Day 04 - Power Cinch
Today's knot is the power cinch, which is also sometimes called the trucker's hitch. It got that second name because it was created by truckers back in the day when goods were stacked on open-bed trucks and had to be tied down to keep them from tumbling off the truck during transport. This knot is the only knot in our unit that provides mechanical advantage: it uses a slipknot as a pulley and that allows you to double the rope tension before you tie off the end of the knot. It looks complicated when finished (because it is a two-stage knot) but it is one of the easiest knots you will learn in this unit.
I will demonstrate this knot and then you will spend the bell mastering it. Be sure to also practice the first 3 knots and think about the purpose of each. Thus far, we have learned:
- Alpine butterfly loop: great for putting a static bight in a rope when you cannot reach the ends of the rope
- bowline hitch: great for any time when you need a static bight at the end of a rope, like when you are turning a rope into a dog leash or if you are using a rope to help someone up out of a ravine
- midshipman's hitch: ideal for situations where you want to be able to increase or decrease tension in a rope after it has been tied (as when setting up tents and tarps); this knot is sometimes called the taut-line hitch
- power cinch: this is the go-to knot any time you need to hold something down that weighs more than you do, because it will double your strength due to its mechanical advantage; this knot is sometimes called the trucker's hitch
