Taut-line hitch slipping on small cord

[Zachary Oliff]

As the subject implies I'm having issues keeping a taut-line hitch knot from slipping on my new UL tent. The included guy line cords are slightly larger than dental floss but unlike the really thick cord I have the knot just wants to slip. I've tried searching on google, this site, etc. and not been able to find any tips besides going around another loop to help bite down on the cord.

I could go for a thicker cord/rope to get around this but I'm assuming that this is pretty common for thin/slick cord. Any recommendations on guy line material, knots, would be appreciated.

Thanks again!

[Dale Wambaugh]

You can add more hitches to the last one to get more traction, like using a Prusik knot. Pulling tight on the "wrap" section of the knot will give it a set before using under load. Those techniques have helped me.

[carl becker]

My taut line knots hold on the kelty guylines. They also hold on what ever is on my Tarptent. I think it would matter more on the friction of the sheath/cord than the dia but dental floss is pretty thin, thinner that I have worked with.

[Bob Gross]

I don't know exactly how you are trying to use the knot, but there are other knots that sure won't slip. A bowline comes to mind. The guylines on my shelter use lots of bowlines.

–B.G.–

[Nate Powell]

Howdy,

+1 to Dale's comment above. I've had good luck adding an extra hitch or two when using taut-line hitches with braided mason's twine. Makes a good guy line – inexpensive and easy to find.

Cheers.

[Robert Blean]

I'm with Bob G — consider another knot.

I don't know your exact cord, but you could try something like a slippery trucker's hitch.

[Harald Hope]

zpacks 1.5 mm cord holds all knots well, their 1.25 not so much, and the 1 mm from traillight even less. These are all light, dyneema core, dacron sheathed, cords.

You can, with some effort, get prusicks to work on the 1.25, but it's a pain and I certainly wouldn't want to depend on cold hands being able to do that knot, nor would I want to depend on it not sliding even if you could get it tied. More loops helps, of course.

You can get those cheap linelocs, triangle things, they hold the 1mm and 1.25 cord fine, and are easy to use.

[Franco Darioli]

this is the knot that works for me :

WARNING !!!!
0.74 gms, so don't go crazy by having too many of those.

[Elliott Wolin]

Another possibility, tie the guy lines to the stakes with a regular knot (bowline, half-hitches, etc), then just move the stake to tighten or loosen. Works best in non-rocky soil, of course.

[Harald Hope]

Franco, that's the one, and that works with 1 and 1.25mm cord, and that cord is light, way lighter in combination with one of those plastic line adjusters I believe than using cord thick enough to properly hold adjustable knots.

I don't know how well it holds the 1 mm cord, but it seemed to hold it just fine in my tests, but I didn't use it for days, maybe the sheath wears, I don't know, then starts slipping, but it seemed fine.

For linenloc3's, thinnest cord I have found so far that works is the 2.2 mm glowwire from lawson equipment. That works just fine. With lineloc3's, you don't need to double over the cord to create a loop, and you can adjust the cord from 0 to full length, instead of just half length as with sliding adjuster knots or the above plastic style gizmo.

The glowire seems to be about the same thickness and roughness as the cord that tarptent uses for their lineloc3 adjusters.

[Franco Darioli]

Harald
I use those mini LineLocks with some BPL purchased Dyneema cord, probably 1.5 or 2mm, works very well with that.
I also had a larger version ( can't think what tent was that ?) with something about the size of the Triptease cord.
But I use a Prusik* with the TripTease, that holds for me and works even when iced up.
Franco
I just did one to see how I do it..and well it is a taut line hitch…

[Andrew Weldon]

Something to try would be a truckers hitch using slippery hitches.

[Robert Blean]

> Something to try would be a truckers hitch using slippery hitches.

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgq5amG7mYk&feature=youtu.be

The method I have suggested a couple of times is like that except instead of securing it with a slippery half-hitch you secure it by passing the end through the slip knot (as the video did) but then finishing it as a slippery sheet bend. The advantage is that my way is considerably more secure (less likely to slip) than the way the video shows.

[Andrew Weldon]

I use the truckers hitch on a regular basis (though not in a backpacking context at all) and I like to finish it off with a taught line hitch. If I'm feeling exciting I usually do an alpine butterfly for the mid-line loop and then finish it with a taught line.

I just like slippers for guylines because they're ridiculously quick. I don't know sheet bends in any context other than joining two ends, but I'll have to give it a shot sometime.

[Steven McAllister]

There are a few taut-line type variations that work with slippery line. As mentioned, add an extra loop or two, maybe a Prusik or a Rolling Hitch(with three or more rolls).

[Brian Johns]

Or add more loops to your TLH. I like to do three instead of the typical two. Four works too though.

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