Create the mid-line loop

Free outdoor skills tip: Create the mid-line loop (step 7 of 11 from "Tie Five Knots That Do Real Jobs").

Anchor one end of the rope to a fixed point (roof rack bar, tree, post) with a clove hitch or bowline. Run the rope over or around your load to the opposite anchor point. At a point between the load and the far anchor, form a mid-line loop: twist a bight of the standing part into a simple loop (like a slip knot without pulling all the way through). This loop is your 'pulley.'

The loop should be about 30 cm from the far anchor — close enough that you have rope to pull through, far enough that the mechanical advantage distance is useful. The loop must not capsize when you pull on it; twist it so the loaded strand passes through without collapsing the loop.