SHEET BEND

This is for when you need a longer rope and have the option to tie two together.

The reef or square knots are generally easier options, but the sheet bend’s trick is that you can tie two ropes together that are of different thicknesses. It’s less pretty than a reef knot, but more reliable in this instance.

A bonus is that you can combine two different materials to make one length.

Step 1 Form a bight with the thicker rope (blue, in our image), and pass one end of the thinner rope (green) through the bight.

Step 2 Run the thinner rope behind the thicker rope’s tail and standing ends consecutively.