How to make ropes yourself (picture tutorial + video)
For your bushcraft and survival, ropes are vital. In this guide, you will learn the basics of making ropes using simple plant fibers.

From Martin Gebhardt. Check out his “About me” page.
👉 The key facts from this guide
- Materials: Long, sturdy, elastic and grippy plant fibers are necessary, such as those from nettles.
- Processing: The fibers are broken open, dried and then spun into threads.
- Rope making: Two threads are spun in opposite directions to form a rope.
- Lengthening: Ropes can be lengthened by twisting in additional fibers.
- Alternative materials: In addition to plant fibers, strips of plastic bags, paper, or inner bark of certain trees can also be used.
- Exercise: Rope making requires practice and patience to learn the proper technique.
Ropes are one of the most important tools that help to survive a survival situation.
If you are familiar with rope making, you will achieve many goals more easily and keep unpleasant things off your back.
Today I will show you how to make ropes yourself. Let's start right away with the materials you need.
The video on rope making
Short on time? Then watch my video on how to make a rope.
The materials for rope making
You require long, strong, elastic, and grippy fibers from a plant.
In exceptional cases, you can also use other materials like strips of plastic bags, paper, or even toilet paper.
But let's stick with plants. I use the fibers of the nettle for my ropes.
So collect enough nettles (here's everything about the power plant) and remove the leaves (gloves are helpful here).
If possible, look for large plants because this will give you longer and thicker fibers.

Next, pound or break the stems. This will make it easier to access the fibers we require.

Have you done that? Break the stem in the middle. But do not tear it apart!
You will now see that the outer layer of the stem loosens and the fibers you are looking for become visible.

Collect the fibers now because you will make your first rope out of them.
Ideally, let the fibers dry for 24 hours, but you can also start testing right away.
Making a rope
We will now go through everything step by step.
But first, a basic rule when making rope!
- The first twist goes counterclockwise.
- The second twist should be clockwise.
Or vice versa. However, always alternate directions and keep the fibers/ropes under tension.
Here's an illustration to visualize the process:

Or here's a mini video about the best technique for rope making.
In the video, you can see the concept and easily follow along. It's a really simple and quick method, and with it, I can whip up a rope in no time.

Sources for the guide
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brennnesseln
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