This is known as the “king of knots,” simply because it’s one of the best for many uses, plus it can be untied rather easily. It’s a bread-and-butter Scouting knot because it has so many woodcraft and outdoor uses. The bowline is an ancient knot. Some folks say it harkens back to the era of wooden ships.
The bowline essentially forms a secure, non-slip loop. It maintains its strength and non-slip form even when wet and under heavy load. A properly tied bowline will not tighten its loop size. This makes it especially valuable for emergency outdoor use, such as attaching a rope to a harness, a heavy line to a fixed object, or with a large loop around a person for rescue.
The bowline can be tied to connect a line to a ring, such as a backpack loop, tent grommet hole, or around a dock piling or similar object. In fishing, it’s serviceable in securing hooks, swivels, and sinkers.
Creating two bowlines in two separate line ends can be used to link the two lines securely. It’s better than most other connecting knots because Bowlines can be untied, allowing simple disjoining of lines, or releasing a line from a ring, tent peg, etc.
The bowline is easy to form, and even can be made one handed. For tying one-handed: tie the bowline in the rope end, while holding the line load with the standing part of the rope in the opposite hand. It takes practice to do it one-handed, but it’s worthwhile to learn.
There are at least a couple ways to tie the bowline. The following method is the easiest, and it makes it simple to understand how to tie it by laying a line flat on a level surface like a table, dock or truck bed.
It’s wise to learn to tie a bowline by using it to form a loop in a line end. Once this basic knot is mastered, other applications for a bowline can be practiced and perfected.