Ed Speer's
Four Wrap Knot
This is a page about hanging hammocks.
You may also wish to compare this knot to my improved version.
To tie this knot, the hammock must be equipped with webbing instead of
rope. Each end needs between 12 and 15 feet of webbing. The
method is described in Ed
Speer's book.
First stage of the knot is to pass the webbing around a tree (best when
the diameter is about 4 inches) and loop around the strap that goes to
the hammock. In these photos, the strap on the right that exits
the picture at the bottom right corner is the cord that goes to
the hammock.
Next, the webbing is pulled around the tree,
looped around the support
cord, and taken back around the tree again. This completes the
second "wrap".
This picture shows the 4th wrap around the tree.
Finally, the webbing is brought around the back
of the tree a final
time. The webbing is tucked under the previous wraps so that as
weight is applied to the hammock, the free end will be caught between
the tree trunk and the previous wraps.
It is a very simple knot to tie and untie. It is also
surprisingly strong. With some slick barked trees, the web has
occasionally slipped on me.