Siberian Hitch
Also known as: Quick Deploy Hitch
hitch knot
Survival and bushcraft instruction puts a premium on knots that can be tied fast, under pressure, with hands that may be cold, gloved, wet, or all three at once - conditions where fumbling a complex knot could genuinely matter. The Siberian hitch, sometimes called the quick deploy hitch for exactly this reason, is built around a single wrap and one folded, tucked bight - about as few motions as a genuinely secure hitch can be reduced to.
Its main use case is pitching a tarp or shelter line fast, in weather where every extra second spent fumbling with a knot is a real cost - the kind of situation cold-weather survival training specifically drills for. A single practiced motion secures the line to a tree or pole, and pulling the tail releases it just as quickly when the shelter needs to come down.
Because speed and glove-friendliness are the entire design goal, it doesn't offer the load-holding certainty of a true locking hitch like round turn and two half hitches - it's built for a tarp line or similarly light, temporary load, not for anything where failure would be dangerous.
Its name and popularization owe a lot to modern bushcraft and survival instructors who specifically teach it as part of cold-weather shelter-building drills, where the ability to tie a secure ridge-line anchor in seconds, with thick gloves on and hands going numb, is treated as a genuinely practical survival skill rather than a knot-tying curiosity.
Practice with bare hands in comfortable conditions doesn't necessarily translate directly to reliable execution with numb fingers in a real cold-weather emergency, which is why survival instructors emphasize drilling the hitch specifically under simulated cold-hand conditions - tying it with thick mittens on, or after holding ice water, rather than assuming a knot learned comfortably indoors will come out the same way when it actually matters.
Because it shares so much structurally with the highwayman's hitch and adjustable grip hitch, someone already comfortable with quick-release loop-and-tuck hitches generally picks up the Siberian hitch's specific sequence within a few practice tries, even if they've never encountered this exact name before.
How to tie the Siberian Hitch
- 1Pass the rope around the tree or pole and bring the working end back across the standing part.
- 2Take the working end over both parts of the rope, then back under both - this turn around the standing part is what makes the knot a figure eight rather than a plain loop.
- 3Tuck a bight of the working end - not the end itself - through the loop you have just formed.
- 4Draw the bight through and tighten, so the knot sets as a slipped figure eight around the standing part.
- 5Slide the finished knot tight against the tree. To release, pull the free working end and the whole hitch falls apart - which is also why it must never carry a load that matters.
Strength & security
Designed above all for speed - it can be tied and tensioned with thick gloves on, or with numb, cold-affected hands, in a fraction of the time most hitches take, which is precisely why it's associated with cold-weather survival use.
Cautions: Everything true of the Evenk hitch is true here, because it is the same knot: one pull on the tail and it is gone. The practical risk on this page is a naming one — a reader who has learned it as a Siberian hitch and a reader who has learned it as an Evenk hitch will sometimes argue about a difference that does not exist, and neither should assume the version they know is the locking one. It holds a ridgeline or a tarp. It is not a substitute for a hitch that has to stay tied.
Alternatives
- Highwayman's Hitch
Shares the same quick-tie, quick-release philosophy; the choice between them often comes down to which specific tying sequence a person has practiced enough to do reliably with cold or gloved hands.
FAQ
What makes the Siberian hitch good for cold weather?
It can be tied and tensioned in very few motions, even with thick gloves on or hands numbed by cold - a real practical advantage when fumbling a more complex knot could cost valuable time.
Is the Siberian hitch strong enough for anything besides a tarp line?
It is built for speed and light, temporary loads like shelter ridgelines, not for anything where failure would be dangerous. Remember also that the tail is the release: any pull on it drops the hitch, so keep it clear of anything that could snag.
How does it release?
A pull on the working tail collapses the hitch instantly. It is worth being clear that this is the release and not the hold - the standing part carries the load, and tensioning the tail is the one thing you must not do.
Should this hitch be practiced differently than other camping knots?
Yes - since its entire value is performing reliably with cold, numb, or gloved hands, survival instructors recommend specifically practicing it under those simulated conditions rather than assuming comfortable indoor practice will transfer directly to an actual cold-weather emergency.
Does the Siberian hitch work equally well on thick and thin cordage?
Reasonably, though very thin cord can be harder to grip and tension effectively with thick gloves on, somewhat undercutting the hitch's whole cold-weather advantage - most survival instructors recommend practicing on the actual paracord or guy-line thickness a person expects to carry.
Is the Siberian hitch appropriate for a permanent camp setup?
It can hold reliably for extended periods once tied, though its real design advantage is speed of tying and release, so a permanent or semi-permanent camp is better served by a more deliberately tensioned hitch if there's time to tie one properly.
Gear that pairs with this knot
- Type III paracord (550 cord)
The ridgeline cord this hitch is designed to secure in a hurry — tied with a single wrap and a tucked bight, it works best in cord with a bit of body.
- Lightweight tarp with tie-outs
The shelter this page pitches fast in bad weather; the tie-outs are where the guy lines run to the ridgeline the Siberian hitch holds.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through the links above, at no extra cost to you.