MYOG Guyline Tensioners
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If your shelter is silnylon, and you don't want to worry when it sags in the cool, damp of the night, here is an easy MYOG solution.
Stop at your local medical supply store and pick up some surgical tubing. It ought to be about 1/4" inside diameter. I use about 9" of tubing for each tensioner.
For the guyline I used GG EZC line. This has been discontinued, but any lightweight guyline will work. I use about 27" of line for each tensioner.
Tools I use for this project.
First, tie a bowline in one end of the 27" guyline, and hook it over the screwdriver. The first loop should be about 1-1/2" to 2" long.
Second, thread a 9" length of surgical tubing over the guyline to cover the bowline knot, leaving about an inch of the loop exposed.
Third, tie whipping snugly around the tubing, just above the bowline knot. Leave at least an half inch of tubing above the whipping. This whipping must be well made, as there will be a considerable amount of tension on the knot.
Fourth, fold the tubing end back over the whipping and bowline knot.
Fifth, tie a bowline in the other end of the guyline. This loop may be the same, or smaller. I keep it the same size as the first loop. Hook the new loop over the screwdriver.
Sixth, Drive a screw to hold the finished end of the guyline taut, for the next process.
Seventh, stretch the tubing until it covers the new bowline, leaving the same inch of loop exposed. Clamp the tubing inplace, below the bowline knot.
Eighth, tie whipping above knot, as with the first end.
Ninth, remove the clamp and fold the tubing back over the whipping and bowline knot, as with the first end.You have now completed an MYOG Automatic Guyline Tensioner.
The tensioner I just made weighs 10.3 grams and has a relaxed lenght of 11". The fully stretched length is 20", and the weight required to fully extend the tensioner is about 3Kg.
Relaxed Length 11".
Fully Extended Length 20".
Tension At Full Extension, 3Kg.
Tensioner weight 10.3 grams.With this device on your silnylon shelter you can sleep through the night, never worrying about a sagging shelter. It also provides some protection from gusty wind damage.
Difficulty (1-5) = 2
Cool Factor (1-5) = 4, though it could be more if you use colored Pilates Tubing.Edited to correct original length of guyline from 21" to 27".
Cool! I've seen similar writeups on these in the past, but you did a fantastic job. It was enough that I finally made some. I purchased a piece of 54" long workout tube with handles on the end for $7 at Walmart. That's about $.13 per inch, and it's bright red. This is enough to make 9 tensioners where each length of tubing is 6" long, making them $.78 each.
I originally made two sizes for my Lunar Duo. I made longer ones for the main arch poles. They were 11" relaxed, and 26" fully extended (in the pic below), but upon further inspection I realized I wanted all 6 to be shorter.
I now have 6 shorter ones that are 8" relaxed and 16" fully extended (measured end of loop to end of loop). At full extension they have about 8 pounds of pressure. The weigh the same as yours. Total for all 6 is around 2.25 ounces.
For the whipping, I was lazy and used small plastic zip ties (see pic). It was fast, easy, and I used 2 on each end in case one fails. Thanks for getting me motivated!
I don't think normal zip ties would work well since the head is bulky. I used a low profile model that allows them to zip down to a very small circle. They are quite handy!
In order to give the tensioners a preliminary trial I went out to Bodega Bay yesterday afternoon. The weather was cool and clear with a 15 mph wind from the northwest.
I used my Evolution 2P tent with the new Porch Fly. I set up perpendicular to the wind to give the rig a real test. It was a bugger getting the fly on the tent, and pegging it down. I used four tensioners: one on each vestibule and one at each end of the fly. I pulled all the slack out of all tensioners. The wind deflected the fly quite a bit on the windward side but not so much to be a problem.
The fog began to come in about 8:30 pm, and the wind held steady until about 3:00 am, when it dropped to a gentle breeze. The tensioners held the fly taut throughout the night. There was no sagging in the morning, even though the fly was wet inside and out.
Evolution 2P with MYOG Automatic Tensioners. End View
Evolution 2P with MYOG Automatic Tensioners. Lee Side
Evolution 2P with MYOG Automatic Tensioners. early morning with wet fly.
MYOG Automatic Tensioner DetailThey're easy, they're light weight, they're MYOG
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