Adjustable Grip Hitch

A green rope crosses the frame horizontally. A blue rope enters the frame from the left and runs alongside the green rope, just below it. It is tied to the green rope with an adjustable grip hitch consisting of two tight spirals around the green rope and a half hitch on the left side of the spirals. The knot has been pulled into a neat, compact shape.

The adjustable grip hitch is used to tie off a line so it can be adjusted without untying it.

When to use it

We love the adjustable grip hitch for tying off limbs in floor bondage.

It’s also great for stress positions like the hogtie where it’s useful to be able to intensify the position as your partner settles into it.

If you’re using slippery synthetic rope, you may find that the midshipman’s hitch holds more reliably than the adjustable grip hitch.

Like all other sliding knots, the adjustable grip hitch is not entirely reliable and should never be used for critical vertical lines in suspension.

Step by step

A green rope crosses the frame horizontally. A blue rope enters from the left and runs parallel to the green rope, one inch below it. Near the right edge of the frame, the blue rope crosses over the green rope and makes a full spiral around it, moving back toward the left. The blue rope goes over the green rope, under the green rope, and back over the green rope, with six inches of rope remaining and travelling back toward the left of the frame, one inch above the green rope.

1Double back and go over and around the green rope, inside the standing part.

The blue rope makes a second spiral around the green rope, going under it and then back over it. There are now four inches of tail pointed up and to the left of the frame.

2Make a second full wrap around the green rope, inside the standing part.

The blue rope crosses under the green rope and the standing part of the blue rope then back over the standing part of the blue rope and the green rope, then under itself. This step just tied a half hitch around the green rope and the standing part of the blue rope.

3Make a third full wrap, this time around both the green rope and the standing part.

Pass the rope under itself to make a half hitch.

4Snug the knot into position. Take your time and make sure that the whole knot is tidy and snug.

Notes for nerds

References and naming

This knot doesn’t appear in ABOK.

The adjustable grip hitch is not the adjustable jam hitch (ABOK 1994), no matter what Wikipedia says.

And despite the confusing name, it is not the same as the adjustable hitch (ABOK 1800).

It is occasionally and incorrectly called a modified taut line hitch.

This is part of a family of similar knots that are frequently confused with each other. See the Friction Hitches chapter of the Big Book of Bondage Knots for a full discussion of the topic.

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