Vertical caving terminology and methods > Knots > Common knots
Common Recommended
A knot tied on a bight, with bunny ears (two loops), each of which can be clipped into a carabiner. The lengths of each loop can be easily adjusted, and the two ropes emerging from the knot can also be easily adjusted. Commonly used on a Y-hang. This variation has the traverse line coming in to the middle of the Y. The ends of each loop emerge from different parts of the knot, so the loops remains open, which makes them relatively easy to clip cows tails into. Significantly safer than a regular bowline, because it does not easily undo when cross loaded, though it may mis-adjust the lengths of the loops if repeatedly cross loaded on one loop. However, if it has not been set correctly, then a sudden cross loading on just one loop can cause the knot to capsize, and allow the tail to rapidly feed into the knot. When connecting to a loop with a cows tail, it is best to connect to both loops at once, to minimise both of these effects. This knot must always be used with a backup or stopper knot, to prevent the unused tail from slipping through the knot, when the knot is repeatedly loaded and unloaded. If one anchor of the Y-hang fails, the unused loop may start to slip into the remaining loop. This does not normally happen quickly enough to cause a shock load, though it can be alarming when it happens.
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