farmer's hitch
Posted: Apr 19, 2012 3:01 pm
I was recently asked about the farmer's hitch in caving. Scattered around the web are claims that it is an acceptable knot for caving. I replied that I'm not familiar with it, and, when shown it, I replied that I couldn't see any advantage it would give over the alpine butterfly.
One of the websites claiming that the farmer's hitch is acceptable for caving is this. Please note that I am not endorsing that page--it contains some misleading and downright inaccurate advice about some of the other knots which I do know about. I think this page might be the source (cited or not) of most Internet claims that the farmer's hitch is suitable for caving use.
Does anyone know if there is reason to think knot is safe for caving use? In particular, does anyone know if it has been established as safe through extensive use and/or laboratory testing?
Also, does anyone know if there is any reason to prefer it over the alpine butterfly? The alpine butterfly is one of the more complex knots that cavers learn to tie...but the farmer's hitch looks even more complicated.
One of the websites claiming that the farmer's hitch is acceptable for caving is this. Please note that I am not endorsing that page--it contains some misleading and downright inaccurate advice about some of the other knots which I do know about. I think this page might be the source (cited or not) of most Internet claims that the farmer's hitch is suitable for caving use.
Does anyone know if there is reason to think knot is safe for caving use? In particular, does anyone know if it has been established as safe through extensive use and/or laboratory testing?
Also, does anyone know if there is any reason to prefer it over the alpine butterfly? The alpine butterfly is one of the more complex knots that cavers learn to tie...but the farmer's hitch looks even more complicated.