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How to Tie a Figure 8 Knot, Mid-Rope

This version of the overhand knot is stronger with lower-creep, yet easily-untied. This knot is perfect for securing everything from guylines to climbing harnesses.
Text and photos by Steve Howe
Need a primer on knot tying terminology? Click here.
  • Put a <a href="/how-to-tie-knots/skills/14349">bight</a> in a mid-portion of the rope.
  • Twist a loop into the bight.
  • Continue twisting another half turn, as shown.
  • Insert the bight through the loop originally created with the first twist. Note the distinctive "figure eight" pattern.
  • Tighten and neaten the knot, removing excess kinks and laying the cords parallel throughout.
Put a <a href="/how-to-tie-knots/skills/14349">bight</a> in a mid-portion of the rope.
Image 1 of 5

Put a bight in a mid-portion of the rope.

READERS COMMENTS

Page 1

This 'Figure 8, mid rope' is miss labeled as a 'bowline mid rope'
which is tied same as a bowline (end-of-rope)but using a mid-rope bight as the end of the rope.
— Rich Curran

Correction: This 'figure 8 mid rope is miss labeled as a 'Clove Hitch mid rope'. I'm guessing that you meant to tie a 'Bowline mid rope' which is tied same as a bowline at the end of a rope but using a bight as the end of the rope.
— Rich Curran

It's labeled correctly as a Figure 8, mid rope for me, but that's not a particularly good knot to use for hooking into the middle of the rope. The way it's built, if you now pull on both sides of the rope coming out of the knot it deforms and is weakened, plus it's not any easier to untie than a regular figure 8. You would be better off tying a inline 8 or an alpine butterfly for this application. On the other hand if you're using this at the top of a rappel so that you have two separate lines going over the side in the same direction, you're fine.
— David

A better and easier to tie knot is the Alpine Butterfly knot. It's multidirectional knot whereas the Figure 8 midline is a unidirectional knot.
— QCHiker


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