple-loop knot when you need them. If you are an "average person" who doesn't need specialized knots (such as the kind that climbers, sailors, and so on, might need), then the Alpine Butterfly family of knots (single-loop, double-loop, triple-loop, and bends) should serve you well in a variety of situations.

For other people's preferred knots, see the topic called "Best of breed" knots? at the forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers.

 

Site Map

Here is a list of the articles in this series. Every link will open up in a new window to give you more control as you browse around in this website:

 



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"The Most Useful Rope Knots for the Average Person to Know -- Triple-Loop Knots"
URL: http://www.Layhands.com/Knots/Knots_TripleLoops.htm

Modification History
11/17/2006: Added a link to my new page called "Dave's Websites."
10/17/2005: Added the ABOK # to the list of names for each knot (based on Clifford Ashley's The Ashley Book Of Knots). Added the ability to download this entire website (all 9 articles) in a single .ZIP file.
01/29/2005: Added a new method for tying a Triple Alpine Butterfly. Special thanks to my 10-year-old son Michael for lending a hand!
01/13/2005: Modified some of the wording throughout the article. Changed my preferred triple-loop knot to the Triple Alpine Butterfly, and added a link to the forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers in which other people have described their preferred knots.
05/10/2004: Added a new method for tying the Triple Double Dragon.
04/15/2004: Added a new knot called the Triple Double Dragon.
12/10/2002: New article.

Dave Root

Send e-mail to: dave@Layhands.com