Figure-eight loop double overhand "backup knot" is tied above the figure 8. This is not required for the knot's integrity, but it does ensure that adequate tail length has been included, and gets excess tail out of the way. If the finish knot is not included, the tail should be 5 to 8 inches long. The diameter of the loop should be kept small, to avoid being caught on protrusions while falling, or clipped into accidentally while lead climbing. A well-dressed knot has a symmetrical appearance, with the strands parallel through each curve. Figure-eight loop A figure-eight loop (also figure-eight on a
Becket hitch Becket hitch A becket hitch, including the double becket or figure-of-eight becket hitch, is any hitch that is made on an eye loop, i.e. on a becket. A becket hitch has the same structure as the sheet bend, which joins, or "bends", the ends of two ropes together. The becket hitch, in contrast, fixes a rope to a closed eye or hook. In this instance, a "becket" means the eye or hook of a pulley block, an eye in the end of a rope, or a rope handle on a sailors sea chest. For greater security, an additional round turn