soft shackle!

I’ve had a lot of fun this year learning new knots. Making soft shackles was one of the things I learned this year, and I enjoy making them as gifts to give to others, as well as for myself. I most frequently use them to put up tarps and on the end of my hammocks.

Soft shackles can have many knots at the end. I particularly like to make them with a button knot, but you can do a diamond knot or a double overhand knot. (In fact, if you tie the double overhand knot correctly, it can be close to as strong as the button knot. See this video.) A button knot is similar to a diamond knot, except that it does not slip as easily, particularly in dyneema (UHMWPE). The button knot takes a bit of practice to learn to tie, but it is a beautiful knot.

what is a soft shackle?

Think of it like a carabiner (except made of rope). To use it, widen the noose (the loop at the end), remove the button knot from the noose, wrap the cord part around two things, and then put the noose back over the button knot.

why are soft shackles great?

Soft shackles are incredible, particularly because they are much stronger for the weight compared to a carabiner. They can be tri-loaded without losing strength. If you need more strength, you can wrap it around twice. You cannot cross-load a soft shackle. They are very handy for connecting two (or more) static things together. A soft shackle can be very quick to make, if you need to just connect two things together. Tie a knot in the end of a loop of rope, flip a larks head into the loop side, and put it over the knot. These are great for quick soft shackles, especially out of paracord, but I enjoy making them out of dyneema.

how are they frequently used?

They are common in vehicle recovery kits, because if something breaks and goes flying, the rope is soft, compared to a metal bow shackle. They are common in sailing for the same reason. I first heard about soft shackles from the HowNOT2 YouTuble channel , where they are used for rigging highlines, as well as to test other gear, because when made with a thicker rope, they are stronger than almost all climbing and rescue parts (over 100 kn breaking strength).

how strong are soft shackles?

When the noose is closed around the button knot, there are effectively two strands of rope going around whatever objects are being held together, which doubles the breaking strength of the soft shackle compared to the strength of the rope it is made of. Knots typically reduce the strength of the rope, but the button knot does not! (Why is this knot so strong? I’d love to write about it, but I think Allen Edwards did a good job of it at the link below, if you’re curious.) A diamond knot soft shackle will have roughly 170% of the original line strength. Button knot soft shackles break at roughly 230% of the line strength. (Numbers from l-36.com) So, soft shackles are very strong!

how to tie a soft shackle?

I wrote about it here, though there are many better guides on the internet, such as this one.

are there any downsides to using a soft shackle?

Not many, but there are a few. First, they cannot take as much abrasion as a carabiner. Second, you cannot undo them if they are under load. Third, they are more fiddly than a carabiner. But I think that all the upsides outweight the downsides. They are much cheaper than carabiners (if you make them yourself), they are stronger and lighter, and you can make them the exact size that you need for a specific situation.