Knots by class

It's the middle of the night at camp. The wind picks up, the tent's rainfly starts coming loose, and someone shouts your name. In that moment, knowing the right knot is worth more than any tutorial saved on your phone. In the Pathfinder Club, this skill isn't left to chance: every class — the stages you complete year by year — requires a specific list of knots, published in the official requirements. Here's the complete map, class by class, checked against the source.

🪢Why do Pathfinders learn so many knots?

The Pathfinder Club is the Seventh-day Adventist Church's program for ages 10 to 15: camping, nature, service, and faith, all together. Progress happens through the classes — six stages, one per year, each with its own booklet of requirements. And knots show up right in the first one.

Think of each knot as a tool with its own superpower, like an inventory item in a video game: the bowline is the loop that never tightens, the clove hitch fastens the rope to a post, the sheepshank shortens the rope without cutting it. You're not memorizing for the sake of memorizing — you're unlocking skills that solve real problems.

And this isn't random content pulled from the internet: the list of knots for each class is set by the South American Division (SAD), the church's headquarters for South America, and published in the official requirements. That's the list, checked in 2026, that you see below.

🔵Which knots does the Friend class require?

The Friend class (starting at age 10) is the entry point — and it already comes with the longest list of all. In the Camping Craft section, the official requirement calls for “demonstrating how to properly care for a rope” and “tying and explaining the practical use” of 14 knots: overhand, blind, square, surgeon's, bowline, double bowline, sheet bend, sheepshank, fisherman's, anchor bend, clove hitch, hook knot, riverbank hitch, and common knot.

Notice the detail: it's not enough to tie the knot, you have to explain what it's for. It's like school: copying the formula is easy; the real test is knowing when to use it. The instructor will ask “in what situation would you use this one?” — and the answer counts as much as a well-tied knot.

Sounds like a lot? Break it down like levels in a game: that's 14 knots over a whole year. One new knot every two weeks, with plenty of time left to review everything before the Investiture, the ceremony that closes out the class.

🔴And the Companion class — what changes?

In Companion (starting at age 11), the official requirement calls for “learning or reviewing” 9 knots: figure-eight, highwayman's hitch, double knot, trucker's hitch, square, clove hitch, sheet bend, bowline, and overhand.

Notice some repeat? Square, clove hitch, sheet bend, bowline, and overhand were already on the Friend list. That's on purpose: it's spaced repetition, the same technique language apps use. A knot you don't repeat, your brain deletes.

The real newcomers are four: the figure-eight (a stopper knot used even in climbing), the highwayman's hitch (releases with a single pull), the double knot, and the trucker's hitch — the famous knot that tensions truck tarps and, at camp, keeps your clothesline as taut as a guitar string.

🖼️What is the 15-knot board?

Every regular class has a souped-up version, the advanced classes. The Companion's is called Hiking Companion, and its requirement 10 is straightforward: “prepare a board with 15 different knots.”

The board is like the trophy case of your year: a wooden plaque or panel with the knots mounted on it, each labeled with its name and use. Put real effort in, because it usually ends up as decoration in the club room — and it's solid proof at evaluation time.

Here's a bit of math that helps: adding up the official Friend (14) and Companion (9) lists, counting repeats only once, you already know 18 different knots. In other words: you can pick the 15 prettiest ones from your repertoire, without scrambling to invent any at the last minute.

🧰What is each knot actually good for?

A knot without context is just tangled rope. The table below pairs the knots most required in the classes with the real situation where each one becomes the hero. These uses are the ones established in camping manuals — the exact teaching order can vary from club to club.

A golden trick: when you pick up the rope to practice, say the situation out loud (“my tent came loose → trucker's hitch”). Linking a knot to a scene sticks in memory far better than repeating the motion on autopilot.

A good knot is one that holds firm when things get tight and unties easily once the danger passes.Camping saying

Uses established in camping manuals; the knot list by class is the one from SAD's official requirements (checked in 2026).

🪵When do lashings come in?

First, the difference: a knot joins rope to rope (or fastens rope to something); a lashing uses rope to join poles and logs together. Lashings are what build pioneering projects — tables, gateways, and even camp towers.

In the official curriculum, they take center stage in the advanced Field and Forest Explorer class (starting at age 12): the requirement calls for learning the four basic lashings and building a piece of camp furniture. The official page doesn't specify which four; field manuals usually work with square, diagonal, parallel, and continuous — check with your club's leadership on which set they use.

Honest bit of trivia: the official pages for the regular Explorer and Ranger classes don't bring a new list of knots. The reinforcement comes through the advanced classes, campouts, and honors — the knots you learned in Friend and Companion keep getting put to practical use the whole time.

🎯How do you practice without memorizing like a robot?

Rule number one: rope in your pocket. A 1-to-2-meter piece in your backpack turns a line, a break, or a bus ride into practice. Knots are learned with the hand, not the eye — watching ten videos is worth less than tying the same knot ten times.

Level up the difficulty like in a game: first while watching, then without looking, then in the dark, then in the cold or wearing gloves. Those are the conditions where the knot will really be put to the test — rain in the middle of the night doesn't wait for you to remember the steps.

Teach someone. Whoever explains a knot learns it twice — and at the club, that counts: the Counselor (your unit's leader) oversees and signs off on the requirements in your class card. For the step-by-step of each knot and the honor that goes deeper into all of it, check out our guide to knots and lashings.