How To Keep A Cord From Twisting – The Ultimate Guide

by John Sanderson
How To Keep A Cord From Twisting

Your favorite outdoor activity comes at a high cost. We all know that getting caught in the rain or snow is the worse. But, how much do you know about how to keep your cord from twisting? Practice makes perfect, right? WRONG. You see, the more you go through your cord life, the more twists & knots you’ll create. It doesn’t have to be that way. You see, you can take control of your outdoor activities. You can learn how to keep your cord from twisting. In this article, you’ll learn the steps you can take to make sure your cord doesn’t become a mess of twists and knots.

How To Keep A Cord From Twisting?

  • Tie a knot after every 5 feet or so.
  • Make sure your cord isn’t twisted before you tie it off.
  • Keep your cord from going underfoot.
  • Try to avoid leaving your cord on the ground where animals can get to it.
  • When tying off, take a little extra time with each knot to make sure it is tied securely and doesn’t twist or come undone later on in your hike/activity/hiking trip/camping trip.
  • If you are using a figure 8 knot, make sure that the cord is not crossing itself over itself as this will weaken the knot and you’ll have more trouble with it coming undone later on in your trip/activity/hiking trip/camping trip (you know what I mean).

How To Untwist A Cord?

  1. Take a smooth stick.
  2. Unwind your cord from the knot to the end, then start at the end of your cord and work back to the beginning.
  3. Using your smooth stick, pull each loop out of its hole and twist them around each other.
  4. Keep doing this until you get to where you want your cord to be untangled from all its twists and knots.
  5. Gently stop when you are done untangling all the twists and knots from your cord and make sure it isn’t twisted or knotted anywhere that it shouldn’t be before you tie it off again (this will create more knots in your rope).
  6. Make sure that all of the loops are untangled and that it is not twisted anywhere else before you tie them off again.
  7. Tie off your cord, then wrap the cord around itself a few times (3 times to be exact) to make sure there are no knots or twists left in the rope.
  8. If you are using a figure 8 knot, make sure that the cord is not crossed over itself as this will weaken your knot and you’ll have more trouble with it coming undone later on in your trip/activity/hiking trip/camping trip (you know what I mean).
  9. If you like, take some paracord and use it to tie a loop around your cord so that when you put something on it, such as a backpack strap, the loop will be right at the end of your rope and won’t become knotted or twisted any further near where it is tied off.

How To Unknot A Twisted Cord?

  • Take a smooth stick and then pull the cord out of its knot.
  • Once you have untangled the cord from its knot, continue to untangle it from all the twists and knots that are in it.
  • Once you have untangled all of the twists and knots from your cord, tie it off again with a figure 8 knot or another knot that is secure (you know what I mean).
  • Wrap some paracord around your cord three times to make sure there are no knots or twists left in your rope (if you are using paracord).
  • If you like, take some paracord and use it to tie a loop around your cord so that when you put something on it, such as a backpack strap, the loop will be right at the end of your rope and won’t become knotted or twisted any further near where it is tied off (this will create more knots in your rope).

Types Of Knots:

  1. A slipknot is made with an overhand loop on one end of the cord and an overhand loop on the other end of the cord. The two overhand loops are then brought together and tightened to form a slipknot. For example, if you were to tie a slipknot on this piece of rope, you would first make an overhand loop on one end of the rope and then double back and make another overhand loop on the other end of the rope (which would be like making a figure 8 but with two loops instead of just one). Then you would bring those two loops together and tighten them to form a slipknot (which looks like this: OOOO).
  2. A running bowline is made when you take a bowline (which looks like this: OOO) and run it through itself after forming it so that there are no gaps between its legs when it forms as part of your bowline (which looks like this: OOOO).
  3. A clove hitch is made when you put one end of the rope over another end of the rope (which looks like this: OOOOO) and then pass it through itself (which looks like this: OOOOOO).
  4. figure 8 is made when you make a loop with one end of the rope (which looks like this: O) and then run it through itself after making the first loop on that end of the rope so that there are no gaps between its legs (which looks like this: OOOO).
  5. A bowline on a bight is made when you take one end of the rope and make a loop with it (which looks like this: OOO) and then run it through itself after making the first loop on that end of the rope so that there are no gaps between its legs (which looks like this: OOOO).
  6. A double fisherman’s knot is made when you take two ends of the rope and make a loop with each one (which looks like this: OOOOO) and then pass them both through their own loops so that they make an X (which looks like this: XOXO).
  7. A bowline on a coil is made when you take one end of the rope and roll it into a coil, which forms a circle around your rope, before making your bowline with that end of the rope (which looks like this: OOOOO). You can use this knot to create many loops in your rope by rolling it into many coils before making your bowline with its end.
  8. The overhand bend is made when you take an overhand loop in one end of the cord and an overhand loop in the other end of the cord, which is then brought together and tightened to form an overhand bend. For example, if you were to tie an overhand bend on this piece of rope, you would first make an overhand loop on one end of the rope and then make an overhand loop on the other end of the rope, which you would then bring together and tighten to form an overhand bend.
  9. The half hitch is made when you take one end of the rope and wrap it once around another object (which looks like this: OO) and then pass it through itself so that there are no gaps between its legs (which looks like this: OOO).
  10. The figure 8 bend is made when you make a loop with one end of the rope (which looks like this: O) and then pass it through itself after making the first loop on that end of the rope so that there are no gaps between its legs (which looks like this: OOOO).

Conclusion

The truth is, if you take care of your outdoor equipment, it will take care of you. Your outdoor equipment is your best friend when you don’t have an indoor space to escape to when it starts to rain or snow. When you keep your cords organized, they don’t get in the way while you do your thing. They also don’t get in the way when you’re trying to untangle your cords in the rain or snow. The right equipment and a few basic rules will keep your outdoor cords in tip-top shape.

You may also like