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{{Infobox knot
{{Infobox knot
| image = File: clove.jpg
| image_alt = Detail of a clove hitch on an HMS carabiner
| pros = Fast, simple, robust, easily adjustable
| pros = Fast, simple, robust, easily adjustable
| cons = In specific cases it is prone to stuck or slip slightly under bigger loads. Due to chance of slippage, it is strongly recommended to back it up in critical applications.
| cons = In specific cases the hitch might get stuck. It is prone to slip slightly under higher loads. Due to the chance of slippage, it is strongly recommended to back it up in critical applications.
| uses = Anchor building, (self-)attaching climber to an anchor, belay station offsetting and more
| uses = [[Anchor#Buidling_sport_anchors|Anchor building]], (self-)attaching to an anchor, belay station offsetting and more
| category = Hitch
| category = Hitch
| strength = Breaks: polyamid ~50-60%, 6&nbsp;mm aramid ~35%. Can slip at lower loads in some cases.<ref name=Edelrid2020>{{cite web | url=https://edelrid.com/eu-en/knowledge/knowledge-base/strength-reduction-of-textile-materials-by-knots | title=Strength reduction of textile materials by knots | publisher=EDELRID GmbH & Co. KG | author=EDELRID Team | date=20 October 2020 | website=edelrid | access-date=10 August 2025}}</ref>
}}
}}


Clove hitch is an essential knot used in many occasions when adjustable reliable knot is needed and thus finds its place in most of the knotting operations during climbing such as anchor building, offsetting belay station for the second climber, or self-attaching of the lead climber with a rope to the anchor point.
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'''Clove hitch''' is an essential knot used for its adjustability and reliability. It is employed for instance in [[Anchor#Buidling_sport_anchors|anchor building]], offsetting a belay station for belaying of the second climber, and for self-attaching to the anchor point with a rope.


== Tying ==
== Tying ==


=== Easy method ===
=== Easy method ===
This method is very robust and suitable for learning how to tie the hitch.
This method is very robust. Suitable for learning how to tie the hitch.


[[File: clove_1.png |140px]]
{{#invoke:FlexGallery|gallery_with_widths_alt
[[File: clove_2.png |140px]]
|File: clove_1.png
[[File: clove_3.png |140px]]
|163px
[[File: clove_4.png |140px]]
|Take two bights of a rope next to each other (1)
[[File: clove_567.png |140px]]
|straight rope with two arrows
[[File: clove_final_p6.png|84px]]
|File: clove_2.png
 
|163px
'''Steps description''': start with making a two identical loops on a rope (1,2). Then place one loop over the other in a way that the end-ropes are surrounded by the rope between the loops (3). Pull a carabiner through the loops (4). Tighten the knot by sequentially pulling on the ends a few times and lock the gate (5,6,7). At the end, do not forget to inspect the hitch and the gate lock (8).
|Form loops out of them by rotating them counterclockwise (2)
|rope with two bumps and arrows pointing to twist the bumps
|File: clove_3.png
|163px
|Form a hitch by moving the right loop over the left one without any rotation (3)
|rope with two loops
|File: clove_4.png
|163px
|Pull a carabiner through the loops (4)
|clove hitch in the air with screw-gate carabiner being clipped into it
|File: clove_567.png
|163px
|Tighten the knot by sequentially pulling the rope ends (5,6) and lock the gate (7)
|loose clove hitch on unlocked hms carabiner
|File: clove_final.png
|100px
|Inspect the knot and the carabiner gate (8)
|clove hitch on a locked HMS carabiner with eye icon
|File: clove_final_rainbow.png
|100px
|Rope ends (pink) leave the knot in the opposing directions from inside of the loop underneath the carabiner (lime)
|clove hitch on a locked HMS carabiner with differently colored rope sections
}}


=== One-hand method ===
=== One-hand method ===
Non-crucial, but handy once you have only one hand free.
Non-crucial, but handy once you have only one hand free. Always use the hand at the same side as the gate is facing.


[[File: clove_onehand_1.png |86px]]
{{#invoke:FlexGallery|gallery_with_widths_alt
[[File: clove_onehand_2.png |140px]]
|File: clove_onehand_0.png
[[File: clove_onehand_3.png |140px]]
|100px
[[File: clove_onehand_456.png |98px]]
|Start with a rope through a carabiner with the gate pointing towards right
[[File: clove_onehand_7.png |86px]]
|rope hanging in a carabiner
 
|File: clove_onehand_0_w_hand.png
'''Steps description''': Start with a rope through a carabiner. Grab the rope strand which runs from the back of the carabiner with your hand thumb pointing down and rotate the hand into a thumb-up position (1). Open the gate (2) and pull the rope through the gate from the front to back and seat the rope into the carabiner, the gate closes itself automatically (3). Sequentially pull the rope strands to tighten the knot (4,5) and screw the safety-lock (5). Inspect that the knot is tied properly and that the gate is locked (7).
|100px
|Grab the rear rope strand from the left side by your right hand, thumb pointing down
|rope hanging in a carabiner with hand grabbing the rear string
|File: clove_onehand_1.png
|100px
|Rotate the hand into a thumb-up position, making a loop (1)
|rope hanging in a carabiner with hand grabbing the rear string and curled arrow pointing
|File: clove_onehand_2.png
|163px
| Position the rope in a way, that the rope end coming from the top of your hand goes from the carabiner's front towards its back (2)
|tangled rope held by carabiner and hand, arrow pointing to the carabiner gate
|File: clove_onehand_3.png
|163px
|Push the rope coming from the top of your hand through the gate (3)
|tangled rope held by carabiner and hand, arrow pointing to the carabiner gate, rope is partly behind the carabiner gate
|File: clove_onehand_456.png
|114px
|Tighten the knot by sequentially pulling the rope ends (4,5), and lock the gate (6)
|loose clove hitch on the hms carabiner with an unscrewed gate lock
|File: clove_onehand_7.png
|100px
|Inspect the knot and the carabiner gate (8)
|tightened clove hitch on a tightened carabiner with an eye icon
}}


== Quick repositioning ==
== Quick repositioning ==
One of the strongest points of the clove hitch is its quick repositioning without cancelling the setup or opening the carabiner.
One of the strongest points of the clove hitch is that it can be quickly repositioned without cancelling the setup, or opening the carabiner on which it is tied.<ref>Clove hitch repositioning starts at 7 minutes 10 seconds: {{Cite AV media | first1=Alice | last1=Kerr | date=19 July 2022 | title=Learning to Trad Climb: Part 3 - How to build a belay | url=https://youtu.be/-r9TK6pb9KE?t=430 | publisher=DMM Wales | access-date=28 September 2025}}</ref>


[[File: reposition_1.png|84px]]
{{#invoke:FlexGallery|gallery_with_alt|100px
[[File: reposition_2.png|84px]]
|File: reposition_1.png
[[File: reposition_3.png|84px]]
|Loosen the knot by pulling the middle strand between the two loops (1)
 
|tightened knot on a carabiner, arrow pointing from the mid section
'''Steps description''': Pull the middle strand between the two loops (1). By this you loosen the knot and pull the rope from the both sides. Then pull one of the strands, re-tightening and repositioning the knot in the process (2).
|File: reposition_2.png
|Pull only one of the strands (2)
|loosened clove hitch on a carabiner, arrow pointing to pull one of the strands
|File: reposition_3.png
|The knot got repositioned
|tightened clove hitch on a carabiner
}}


== Slippage ==
== Slippage ==
''this section is not yet inspected thoroughly, statements might be incorrect!''
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"
|+Table of slipping forces (*=breaks):
|+Table of slipping forces (*=breaks):
! Material !! Force (kN)  
! Material !! Force&nbsp;(kN)  
|-
|-
| 7.9 mm 1/2 rope ||  6.5
| 7.9 mm 1/2 rope ||  6.5
Line 64: Line 118:
|}
|}


In case of a dynamic rope around a carabiner, the clove hitch generally does not slip till ~6 kN. Chance of slipping is higher if the clove hitch is tied around a big-diameter object (tree, smooth stone), and with static ropes. With 8mm dyneema sling around a carabiner there is a report of slow slippage roughly ~3 kN of force. For list of values, see the table on right (''source, specifications - https://edelrid.com/eu-en/knowledge/knowledge-base/strength-reduction-of-textile-materials-by-knots''). Therefore it should be backed-up by another knot in critical applications.
The clove hitch generally does not slip below 6&nbsp;kN of force if you use a dynamic rope on a carabiner. Chance of the slipping is higher if the clove hitch is tied with a static rope, and/or around a big-diameter object (tree, smooth stone). There is a report of slow slippage already at 3&nbsp;kN of force applied in case that an 8&nbsp;mm dyneema sling was tied on a carabiner. Therefore in critical applications such as [[Anchor#Buidling_sport_anchors|anchor building]], the clove hitch should be backed-up, otherwise it might slip off.  
 
For detailed list of values, see the table on the right.<ref name=Edelrid2020 />
 
== References ==
{{reflist}}


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Latest revision as of 16:02, 5 November 2025

Clove hitch
Detail of a clove hitch on an HMS carabiner
Use(s)Anchor building, (self-)attaching to an anchor, belay station offsetting and more
ProsFast, simple, robust, easily adjustable
ConsIn specific cases the hitch might get stuck. It is prone to slip slightly under higher loads. Due to the chance of slippage, it is strongly recommended to back it up in critical applications.
CategoryHitch
StrengthBreaks: polyamid ~50-60%, 6 mm aramid ~35%. Can slip at lower loads in some cases.[1]

Clove hitch is an essential knot used for its adjustability and reliability. It is employed for instance in anchor building, offsetting a belay station for belaying of the second climber, and for self-attaching to the anchor point with a rope.

Tying

Easy method

This method is very robust. Suitable for learning how to tie the hitch.

  • straight rope with two arrows
    Take two bights of a rope next to each other (1)
  • rope with two bumps and arrows pointing to twist the bumps
    Form loops out of them by rotating them counterclockwise (2)
  • rope with two loops
    Form a hitch by moving the right loop over the left one without any rotation (3)
  • clove hitch in the air with screw-gate carabiner being clipped into it
    Pull a carabiner through the loops (4)
  • loose clove hitch on unlocked hms carabiner
    Tighten the knot by sequentially pulling the rope ends (5,6) and lock the gate (7)
  • clove hitch on a locked HMS carabiner with eye icon
    Inspect the knot and the carabiner gate (8)
  • clove hitch on a locked HMS carabiner with differently colored rope sections
    Rope ends (pink) leave the knot in the opposing directions from inside of the loop underneath the carabiner (lime)

One-hand method

Non-crucial, but handy once you have only one hand free. Always use the hand at the same side as the gate is facing.

  • rope hanging in a carabiner
    Start with a rope through a carabiner with the gate pointing towards right
  • rope hanging in a carabiner with hand grabbing the rear string
    Grab the rear rope strand from the left side by your right hand, thumb pointing down
  • rope hanging in a carabiner with hand grabbing the rear string and curled arrow pointing
    Rotate the hand into a thumb-up position, making a loop (1)
  • tangled rope held by carabiner and hand, arrow pointing to the carabiner gate
    Position the rope in a way, that the rope end coming from the top of your hand goes from the carabiner's front towards its back (2)
  • tangled rope held by carabiner and hand, arrow pointing to the carabiner gate, rope is partly behind the carabiner gate
    Push the rope coming from the top of your hand through the gate (3)
  • loose clove hitch on the hms carabiner with an unscrewed gate lock
    Tighten the knot by sequentially pulling the rope ends (4,5), and lock the gate (6)
  • tightened clove hitch on a tightened carabiner with an eye icon
    Inspect the knot and the carabiner gate (8)

Quick repositioning

One of the strongest points of the clove hitch is that it can be quickly repositioned without cancelling the setup, or opening the carabiner on which it is tied.[2]

  • tightened knot on a carabiner, arrow pointing from the mid section
    Loosen the knot by pulling the middle strand between the two loops (1)
  • loosened clove hitch on a carabiner, arrow pointing to pull one of the strands
    Pull only one of the strands (2)
  • tightened clove hitch on a carabiner
    The knot got repositioned

Slippage

Table of slipping forces (*=breaks):
Material Force (kN)
7.9 mm 1/2 rope 6.5
8.9 mm triple-rated rope 7.8
8 mm Dyneema® 3.0
11 mm Dyneema® 5.1
19 mm polyamid 10.1*
6 mm accessory cord 6.9

The clove hitch generally does not slip below 6 kN of force if you use a dynamic rope on a carabiner. Chance of the slipping is higher if the clove hitch is tied with a static rope, and/or around a big-diameter object (tree, smooth stone). There is a report of slow slippage already at 3 kN of force applied in case that an 8 mm dyneema sling was tied on a carabiner. Therefore in critical applications such as anchor building, the clove hitch should be backed-up, otherwise it might slip off.

For detailed list of values, see the table on the right.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 EDELRID Team (20 October 2020). "Strength reduction of textile materials by knots". edelrid. EDELRID GmbH & Co. KG. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  2. ↑ Clove hitch repositioning starts at 7 minutes 10 seconds: Kerr, Alice (19 July 2022). Learning to Trad Climb: Part 3 - How to build a belay. DMM Wales. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
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