Page 49 - Nate Fitch, Ron Funderburke "Climbing Knots"

Unlike a figure 8 follow through, the bowline does
not have a preliminary step that isolates the distance
between the end of the rope and the place where the
knot will eventually reside. When tying the bowline,
one can circumnavigate an object of any size, and then
tie the knot in any proximity to the object.
A bowline with a backup
knot tied to a tree. A
precise amount of rope
is being used because
tying the bowline is
an efficient process,
in terms of time and
material.

Circumnavigate
the object and
decide where
the bowline
should be to
best conserve
material.
36 CLIMBING: KNOTS