How to Tie the Edward's Bowline
Usage
The Edward's bowline is a locked, high-security classic bowline for jobs where a plain bowline shaking loose under slack is unacceptable — a climbing tie-in, rescue main line, or anchor that must stay tied. It is a bowline finished with a Yosemite tuck plus one more that seats the tail inside the eye. It cures the plain bowline's failure modes but is stubborn to untie after a hard load.
Why Learn the Edward's Bowline?
A plain bowline's grip lives or dies on friction, which is why it shakes loose under slack; the Edward's finish sews that flaw shut. Mark Gommers, whose PACI analysis of bowlines is this knot's closest thing to a definitive reference, field-trusts it for lead-climbing tie-in and calls it "totally secure." If you already tie a Yosemite finish, it is a small refinement.
Common Uses
A secure fixed loop for jobs where a hard untie is acceptable:
- Climbing: fixed loops for anchors or master points that must hold shape under slack.
- Search and rescue: secure end loops in main lines and safety backups.
It also serves harness tie-in (the figure-8 follow-through is standard there), mooring points, and arborist work lines.
Other Names
Type
Also Known For
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Notable Features
- Improved security: the Yosemite retrace plus inside-eye tuck resist shake-loose under slack and cyclic loading.
- Clip-friendly tail: seated inside the eye, clear of the clip.
Similar Knots
Bowline Knot vs. Edward's Bowline
The Edward's finish stops the plain bowline shaking loose under slack; you give up the easy untie.
Bowline with Yosemite Finish vs. Edward's Bowline
The Edward's reseats the tail inside the eye for more grip and a cleaner clip than the plain Yosemite finish.
Figure-8 Follow-Through vs. Edward's Bowline
The figure-8 follow-through is easier to partner-check but jams harder after big falls.
Also in this family: Scott's Locked Bowline and the Sylvain Bowline.
Security Level
This is a life-safety knot, so treat security honestly. In its design job — steady, cyclic and shock loading on a fixed loop — it holds. Two cautions are non-negotiable: its security is rope-dependent (best in supple rope, weaker in stiff or slick line), and no published break-test exists for this variant, so its endorsement rests on judgement, not measured data. For any critical tie-in, back it up with a stopper and confirm the geometry with your partner.
Downsides
- Very hard to untie after heavy loads: climbers put it "almost as bad as a figure 8" after repeated hard falls. Moderate loads release with effort; after a real beating, expect a fight. This is the price of the security lock, not a defect.
- More complex to learn and inspect: it stacks a Yosemite finish and inside-eye tuck on a bowline, so it is fiddlier and harder to check — worth drilling with a set of knot tying cards before you rely on it.
- Name confusion is real: several tail-orientation geometries circulate under the "Edward's Bowline" name, so the label alone does not tell your partner what to check for.
Structure
At its core a simple bowline — loop and collar — with a Yosemite finish, then one refinement: the tail exits inside the eye rather than outside or alongside it. That inside-eye exit is the single tell separating it from a plain Yosemite finish. Treat "Edward's Bowline" as a family label: Gommers/PACI notes the name "has been depicted with varying geometries," so agree the exact geometry and verify that.
History
A modern climbing-and-rescue knot — absent from Ashley's 1944 Book of Knots. The Yosemite tie-off it builds on dates to Tim Setnicka (1980), but the refinement's origin is unsettled: one trail credits British guide Rowland Edwards (a 2003 UKClimbing article traces it to 1993), the other Australian climber Harry Butler (by around 2015, the attribution Gommers' 2021 taxonomy defaults to). Hence the several names.
How to Tie the Edward's Bowline
Step 1
Tie a plain bowline around your harness or anchor as normal — form the small loop, bring the working end (the end you are moving) up through it, around behind the standing part (the side under load), and back down.
Step 2
Apply the Yosemite finish: take the tail, wrap it around the returning eye leg, then tuck it back through the collar. This produces a plain Yosemite bowline. Dress this stage nearly all the way before you go on.
Step 3
Add the Edward's refinement: reposition the tail so it exits inside the eye rather than outside or alongside it — open up the two coils at the bottom of the collar and bring the tail through them. This is what keeps the tail clear of a clip and seats three rope diameters inside the nipping loop.
Step 4
Dress and set the knot carefully, then check the tail. Sources differ on minimum tail length — PACI specifies about 8 in (200 mm), while other references call for roughly 16–24 in (40–60 cm) depending on rope thickness — so leave the longer of these on life-safety rope. Critically: do not draw the tail up before the standing part and nipping loop are properly tightened. Pulling the tail early can displace it and can compromise the whole knot.
FAQ
What is the Edward's Bowline used for?
A high-security fixed loop where staying tied beats untying fast: climbing anchors and master points, rescue main lines and backups, mooring or towing points, and arborist work lines — plus harness tie-in, though a figure-8 follow-through is easier to partner-check.
How is the Edward's Bowline different from a plain Yosemite Bowline?
Just one tuck. The plain Yosemite finish leaves the tail outside or alongside the eye; the Edward's version reseats it inside the eye, adding a diameter of grip and keeping the tail clear when you clip in.
Is the Edward's Bowline hard to untie?
It depends on the load. Moderate loads release with effort; after repeated hard falls it binds badly — climbers rate it "almost as bad as a figure 8" to get open. That stubbornness is the cost of its security, so avoid it where fast release after big loads matters.
Is the Edward's Bowline safe for climbing?
It is field-trusted by experts as a secure tie-in, but with conditions: verify the exact geometry, back it up with a stopper on the tail, and remember several geometries share this name. With no reliable partner check, the figure-8 follow-through is the better sole tie-in because it is far easier to inspect.
What is the one mistake to avoid when tying it?
Drawing the tail up before the standing part and nipping loop are tightened — it displaces the tail and can compromise the entire structure. Dress and set the core first, then finish the tail.
Why does this knot have so many names?
Because its origin is disputed — it circulates as the Edward's Bowline, the Rethreaded Yosemite Bowline, and Harry Butler's Yosemite Bowline, reflecting whether Rowland Edwards (1993) or Harry Butler (around 2015) should be credited. It also has no single agreed geometry, so treat the name as a family label.
Important Notes on Safety
Never draw the tail up before the standing part and nipping loop are set — a displaced tail can compromise the whole structure. Because several geometries circulate under this name, a partner check only works if you both agree on the exact form being tied. For any life-safety use, add a stopper backup on the tail, leave the longer specified tail on critical rope, and prefer the figure-8 follow-through when there is no reliable partner check. To study the inside-eye tuck, the Knot IQ app shows the bowline family in full 3D.
