Saw an old dive buddy use a different knot setup for lifting bags in Port Townsend harbor yesterday

He swapped to a rolling hitch with a backup half hitch instead of the usual clove hitch and said it stopped slipping on the surface interval, has anyone else tried that trick on smaller lift bags?

2 comments

2 Comments

juliagonzalez12d ago

Nah, you gotta watch the rolling hitch on smaller bags. I've seen it lock up too tight, actually crushes the bladder neck on those single-cylinder microbags. The real trick nobody talks about is using a constrictor knot with a tail tucked under itself, lets you micro-adjust in current without losing grip. Plus the backup half hitch defeats the whole quick-release point of a rolling hitch if you're doing surface intervals where you need to dump fast. The clove hitch only slips if you're using that slippery spectra webbing instead of proper lift bag line. Try the constrictor on a standard 3/8 nylon line, it'll sit there like a rock but pops loose with one yank on the tail.

stellac9712d ago

Yeah, that's exactly what happened on my last dive trip.