The Figure 8 knot is one of the most important knots in the climbing arsenal.
It’s a go-to knot for many reasons—it’s strong, hard to mess up and easy to inspect.
And when it’s time to untie it, it’s not a total nightmare—most of the time.
But here’s the thing: if you’re having a bad day and you fall like a rock, your Figure 8 can turn into a knot that’s hard to untie.
Today we’ll see how to tie this knot so it’s easy to untie later.
What’s Special in Figure 8 Knot?
The Figure 8 knot is popular in climbing because it’s not just strong—it’s strong under pressure.
Research shows that the residual knot strength of this knot is around 80%. That’s impressive given the stress we put on it.
It’s also super easy to learn.
But here’s the thing: we tie and dress this knot isn’t just about strength.
Of course, strength is important but the real thing is preventing the knot from deforming and seizing up under load.
That’s right—the way you tie it can make all the difference when you untie it later.
The Untying Struggle: How to Make It Easier
We’ve all been there: after a few hard falls your Figure 8 knot feels like it’s welded shut.
It’s annoying but here’s the good news—we can do something about it!
When you tie your Figure 8 make sure the loaded strand (the part that’s bearing your weight) makes its first loop close to the center of the knot.
This small adjustment helps prevent the knot from deforming and getting tight.
- If the load strand is on the outer part of the knot, it cinches the entire knot when fully loaded. It makes it hard to untie the knot later.
- If the load strand is on the inner side, it will result in a slightly looser strand while untying the knot.
What the Experiment Says?
So, does this actually work?
A recent experiment was performed to see if a properly tied Figure 8 knot is easier to untie after a fall.
Here’s what they found:
- Properly tightening the knot makes it easier to untie after a fall.
- Loose Knots showed funky tension patterns after falls but were still relatively easy to untie in some tests.
- After multiple falls, the knots got harder to untie, but there was no statistical difference between the good and bad knots most of the time. Thicker ropes make loose knots harder to untie after a fall.
- Knots with overlapping strands were nearly impossible to untie, so make sure that the Figure 8 knot has no overlaps.
Conclusion
By paying attention to how you tie it—keeping the loaded strand near the center, dressing the knot properly, and tightening it well—you can save yourself a lot of hassle later.
However, please bear in mind that both variations of the knot are perfectly safe and can be used without a doubt.
The thing is— if you tie it the better way, your fingers will thank you after a long day of crushing routes!
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