Climber’s Overhand Knot

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The overhand knot is probably the simplest and fastest knot you can form to join two ropes together. This can be very handy in situations where speed is critical. It's also generally believed to be the least likely knot to get stuck when the ropes are pulled. Follow these steps to form an overhand knot to join two ropes:

1. Grab an end of each rope and form the simple pass shown above.

2. Pull tight, leaving a large amount of tail (ie. about 12 inches) for both ends, to account for any slippage. It shouldn't slip too greatly if the ropes are of the same diameter, but this is not something to skimp on. You should probably leave more tail than the pictures above imply.