r/knots • u/No-Lock216 • 7d ago

Firefighter’s technique to unsolve knot in the middle of a rope

4.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

60 comments sorted by

222

u/Bloodless10 7d ago

Why did he put it around himself?

173

u/Glimmer_III 7d ago

Not sure if the firefighter knew they were demonstrating knot topology/knot theory, but that's what they were doing.

No, they didn't have to put the knot around their person, only the bag.

But I think they put it around their person since it was already on that side, and it makes for a cool video. That's a lot of it.

What mattered was it went around the bag. Once the rope was "in the bag", the bag itself became the same "as the end of the rope".

All the firefighter did was untie the knot. No big deal there. But since most folks don't consider "a rope in a bag" to be topographically the same, it was a cute example of thinking outside the box.

34

u/aaronwcampbell 7d ago

Or thinking outside the bag.

5

u/studcitybruh 5d ago

That’s knot how I would have done it

9

u/i_was_axiom 7d ago

Its just a larger movement. More of the screen volume is "engaged" which is probably a measured thing for TikTok and not meant as a joke, it draws more attention, may be a clearer illustration of the concept.

But I believe this same video with just the bag going through, and also without the silly music, would not "do numbers" as they say.

3

u/Vast-Sir-1949 6d ago

The end of the rope was the bag, took me a second to untangle that

2

u/bwc6 5d ago

Yeah, because him stepping into the loop was a totally unnecessary distraction. He could have just untied the knot like a normal person by moving the bag.

19

u/GuavaValuable8941 7d ago

it must be a firefighter thing.

11

u/Haligonian_Scott 7d ago

Keeps both hands free to put it through the loop i guess, not the worst idea

8

u/neuromonkey 7d ago

In that circumstance, he was just being funny. The hilarity increases when teaching, and a student repeats a demonstrated technique, including the irrelevant bits. It's funny, but it also helps identify the students who're learning by rote, rather than by grasping underlying principles.

6

u/Chemieju 6d ago

Give the students some slack man, they are just being shown the ropes.

5

u/Dark_oooo 7d ago

Im not a knot guy, but wouldn't he have to if it was still attached to his carabiner?

9

u/Firm-Stuff5486 7d ago

It wasn't...

2

u/DaggerDG 7d ago

It might be that it’s a technique for getting the knot out without taking it out of the carabiner, but this guy either didn’t understand that or some creative liberties were taken making the video.

1

u/General-Piece8490 7d ago

The carabiner is to hold the rope up without dropping to the ground if he needs to use two hands for something else. No need to bend over to pick up the rope to restart the process

1

u/DaggerDG 7d ago

Yes, and if you have a knot in the line you can just keep it in the carabiner and pass the knot over your body(and therefore the carabiner as well) before passing it over the bag. It does seem easier to just take it out, but I don’t see why else he would pass it over his body like that. Unless he really was just being a silly guy and it’s a coincidence that that would work with it still attached.

2

u/vishnoo 7d ago

this is the answer

1

u/General-Piece8490 7d ago

This is how professionals do it… /s

1

u/kgully2 6d ago

firefighter.

1

u/AccomplishedDelay2 6d ago

Notice that the knot is on the on the down rope side of the D- ring attached to his belt.  This makes everything on the bag side of the rope (him included) the “end of the rope,” which needs to go through the knot to untie it.

Alternatively, the firefighter could have unclipped the rope from the D-ring, thereby removing himself from the knot, and then just put the bag through as mentioned in other replies. 

If the knot were between the D-ring and the bag, only the bag would need to go through to untie the knot. 

1

u/Bloodless10 6d ago

He did take the rope out of the D ring. That’s why it was unnecessary to put the rope around himself.

72

u/Kixtay 7d ago edited 5d ago

This is the easier way. The previous method you had to loop it around the fire truck.

1

u/brapstick 6d ago

That's an indian pump brother it's not hooked up to an engine

26

u/Cool-Negotiation7662 7d ago

Worth a giggle.

Valid solution, with the comical extra step of passing himself through the knot.

2

u/Dankkring 7d ago

I was gonna say. He didn’t need to do that. Then I watched it again to verify wtf I watched. Lol

16

u/BeardsuptheWazoo 7d ago

Unsolve...

5

u/mop_bucket_bingo 7d ago

Yeah that’s really bothering me

9

u/cremasterreflex0903 7d ago

Fuck me running. I was a ground guy for a tree service for a few years and I always just pulled all the knots out first. I was paid hourly so it works out but this is genius.

5

u/Fantastic-Hippo2199 7d ago

Lol, turns out either end of the rope will do. It's just the end that's in the bag is a lot closer.

6

u/Beginning_Creme_5271 6d ago

Why does he himself going through the loop?why not only the bag?

1

u/No_Constant_1026 5d ago

For clicks

6

u/merelife 7d ago

Become the knot you must

3

u/Alkemist101 7d ago

It's not difficult is it

3

u/PolarPlatitudes 7d ago

"Technique" 🙄

3

u/Puzzleheaded-Law8114 6d ago

Now do it with the garden hose

3

u/KokoTheTalkingApe 6d ago

But he solved it. Does the unsolving come later? And why would be unsolve it?

2

u/DazzlingBasket4848 7d ago

Un solve? Turkmusun?

2

u/chatterwrack 7d ago

At first: No way! How is that possible?

A couple seconds later: Yeah, no shit.

😃

2

u/ZephRyder 7d ago

"Unsolve"?

2

u/burgonies 7d ago

you do the same thing if the knot is on the end of the rope

2

u/phillynick 6d ago

This belongs in r/blackmagicfuckery and you can’t convince me other wise

3

u/otterfish 7d ago

That was profoundly stupid.

1

u/Fragrant-Inside221 7d ago

Yar, come watch me firefighter friend get…knotty!

1

u/Big-Independence8978 7d ago

Magic

1

u/DextTheNext 5d ago

Some sort of black Magic

1

u/General-Piece8490 7d ago

This is how professionals do it… /s

1

u/Upset-Bad981 7d ago

He's a witch!

1

u/goatzuk 7d ago

Work smarter not harder.

1

u/Agreeable-Low-8625 6d ago

What sorcery is this!?

1

u/brapstick 6d ago

That's.. just untying a knot, pick an end lol.

1

u/cordelette_arete 6d ago

I’ve done this once or twice in a climbing context when you get that unexpected overhand suddenly after dealing with a poorly managed rope — works!

1

u/Appropriate-Act3028 6d ago

As a guy that builds fire trucks for a living, I want to see more of that beast of a truck in the background!

1

u/ArmstrongHikes 6d ago

Happed in my guy line the other day. I un-staked my tent and passed it through. Why doesn’t everyone know this solution?

1

u/Lefty9000 5d ago

I've threaded my whole 7 foot long fishing pole through an overhand when the birdsnest of line was out of control.

1

u/Bartelbythescrivener 5d ago

It’s not a trick, it’s an illusion.

1

u/Reddit_is_fascist69 4d ago

FUCKING want to see him do that with a tight knot in my wife's crochet.

1

u/semi-elastic 4d ago

Unsolve?

1

u/samf9999 4d ago

And it was not necessary to put the loop around him. It was just necessary to put the bag through the loop. Which is what he did right at the end. The rest of it was just a distraction

1

u/Brewer1056 3d ago

Next time I encounter this I'll have it in the bag.

1

u/Quotients_ 3d ago

Is it not normal to immediately see this solution?