lighter wt option for guylines?

I'd say go for it I use small diameter guylines like kelty triptease never had a problem usually the line locks are made for multiple different diameters of cord

"Any reason not to do this?"

I don't think there is any problem. I have Triptease and I like it, but I have some smaller and lighter stuff ordered. Triptease has the reflective bit in it, and that is good if you trip over things at night like I do, but it is not the lightest weight cord that is practical.

Some people like a stretchy nylon cord, because it acts like a stretchy tensioner. Other people like a static spectra cord, because it has no stretch at all and is much stronger. Take your pick. Some people want a cord that is so strong that it will yank the stakes up out of the ground before the cord fails. Some cords are so slick that normal tensioners won't hold.

That's OK, I spent part of one summer in the Army as a knot-tying instructor.

–B.G.–

Thanks, I was thinking I really didn't need the reflective, just happened to have a bit around the house, and I actually would have to buy more to redo the lines. I'd be happy to go lighter and lose the reflective, just as long as it holds in the line locs. What do you have on order?

"What do you have on order?"

I ordered some 1.2mm spectra core cord. If I don't have the reflective tracer like Triptease, then I may apply some luminous tape to my stakes. Luminous tape is kind of cool, since it charges up from natural sunlight and then glows faint yellow all night. I use it in tiny pieces, like a quarter inch square, or a half inch square, and that weight doesn't add up very fast.

–B.G.–

Here is a comparison chart of lightweight, high-strength lines:
http://photos.airpost.net/lines.htm

Some of my preferences:
I do not like the urethane-coated lines.
I do like reflective tracer in small lines.
I prefer 1.5 mm and larger line.

sounds cool, where do you get it? Geez you're just a fount of knowledge :)

Lightest, cheapest: braided mason's line, skip the tensioners, use clove hitches.

"where do you get it?"

Uhhh. It wasn't online. I had used luminous tape like that when I was in the military many decades ago, so I knew what I wanted. When I mentioned that to a Purchasing expert, he told me to check out the local company that sells specialty equipment for the theatre/stage businesses. Apparently some of them use this luminous tape backstage where it needs to be dark, but yet they don't want stage hands tripping over everything. The other problem was that the roll is long. You can't get just a little piece.

I put it on some tent stakes, and next to the switch on my headlamp. It is not a stupid idea to put some on your cigarette lighter or anything else that you would be looking for during darkness, like the tent poles in my shelter.

–B.G.–

+1 skip the tensheners just use a clovehitch

Not to be a nit picker, but you can use a taught line hitch to tighten Mason's line

The line is very thin so it doesn't work real well, you have to really push together the loops of the knot and pull on the loose ends to tighten it or it will slip

Maybe just easier to use some device instead

You can use a clove hitch around a tent pole or treking pole to hold up the ends of a tarp

Great chart, Paul.

Does anyone know – what's the smallest diameter that will still work with a line-loc.

Thanks.

For the micro line locs Cord size 1/64th -1/8 inch, 0.3-3mm. I use braided mason's line with mine.

Don't you find the braided Mason's line to be hard to manage? By that, I mean it kinks badly and can't be hanked very well.

–B.G.–

Great chart, Paul!

+1 For my hammock tarp guylines I use a marlin spike hitch, used it with my tree huggers to hold the toggles and decided it was way less fuss than figure nines, etc.
Since the Solomid came with the tensioners I'll probably leave them, and I had just enough Triptease for the job.

the linelocs found on many of the available shelters (including most of MLD's offers) are the Lineloc 3, triptease is about the smallest line that can be used w/ them effectively, MLD shelters ship w/ ~ 3mm line (triptease is ~ 2mm)

"(triptease is ~ 2mm)"

That's interesting. The chart mentioned above claims that it is 3mm.

–B.G.–

Kelty website also states 3mm.

according to BPL it's 0.0875" (2.2mm) http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/aircore_2_spectra_cord.html

> according to BPL it's 0.0875" (2.2mm)
> http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/aircore_2_spectra_cord.html

What does that have to do with Triptease?

Anyway, pure, uncoated Dyneema or Spectra line such as the Backpacking Light Aircore 2 are excluded from the chart because they do not work well with normal knots. Even the urethane-coated lines are not pleasant to work with, so for normal uses, I would suggest a line with a nylon or polyester sheath.

Paul said "what does that have to do w/ triptease?"

maybe click on the link, you think???

Triptease 0.0290 0.0875 188
AirCore 1 0.0040 0.0400 216
AirCore 2 0.0100 0.0600 327
AirCore Plus 0.0360 0.1250 1109