How to Tie the Scott's Locked Bowline
Usage
The Scott's Locked Bowline is the bowline you tie when the rope might go slack and you still need the loop to hold. It starts as an ordinary bowline, then adds one extra tuck that captures the tail so it can't feed back out — the exact failure that lets a plain bowline shake loose on slick rope. Climbers, arborists, and rescue teams use it as a secure fixed loop for anchors and tie-ins.
Why Learn the Scott's Locked Bowline?
A plain bowline holds by a clamp that grips only while you pull on it. Let the line go slack, cycle it loose and tight, or pull it off to one side, and the tail can walk out. The Scott's Locked Bowline fixes that one flaw with a single locking tuck, while keeping the bowline's best trait: it still unties easily after a heavy load. Bear Essentials rates it among the simplest and most effective ways to lock a bowline — so if you want a bowline you can trust when the load isn't steady, this is one of the easiest routes there.
Common Uses
A secure loop knot for jobs where reliability matters and the line won't always stay tight.
- End-termination knot for anchor points, and secure loops for hauling systems and high-angle rescue.
- Tree-work rigging, where the knot must stay put through cyclic loading but still untie afterward.
Two more jobs come with a condition: a lead-climbing tie-in for climbers who know the knot, and an everyday secure loop where a plain bowline would shake loose — both only when you dress the lock flat and check it. For a beginner's tie-in the figure eight is the safer default.
Other Names
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Notable Features
- Stays tied when slack: the captured tail resists loosening even with no tension on the line — the big improvement over a basic bowline.
- Handles off-axis pulls: it takes load from more directions without rolling loose.
- Easy release: it unties smoothly after heavy use and doesn't jam like some backup finishes.
- Simple lock, ties in the bight: just one extra pass of the tail, and a version can be tied mid-line with no ends free.
Similar Knots
Bowline Knot vs. Scott's Locked Bowline
The plain bowline is faster to tie, easier to inspect, and the universally recognized loop — but it shakes loose when slack or cycled and often needs a separate backup, exactly what Scott's lock fixes.
Bowline with Yosemite Finish vs. Scott's Locked Bowline
The Bowline with Yosemite Finish is the better-known climbing lock, so partners recognize it — but Scott's lock is the simpler tuck with less to dress.
Figure Eight Follow Through vs. Scott's Locked Bowline
The Figure Eight Follow Through is easier for anyone to inspect and the climbing standard for tie-ins — but it jams hard after big falls, while Scott's unties easily after loading.
Security Level
This is a load-bearing knot, so security matters. Practical verdict: dressed flat and set, it holds well and removes the plain bowline's habit of feeding loose when the line goes slack or is pulled sideways. Bear Essentials judges it inherently secure and trustworthy for fall protection. Two cautions keep it honest: it takes more care to dress, and the lock twists if it isn't seated flat on the first tie. On very slick rope like Dyneema, use a splice or soft shackle instead.
Downsides / When NOT to Use It
- Slower than a plain bowline: the extra tuck and careful dressing take a moment longer.
- Needs careful dressing: the lock can twist if you don't seat it flat, which undercuts the security.
- Harder to inspect: it's tougher to partner-check than a plain bowline or a figure eight.
When not to use it: don't make it the only tie-in for a beginner or a mixed-experience group with no training and no partner check. Like the whole bowline family it's harder to check at a glance than the figure eight follow-through, and a quietly mis-dressed lock is exactly the kind of mistake a newcomer won't catch. For untrained climbers, the figure eight follow-through is the safer tie-in.
History
Scott Safier, an American climber, worked out this lock around 2011 and first shared it on the International Guild of Knot Tyers forum as the "Secured Bowline." The idea was simple: send the tail through the nipping loop one more time so it can't feed out. Mark Gommers later analysed it and judged it secure enough to trust while climbing, and it spread through climbing videos over the 2010s into arborist and rescue kits. One note to avoid confusion: this is not the same as Safier's separate 2013 design, the Scott's Woven Collar Bowline.
How to Tie the Scott's Locked Bowline
Step 1
Make a loop in the rope, leaving enough length for the loop size you want.
Step 2
Pass the working end up through the loop, just as you would for a plain bowline.
Step 3
Take it behind the standing part — the side of the rope under load.
Step 4
Bring it back down through the loop. That completes the base bowline.
Step 5
Now feed the tail through the loop a second time to lock the tag end. This second pass is Scott's locking tuck — the move that makes this knot secure.
Step 6
Dress it carefully so the lock lies flat, then pull everything snug to set the knot.
Pro Tip: Seat the strands side by side inside the loop rather than crossed. The one thing that goes wrong with this knot is a twisted lock, so take the extra second to make it lie flat before you trust it.
If the second pass is hard to picture from flat steps, the Knot IQ app shows the Scott's Locked Bowline in full 3D — slow it down and orbit it to see exactly where the tail tucks and how the finished lock should sit. Our knot tying cards are handy for drilling the lock until it seats flat every time.
FAQ
What does the lock in a Scott's Locked Bowline actually do?
It passes the tail through the nipping loop a second time, so the tail is captured and can't feed back out when the rope goes slack or gets pulled off to the side — the exact way a plain bowline shakes loose. That's what earns it the name secure.
Is the Scott's Locked Bowline safe for climbing?
Knotting authority Mark Gommers trusts it for fall protection and lists it as a lead-climbing tie-in, and it's popular with climbers on the IGKT forums. It's a strong choice if you know it, dress the lock flat, and check it — but for beginners the figure eight follow-through is still the standard because it's easier to inspect.
Does it still untie easily like a normal bowline?
Yes. It unties smoothly even after heavy loading and doesn't jam. You just free the locking tuck first, then open the bowline the usual way.
Important Notes on Safety
Dress the lock flat every time — the one named failure is a lock that twists on the first tie and doesn't seat the extra rope inside the loop. Treat "inherently secure" as "reliable when tied and dressed right," not "cannot fail"; documented edge cases exist, so verify the knot before relying on it for anything life-critical. And like any bowline, it can't be tied or untied while the standing end is loaded — take the load off first.
