Artillery loop | |
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Names | Artillery loop, Artilleryman's knot, Manharness knot, [1] Manharness loop, Harness loop, [2] Harness hitch, [2] Belayer's hitch, [3] Sandy Douglass knot [4] |
Category | Loop |
Related | Farmer's loop, Alpine butterfly knot, Span loop, Marlinespike hitch |
Releasing | Non-jamming |
Caveat | Must have load, may slip unexpectedly under tension creating a running knot or noose |
ABoK | #153, #428, #532, [5] #1050, #1051 |
The artillery loop [1] is a knot with a loop on the bight for non-critical purposes. The artillery loop must have the loop loaded or it will slip and contract easily. It is an inferior knot to the alpine butterfly knot, [2] possibly dangerously so, in that it can be yanked out of shape and turn into a running knot or noose. [6]
Budworth states that this knot is often described as being best suited to take a load on only one of the ends, but reliable information on which end is difficult to find. [7]
The name harness loop derives from the fact that the knot was used when assisting horses on difficult terrain. [7] Similarly, the name artillery loop or artilleryman's hitch derives from the fact that it was used when hauling field artillery into position. [7]