way before they had ratchet straps like this truckers used to tie down loads with guess what a trucker's hitch this is a very useful knot to know because you can put a tremendous amount of pressure on with an ordinary rope this is a mock-up that I've made to show you how to tie down a tent here's the stake here's the tent let me show you how to tie this knot start by tying a figure-eight loop some distance from the end then run the other end of the rope through the loop pull it as tight as you need it and lock it in place with a double half-hitch do that by running the rope behind and back through twice if it's a temporary trucker's hitch send a loop through instead of the end of the rope then you can pull on the end and release it instantly