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Hang It All!
Submitted by An Outdoor Idiots Team Member.
Attaching Cord to the Mini Maglite
The Double Constrictor Hitch
The first thing to do is to connect one end of the cord to the body of the torch. If a temporary attachment is all that is needed, then the Penberthy Prusik is probably the ideal knot to grip the tube firmly (example).However, the Penberthy Prusik is not ideal for making a more permanent attachment, because while the torch is not being suspended, there is no weight on the Prusik and it can easily slip off. For a more permanent attachment, the Constrictor Hitch serves well. A "Double" Constrictor Hitch serves even better.
The Constrictor Hitch is vaguely similar to the Clove Hitch, but it is better at keeping a tight grip on whatever it is tied around. The virtues of the Constrictor Hitch are immediately apparent when it is tied with thin cord around a rope or other thick cordage, and then pulled very tight. The hitch will squeeze the rope tightly, and has a remarkable ability to maintain the squeeze in spite of any disturbances in the form of the ends of the knot being wiggled. The same cannot be said of the Clove Hitch.
However, the Constrictor Hitch is not so amazing at gripping a solid metal tube, because the tube cannot be compressed. It's still very good for that purpose, just not as amazing as it is when tied round a compressible rope. So we'll use a Double Constrictor Hitch, which is even better at holding its grip. Here goes...
First, loop the whatsit around the thingy:
Now add an extra turn - this is the bit that makes it a Double Constrictor Hitch:
Note carefully how the working end of the cord now needs to be on the correct side of the standing part:
Now the working end gets tucked between the tube and all the rest of the cord, emerging as shown. It's easy to go wrong here, so study the photo carefully:
Finally, move the knot to the desired position along the tube, and pull tight:
There's no need to pull it too tight. It is better to have it just tight enough to securely support the weight of the torch. This way, the knot can still fairly easily be slid along the length of the torch, which makes it easier to finely adjust things later.
This moderately-tightened Double Constrictor Hitch is not as good as a Prusik at resisting being pulled off the end of the torch, but it's not too bad at all:
What Now?
We've used a decent length of cord, so that we can hang the torch at quite a range of heights:
The cord can be wrapped around the body of the torch, tucking the end of the cord under the last turn or two to stop it unravelling while in transit:
The above might be nice in winter, too, since you can now hold the torch without touching freezing metal. Gloves might be a better solution to that, though.
We now have a Mini Maglite that can be used upright in "candle mode"...
... but also has cord attached, so we can hang it up if need be.
That's exciting enough, but we are going to take the excitement to an indecent level by hanging the thing...
Page 2 of 4 Previous Next [Top of Page]
Page 1: Introduction, and the AA Mini Maglite.
Page 2: Attaching Cord to a Torch
Page 3: Tying a Half-Baked Prusik
Page 4: Hanging Gymnastics
Page 2: Attaching Cord to a Torch
Page 3: Tying a Half-Baked Prusik
Page 4: Hanging Gymnastics
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