Known around the world as one of the most legendary knots, the Prusik has earned its reputation in the climbing, rescue, and arborist communities. In this blog, you'll learn how this knot works, the proper way to tie it, and how to use it in everyday life. This knot was named after Karl Prusik, an Austrian mountaineer who is said to have invented it. One thing we can agree on is it's one of the most useful and reliable knots out there. You can use this knot to up your camping and climbing game. Before you go, you'll also learn a potentially life-saving application of the Prusik knot.
How the Prusik Knot Works
The Prusik is a type of friction hitch. This means that when you pull some tension on the knot, friction makes it bite down and hold it in place. But without tension, it can slide freely, and this versatility gives the hitch some pretty unique applications. While there are a number of different friction hitches out there (such as the taut-line hitch and the pile hitch), the Prusik is unique because it's omnidirectional. This means it works the same no matter which direction you pull on it. It can also be attached midline on your rope and can be undone easily. Before I get into all the different uses of the Prusik Hitch, let's learn how to tie it and the knot mechanics.
Start with a Double Fisherman's Bend
You need to tie a bend that connects both ends of the cord. There are a number of different bends you can tie, but the one we're going to focus on is called the Double Fisherman's Bend.
The double fisherman's bend is what climbers use because it's the most trusted bend, and it's easy to check if you've done it right. 
To start, you take the two ends of our loop and cross them over the other. 
Wrap the cord backward over itself. 
You need to do one more wrap completely over itself. 
Take your rope end, thread it through the two loops you created, and pull it tight. 
You'll have something that looks like this with two definitive wraps. Now, focus on the other end and do the exact same pattern. One wrap back on itself, followed by a second wrap back on itself. Thread the line through, pull it tight, and you now have a double fisherman's bend like below. Both of these knots should now cinch up against one another. One way to know if you tied it properly is when you see that the tag ends are on opposing sides. You now have a very secure loop, and it's time to tie your Prusik knot.
How to Tie a Prusik Knot
Take your connection knot with the double fisherman's bend, wrap it around your main line, and through the loop you have created. This pattern might be familiar to you as a girth hitch or a lark's head knot. 
Follow up with a second wrap exactly like the first. Dress or tidy up each wrap as you go, making sure the center loop comes down through the inner part and the horseshoe pattern is on the outside. 
Do a third and final wrap exactly like the others. It's important to dress the knot, keeping that horseshoe on the outside and loop on the inside. Just correct it at this point if it's not like that. A note for beginners: wrapping the knot around is the easiest way to get the hang of this. But as you get better and your skill improves, make sure that knot is slightly off-centered. 
This way, the tension isn't all placed on that one knot. It also makes it easier to attach and detach objects to it.
Different Uses for the Prusik Knot
Rescuing and Belaying
Take your connection knot with the double fisherman's bend, wrap it around your main line, and through the loop you have created. This pattern might be familiar to you as a girth hitch or a lark's head knot.
Setting Up Your Tarp
In camping, the most popular use for this hitch is for attaching tarps to a ridge line and being able to get that perfect tension for your tarp.
To do this, you need two or three loops of rope. To make the process more efficient, I usually keep a few Prusik loops pre-assembled in my kit made from about 12 in of paracord. 
The Prusiks hang off your ridgeline, and your tarp's eyelets can attach to them. You can now slide them wherever you want on your line and position or tension them perfectly. I love this setup because if the sun's out, you can easily take your tarp down. Now, if it's going to rain overnight, you can put your tarp back up in a matter of seconds because your Prusiks are already in place. With this technique, you can also butt up tarps side by side to make sure you get the perfect tension on both.
Attaching Prusik to Tie Outs
You might be wondering how to attach the Prusik to your tie-outs. The good news is it can be done in several ways – all of which are pretty simple.The Toggle Method
The easiest method is sliding that loop through and placing a stick on the other side like a toggle. This is going to work well for most applications. But keep in mind that your safest bet is adding a carabiner.
The Open Prusik Method
You can also add a Prusik without even having a loop. Just take both ends and cross them over. Tie the Prusik exactly how you would if those two ends were attached. Some people prefer this method, and there are a couple of ways to attach your tarp tie-outs to it.
The Simple Bend Method
The first is tying an appropriate bend and connecting those two ends. Tie a simple square knot (right over left, left over right), and it gets the job done.
The Modified Soft Shackle Method
If you want something pretty easy to detach, then do the modified soft shackle method. The first step is to create an overhand knot on the end of the line and tighten it up. 
With the other line, create another overhand knot, but leave this one loose. 
Hold your tie out, feed the tightened overhand knot through the loop, and put the first knot right through the loose one. This is a modified soft shackle knot. This variation works well, and it's easy to undo if you need to release it or tie it to something else.
Hanging Your Camp Lighting
Hang your camp lighting on a string using the Prusik Hitch. Come daytime, you can slide it out of the way, and at night, you can slide it right back in place.
Tying a Cooking Pot Above a Campfire
You can do this by tying your cooking pot to a length of rope using a Prusik knot. That string is connected to a taut-line hitch, so you can adjust the pot up and down. Check out the tutorial for the tautline hitch here. Used in tandem with the Prusik, you can then slide that pot out of the way when everything's boiled.
Various Bushcraft Tasks
I've also used the Prusik in a bunch of bushcraft tasks. Check them out below.
Create a camp chair with the Prusik hitch. Tie the Prusik along the poles on the sides to make it completely adjustable. 
It's also one of the safest ways to hoist items. You can lift something by removing the friction of the hitch. If the rope were to slip out of your hands, the Prusik grabs it and prevents it from falling – just like belaying in rope rescue. Some people use it to hoist bear bags or camping food up high. 
Lowering is as simple as holding the hitch and letting the line slide through, which can be done single-handedly. 
You can also use it as an anchor point to redirect a rope. Let's say you don't have an anchor point while setting up your tarp. You want to redirect it, so what you can do is tie a Prusik on the line and attach a third anchor, slide where you would like it, and angle the tarp differently.
Prusik Knot's Life-Saving Application
The Prusik knot can save your life. But keep in mind that this knot should be used only in emergencies and as a last resort.
One more thing to note with the Prusik. Just like all friction hitches, the line that wraps around your main one has to be a thinner diameter than your main line for the friction and the biting down to work.
How to Ascend a Rope Using a Prusik
If you need to ascend a rope and don't have any other option, you can use the method below to ascend a rope using a Prusik.
To start, create a small Prusik loop and tie it to your main line. This is going to be your foothold. Don't worry because the foothold is going to hold tight. Take a much larger loop – about the wingspan of your arms and tie this one with a Prusik above the foothold loop. 
Use it to tie a quick Spanish bowline, which is going to create a harness loop. Put one leg into each of the Spanish loops, and you now have a seat. Now that you're ready to go, slide your harness Prusik as high up as you can, sit down, and apply your weight to it. 
Slide down that foothold Prusik, put your foot in, and step up as high as you can. This relieves tension from the harness. You can slide that up a little bit higher, sit down again, and now you're sitting higher than you were before. 
Slide the foothold up, stick your foot back in that foothold, and climb higher. Repeat that process over and over. It's very slow, but it'll get you out of an emergency if you need it. Again, put that foot through that foothold, climb higher, slide the harness Prusik up, and repeat that process. Ready to practice tying the Prusik hitch? Master the art of knot tying with The Bear Essentials Outdoors Co.’s handy knot tying bundle. From dual-colored knots to a pocket-sized guide to the most useful knots, this kit has you covered. Order yours today!
