Best guyline?

First, you probably want to decide what cord diameter the line locks will work with.

I have all kinds of 1mm cords that won't work worth a damn with plastic glides that require 2-3mm.

Some people like reflective cords. Some people like glow-in-the-dark cords. Some people don't care.

–B.G.–

My favorite line of any kind is Lawson’s Glowire. Hyper reflective, and the orange I have is extremely noticeable even in daylight. It’s thin, 2.38mm, but it works great with LineLoc 3s (the kind your MLD tarp has). Slippery enough to glide through, but holds under tension. Some people here have reported slippage, but I have never had an issue. They also work well with the Mini Line-Locks (the triangular clam cleats). It also holds a knot well, but isn’t too thin to handle easily.

Lawson Equipment – Glowire

If you need a smaller amount, DIY Gear Supply sometimes has it stock by the foot. I’ve read that even the black is incredibly reflective.

Looks like you want to go first class, but if you want to save a buck, the BRAIDED mason's line at HD or Lowe's is capable stuff. (Avoid the twisted.) Day-glo colors but not reflective.

Agreed that braided mason line is great stuff. But:

1. If someone just ponied up for a Grace Duo they are probably willing to pay the $15 bucks to get the best guyline.

2. It sucks with every lineloc I've tried it on.

I tie hitches instead of lineloc's on my tarps so mason line works fine for me. Glowire is definitely superior though.

Which is why I said "Looks like you want to go first class, but if…" Although I'm not sure that Mason's line is so terribly inferior, since "best" may also mean heavier, depending on which is chosen. And the OP stated he wanted a thinner line.

> 2. It sucks with every lineloc I've tried it on.

Really?! Wow, I've had zero problems. I've been using MLH Micro Guy Line GITD Tensioners. Never had a mason's line release unless I told it to. And in the high desert, we get some capital Big capital Wind.

Mason's line usually has tensile strength around 150 lbs, and as you know, it is very light weight, thin @ 1.1-1.2mm. BUT, it's not reflective.

Glowire is larger diameter @ 2.3, stronger (225 lbs tensile), & reflective. So about 200% the diameter, and 150% the strength.

The general idea from MLD, is that if someone is going to go through the trouble of lightening line to save weight, then removing the linelocks completely is the desired method.

As per their site:

Eight LineLocson the solo tarp add .65oz and the 12 the duo about 1oz to the tarp and can be cut off if desired with wire snips leaving a 3/4� tieoputs loop for smaller line.

I assumed that MLD tarps come with the standard lineloc 3's that have come on my other tarps.

If not then mason line may be perfectly viable and is a great cheap guyline. I still wouldn't rate it as high as the spectra guylines that came with my poncho tarp. Those things NEVER tangle. They are awesome.

I personally don't have the tools to sew new linelocs on (or a desire to add the weight) so hitches it is for me.

Great responses, I'm gonna get 50' of the Glowire to try out. Thanks!

keegan

The BEST wind & rain combination that I have ever used:
Lawson Equipment Orange GloWire and Ti Stakes. Tie the lines with a Blake's Hitch.
Rock-solid performance through 2 days of steady 45 mph winds, gusts were much higher. When the rain finally hit, it seemed anticlimactic. No slippage on the knots, no stretch on the cordage, no bent stakes.
Since there is nothing to hide behind in open prairie country, was really glad I made some good decisions on equipment.

If MLD's 2.8mm line "seems pretty thick" to you, I'm not sure Lawsons 2.38mm Glowire will seem much thinner.

We have numbers for the weight of a cord, and we have numbers for the strength of a cord. We even have numbers for the diameter.

What we do not have are practial numbers for the stiffness of a cord, or for the slipperyness of a cord. Those are also important for knots and guyline locks and slides.

–B.G.–

Slipperyness is the reason I gave up on Mason line. It doesn't hold a knot at all without tension. I kept finding the 4" stake pulls on my DACs untied in my stake bag.

After I tie any knot that I want to remain permanent, I use needle and strong thread to add about two or three stitches through the knot, and then I add a tiny drop of fingernail polish over that to completely lock it.

–B.G.–