Page 103 - Nate Fitch, Ron Funderburke "Climbing Knots"

Therefore it is an ideal knot for joining rope ends
that climbers never intend to untie, like accessory cord
loops, cordellettes, or gear slings. Two inches of tail
on each side of the knot gives the double fisherman’s
adequate security.

Flat Overhand

The flat overhand is not as strong a knot as any
number of other joining knots. It can be made to
capsize at loads that are less than 30 percent of the
rope’s strength. For this reason the flat overhand often
carries the unfair moniker “European death knot
(EDK).” However, when tied correctly, the flat over-
hand excels as a joining knot because it is easy to tie,
easy to inspect, and easy to untie after use. The weak-
nesses of the knot are easy to understand and mitigate
by tying at least 12 inches of tails in front of the knot
(which makes consecutive capsizing unlikely), dress-
ing the knot correctly, and applying smaller body
weight loads to the knot.
Therefore the flat overhand is an ideal knot for tem-
porarily joining two rope ends, especially when body
weight loads are the only loads applied to the knot.

Guide’s Insight

Much like my preference for the autoblock in
rappelling and lowering applications, selecting
the flat overhand to join ropes for rappelling is
quite a time-saver.
Last year, I earned a trip to coastal North
Carolina to visit my family. —RF

90 CLIMBING: KNOTS