What It Is
The clove hitch is a binding hitch — a knot that grips a post, spar, or bar by friction alone, using the geometry of its own structure rather than a locking pass. It consists of two crossing turns arranged in opposite directions around the host object. The opposing tension between those two turns is what holds it in place. No free end threads through anything; the hitch can be formed entirely around a post and dropped in place.
It belongs to the hitch family: knots that attach a line to a fixed object rather than joining two lines or forming a loop. The clove hitch specifically holds well when the load is perpendicular to the post and roughly equalized on both sides — which is the geometry of most field setup work. Under those conditions it is fast, reliable, and dismissable without tools. Running a boundary rope between stakes on a 3D course, attaching a signage line to a tree, or staking a foam target in place with a cord — these are the jobs it exists for, and it does all of them cleanly.
Anatomy
Host — the post, tree, spar, or bar the hitch grips.
Two turns — the opposing half hitches that form the bite. Each turn crosses in the opposite direction from the other.
Standing end and working end — the line extending beyond each turn, bearing the load.
How to Tie It
With access to the top of the post:
- Form two loops in the line: the first crossing right-over-left, the second crossing left-over-right. Both loops face the same direction.
- Drop the first loop over the post, then drop the second loop over immediately above it.
- Pull both ends to seat.
Tying around a post mid-line (no free top):
- Pass the working end around the post. The working end crosses over the standing part.
- Take a second turn, this time with the working end crossing over in the opposite direction from the first.
- Pass the working end under the second turn (through the gap between the second crossing and the post surface).
- Pull both ends to seat. The two crossings should lie parallel, each crossing in the opposite direction.
When to Use It
Attaching a guide rope to a fence post or tree. 3D archery course setup: running boundary rope between stakes, attaching yardage-sign lines to trees, or tying off temporary course equipment where the line needs to hold for a day and release cleanly at pack-out. Anywhere a quick line-to-post attachment is needed under a horizontal cross-load that will hold without being watched.
When Not to Use It
Sustained single-direction load without a cross-load to lock it — the clove hitch walks along a smooth post under unidirectional tension if nothing prevents it from sliding. For a single anchor point under a consistent direction of pull, add a half hitch backup on the working end, or choose a round turn and two half hitches instead. Not suitable for smooth, tapered stakes where there is no friction surface to grip.
Common Mistakes
Capsizing it by running both turns in the same direction. If both crossing turns go the same way, the result is not a clove hitch — it’s a lark’s head or a slip loop, depending on how it’s loaded. The second turn must cross in the opposite direction from the first. Check both crossings before seating.
Not snugging both turns equally. If one turn is set tighter than the other, it carries more of the load and the hitch can walk or roll. Seat both turns evenly before applying load.
Using it on a tapered or angled surface. A stake driven at an angle, a tapered wooden peg, or any surface that narrows in the direction the hitch might walk gives the clove hitch nothing to bite against. On those surfaces, a bowline to a fixed loop is more reliable.
Published September 9, 2026 · Axial Bowstrings
Spotted something? Think we’re wrong? Suggest a correction →