Vertical caving terminology and methods > Knots > Common knots
A bend knot used as a way to join two ropes to make a longer rope, but should only be used with two ropes of identical thickness. Should be combined with stopper knots on each of the tails, in case the ropes are slightly different. This knot has a loop created from the upper rope, which can be clipped into for safety. This knot is popular as a way to join two ropes to make a longer rope, but must be used with great caution due to the rope thickness limitations. Made from a combination of a figure of 8 on a bight on the upper rope, and a figure of 8 follow-through knot, where the lower rope is rethreaded from the wrong end without creating a loop. Just like the figure of 8 on a bight, there is a version that is easier to intentionally untie after loading, and a version that is difficult to untie. The loaded ropes should go around the shoulders of the knot (as shown in the illustration), not the collar of the knot. It is essential to make sure that the second rope is rethreaded from the opposite end to the first rope. If it is rethreaded from the same end (where the knot is sometimes called "flat") the ropes can be pulled in the same manner as cross loading, and the knot can capsize into a form that slowly walks down the ropes until it unties.
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