Stop Retying Your Shorts: The Ultimate Drawstring Knot Tutorial
A better way to tie your gym shorts. (Or any drawstring) [video]
I share a simple, superior method for tying gym shorts and sweatpants using a variation of the slipped Lapp knot. Unlike standard bow knots, this technique prevents slipping and distributes tension evenly, ensuring your drawstrings stay secure all day while remaining easy to adjust or release instantly.
This knot is based on a variation of the slipped Lapp knot, known for its strength and quick-release function—meaning it holds tight but can be undone instantly when needed.
- wccrawford
I did this for a while after seeing that video, but after some of my shorts ended up tightening into a knot that I couldn't get loose easily, I gave up on it.
I instead just use the "Ian Knot" that I use to tie my shoes. It's very quick, I already use it all the time anyhow, and it rarely goes wrong. (Sometimes, I think I end up with an end through a loop accidentally, and have to fix it.)
Learning this extra knot didn't really help much, and it definitely went wrong more than I liked.
- johschmitz
Reminds me of the granny knot "advice" which I also saw on hackernews for the first time many years ago and which changed my live:
https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/grannyknot.htm
If you don't know about this problem yet, I strongly recommend to cross check if you have been tying it wrong for years!
- SoftTalker
Life is too short to make simple things more complicated.
- wffurr
Per the video description, this is a Lapp Knot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapp_knot, sadly not animated by Grog.
- adverbly
Super cool!
Here is how to tie a bow in under 1 second in case anyone wants something that looks a bit cleaner but is less functional: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Q5qZpQe_4EA
- UmYeahNo
I learned this knot from this video a while back -- I've used it ever since. It cinches the shorts tight, but is easy to release. It works especially well on strings that are slippery and don't hold a typical bow very well.
One drawback is that the two ends often end up different lengths, but otherwise it's a great knot!
- josefresco
Only knot I know and I use it frequently: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowline
Knots are incredibly situational which makes learning a lot of them (through practice) difficult.
- delichon
This knot is not for me. I need my drawstrings to be permanently connected together, or else when I wash those shorts they frequently get pulled into the pants where I can't reach them, and it's a pain to fish them out again. And I can't remember to tie them together before each wash.