You don't need a hundred knots. You need five you can tie at 3 a.m. with cold hands. I practiced these blindfolded for a month. Here they are.

Bowline, taut-line, clove hitch, figure-8, trucker's

That's the list. A loop that won't slip, an adjustable line, a hitch to a tree, a knot that comes undone, and tension for a tarp.

The only test

Tie them in the dark, in the cold, once. If they hold, they're yours. If they don't, tie them again.