Best knot for a fixed loop in the end of a rope
An eye that holds its size under load and can be untied after. It gets thrown over things, clipped to things and trusted.
Ranks first
Bowline
Good field fit · 27 ruled out first
Why it wins
- ·Essentially level with Water Bowline on weighted field fit (Good vs Good). Treat them as the same answer and choose on the tradeoff
- ·Unties after a hard load
- ·Eye size stays the size you made
- ·Strong connection-job fit (94)
Watch for
- !Left unloaded and shaken, so it works its way untied
- !Repeated slack and snatch on an unattended line with no backup
- !Tail shorter than a hand's width, especially in slick rope
Also in the running
- 02Water BowlineClove collar resists wet capsize better than a plain bowlineGood
- 03Yosemite BowlineTail captured in the nipping loop — a backup finish, not extra strengthGood
Pick Water Bowline instead Bowline leads on retie speed (84 vs 68) and field tieability (69 vs 61). Water Bowline still holds an edge on load behavior.
What changes the answer
The same question with one condition added. Each row is its own engine run.
- Cold, wet handsHolds
- Low lightHolds
- First time tying itHolds
How sure this is
Moderate confidence: the order is sound, but the top few are close enough that your own conditions can reorder them.
27 of 30 modelled connections were ruled out by hard constraints before anything was ranked. A knot that fails a constraint is never scored, however strong it is elsewhere.