How to Tie the Running Highwayman's Hitch (Exploding)

How to Tie the Running Highwayman's Hitch (Exploding)

Usage

Use the Running Highwayman's Hitch when the anchor itself is the problem — a knobby branch, an irregular post, anything the wrong diameter for a plain quick-release hitch to grip cleanly.

It's the same Highwayman's Hitch release mechanism, built on a self-adjusting noose loop instead of a fixed three-bight stack, so it cinches to the anchor's actual shape rather than needing a loop pre-sized to a specific diameter.

Why Learn the Running Highwayman's Hitch?

The plain Highwayman's Hitch's biggest weakness is a mismatch between rope and anchor diameter — too thin a cord on too big a post and it capsizes. The running/noose front end fixes exactly that trade: it conforms to whatever it's wrapped around. What you give up is a knot that's a little more prone to jamming tight if it takes real, sustained load before you try to release it.

Common Uses

Arborist & Rigging

• Tree-rigging quick-release cinch around a trunk or large limb — sliding like a running bowline as tension comes on, and reported easy to remove even after real load.

Camping & Bushcraft

• Cinching onto a knobby branch or irregular stake for gear-hanging or a tarp tie-off, provided the line stays attended and temporary.

Marine & Ranching

• Tying off to a non-cylindrical post or rail where a fixed-diameter hitch would sit loose or capsize.
• A self-tightening tether for handling a horse or mule, only with a handler present the whole time.

Other Names Slipped Highwayman's Running Highwayman's Cutaway Category Bushcraft · Camping · Boating / Marine · Utility (Everyday Life)

Notable Features

• Self-Adjusting Loop: The noose front end cinches to the anchor's actual girth instead of needing a loop sized for one diameter.
• Same One-Tug Release: Pulling the working end still spills the hitch, the same as the parent Highwayman's Hitch.
• Diameter-Independent: Grips irregular or mismatched anchors that would capsize the fixed three-bight version.

Similar Knots

Highwayman's Hitch vs. Running Highwayman's Hitch

Same release mechanism, different front end: a fixed three-bight stack on the Highwayman's Hitch, a self-adjusting noose here.

• Advantage: Grips an irregular or mismatched-diameter anchor the fixed version would capsize on.
• Disadvantage: The self-tightening loop can cinch down hard enough under sustained heavy load to resist the very tug that's supposed to release it.

Outlaw Tarp Hitch vs. Running Highwayman's Hitch

Both modify the same parent hitch, but along different axes. The Outlaw Tarp Hitch opposes two fixed hitches against each other for a dual release; this hitch changes the loop itself to fit an irregular anchor.

• Advantage: A single-point fix for an anchor that's the wrong shape or size.
• Disadvantage: No dual/opposing-tension release — it's still a single hitch with a single trigger.

Security Level

This is a lateral trade, not a net improvement on the parent hitch: the noose fixes the diameter-mismatch capsize that plagues a plain Highwayman's Hitch, but a self-tightening loop can cinch down hard enough under sustained heavy load to resist the tag-pull that's meant to free it. Treat it the same as any quick-release hitch — attended, moderate, temporary loads only, never a critical or life-safety hold.

Downsides

• Can Jam Under Heavy Load: The self-tightening noose can bind tight enough to resist a clean release after real, sustained loading.
• Accidental Release: An inadvertent tug on the release tag can spill the whole hold without warning.
• Harder to Verify by Eye: A mis-dressed noose is harder to spot at a glance than a mis-dressed fixed bight stack.
• Same Dressing Discipline as the Parent: The noose must stay free to slide, not pinned rigidly, or it loses the whole point of the running form.

History

The running/noose form is demonstrated by Jon, the arborist behind JrbTreeClimbing.com, who ties it around a tree trunk and describes it sliding like a running bowline as tension comes on. The underlying release mechanism is the same fixed-diameter Highwayman's Hitch construction that internet-era knot-tyers, including members of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, have refined and discussed for two decades — this running variant is a more recent, practitioner-driven adaptation of that same idea.

How to Tie the Running Highwayman's Hitch (Exploding)

Step 1

Tie the Highwayman's Hitch release structure using one side of the rope around the anchor — a tree trunk or similarly large or irregular object — arranged as a running loop rather than a fixed-diameter three-bight stack.

Step 2

Form the loop so it can slide and constrict along the standing part like a running bowline, rather than sizing it once for a specific diameter.

Step 3

Tension the standing part; the loop cinches down onto the anchor as load comes on.

Step 4

To release, pull the working end (the tag), the same as the parent hitch — this stays easy even after significant load, though a hard, sustained load can make it stiffer to start.

FAQ

How is this different from a plain Highwayman's Hitch?

The release mechanism is identical. The difference is the loop: a fixed three-bight stack on the plain version, a self-adjusting noose here that cinches to whatever it's wrapped around.

Can the Running Highwayman's Hitch jam?

Yes — under sustained heavy load, the self-tightening loop can bind tight enough to resist a clean release. That's the trade for fixing the parent hitch's diameter-mismatch problem.

Is it related to the JRB Hitch?

Both build on the Highwayman's release mechanism for a bigger job. The JRB Hitch keeps a fixed friction wrap and uses the trigger only as a release valve; this hitch changes the loop itself into a self-adjusting noose.

Can I use it for climbing or rappelling?

No. It's a quick-release hitch, and nothing in the noose modification changes that — never use it for climbing protection, rappelling, belaying, or any body-weight load.

Important Notes on Safety

• Never use for climbing, rappelling, belaying, or any body-weight, critical, or dynamic load.
• The self-tightening noose can jam or bind under sustained heavy load, resisting the tag-pull release this hitch exists for.
• An accidental or unauthorized pull on the release tag can release the entire load without warning.

The Knot IQ app is a solid reference for drilling the noose-forming step, and the Bear Essentials Premium Bushcraft Paracord gives you a grippy practice cord for getting the sliding loop to seat properly before you take it to a real anchor.