Flat Tarp Line Management

[Matthew / BPL]

Blank first post!

 

[Matthew / BPL]

I picked up an HMG 8.5 x 8.5 flat tarp this week and I’m really liking everything about it other than the rat’s nest of lines when I unpack it. I’m wondering how people like to manage the guylines with larger flat tarps like this.

At first I used a mix of HMG/Lawson line with bowlines for my stakes/rocks in the ends running through the linelocs. This works great and allows me to move lines around for different pitches but the bowlines all get caught on each other when I unpack the tarp.

So then I tried running the lines without the bowlines using a marlinspike hitch to attach to my stakes but I had to be careful to use the correct end of the line or it would pull out of the lineloc. Very frustrating.

Now I have it set up with bowlines tied through the linelocs and an untied live end (the stake end). My intention is to try pitching it using a Skurka-style McCarthy/trucker’s hitch. If I like this I’ll clip the linelocs and replace with some thinner MLD/ZPacks/whatever guylines. It seems like this doesn’t tangle when unpacking. I’ll try this setup outside in the daylight Sunday. Obviously this setup would save some weight/bulk with thinner lines and no linelocs.

I’m wondering if anyone has any tips for all of the lines on larger flat tarps like this. Ideally I’d like to keep the linelocs because of the ease of switching line locations. I don’t mind the easy adjustments. Also this is a really nice setup when dealing with rocks instead of stakes because you can tighten at the lineloc rather than trying to truckers hitch around a chock under a pile of larger rocks. I suppose I could just move the pile of rocks to adjust/tighten.

Any tips?

[Mark Fowler]

A few tarps have a small pocket at each tie out to stow the line. Eg http://wildernessequipment.com.au/

Mini pockets shouldn’t be too hard to retrofit.

[Bob Shuff]

Check out http://www.dutchwaregear.com if you are not familiar with hammocker stuff.  I default to a taut-line hitch often.  Always a learning moment with boy scouts, and it really works for tarp tie outs, but on my silnylon tarp I have tarpworms with shock-cord to keep it taught.  The ridgeline is sturdier with fleas or wasps.  These are cool and easy, and I would pick the ridgeline titanium stuff again, but I might use the taut-line hitch exclusively for the sides.

Should have put the disclaimer up front that I’m not experienced with flat tarps and always have trees or rocks for the ridgeline.

[Matthew / BPL]

That’s true. I have a hammock tarp with little pockets. They are handy. I’m not ready to start modifying the tarp yet although I’ll think about it. A little tape and some cuben scrap would do it…

[Matthew / BPL]

Bob, I know Dutch’s stuff well. I’ve got many of his pieces (even a prototype set of Speedhook 2.0s!). My issue here is not as much how to tighten things down but how to keep everything from getting tangled.

Tautlines are ok but frustrating for many scouts. I’m looking forward to the new requirements being in full effect this year. Don’t just demonstrate the knot… Do something with it!

[James holden]

1. have no permanantly attaches lines except for the needed 4 corners (which is where line locks are most useful if u use em)
2. have premade lines with a fig8/overhand loop on one end and a blakes hitch (you can also use line cleats) on the other
3. when needed attach the line to the tie out with a girth hitch with the fig8/overhand end … and the blakes end to the stake
4. if you need a longer llne you can girth hitch a second line to the first to extend
5. a few mini biners are useful if you want to loop some line around trees and other such without tying additional knots
6. for the 4 permanently attached corner lines … one trick is to have different colours for each end, red for one side and green for the oher for example … this way for rectangular tarps is very easy to know which way to unfold/orient the tarp …. this also works very well with any tent

thats all there is to it

;)

[Bob Moulder]

The Zpacks 1.25mm and 2mm ‘Z-Line’ with Dyneema core and polyester sheath are stiff and don’t tangle nearly as easily as more supple cord such as braided Dyneema, etc.

With my Duplex and Pocket Tarp I have for some time used 1.25mm Z-Line on everything but the ridgeline, for which I use 1.8mm braided Dyneema. For all the 1.25mm stuff, I tie the cord directly to the tarp and use loops made with Blake’s hitches at the stake end and adjust there… no hardware involved and the Blake’s hitches have never slipped.

 

[Mordecai _]

I use small loops of 1/16″ shock cord, attached to each of the main tie-outs. I do the figure 8 wrap with the lines, as shown here:

http://theultimatehang.com/2012/11/wrapping-tarp-guyline-to-eliminate-tangles/

But I don’t tie off the lines as shown in step 4. I just fold the figure-8’s in half and push the knob created by the former middle of the figure 8 through the shock cord. The splayed loops from the former ends of the figure 8 are enough to keep it in place, assuming the shock-cord loop is sized appropriately.

Doing the figure-8’s takes only a few seconds per line, once your hands are practiced. I usually leave one of the ridgelines tied until I have rolled up everything into a cylinder, with the bunched cords folded into the package, then just wrap that last line around the whole thing.

I don’t use linelocs, so if you want to keep them, you would have to try it out, but I think you could make it work. Or, you could skip the shock cord loops entirely, push the linelocs to the end of the line, and tie off each figure 8. Either way, you just gotta tell yourself that the seconds you sacrifice when packing the tarp will potentially save you minutes when you go to set it up again.

[Matthew / BPL]

Eric, thank you for the very interesting ideas.

This is my favorite pitch so far and it uses six main lines (corners and ridgeline). Maybe rather than using four linelocs I should use six.

Your mention of an overhand knot is smart. In retrospect I realize I could use this with my idea of marlinspike hitching to my stakes. An overhand knot on the end of the line I don’t want to attach to the stake is a simple way to mark the end of the line.

Thanks for the suggestion of only using some of the linelocs. I’ve only consider their use in a binary all/none manner. There’s no reason I couldn’t use a mix of bare guyouts and linelocs.

Good idea about color coded lines. I like the port/starboard green/red convention. If I end up ordering more from Lawson, I know what my colors will be :)

[Matthew / BPL]

Bob, thanks for those ideas as well. Your mix of 1.8 dyneema and 1.25 line is what I use on my Superfly. There I use zing-it on my ridgeline with Dutch bling because it doesn’t like to hold knots. When you say 1.8mm dyneema do you mean zing-it? How do you tighten the zing-it on your Duplex/Pocket tarp?

[Matthew / BPL]

Mordacai, Do I understand correctly that the shock cord loops are only there to bundle the lines when stowed? That’s a very smart way to keep your stowed line together. I’ve used Derek Hansen’s figure eight stowing system on my hammock guylines for years. It’s practically mandatory with zing-it and you are correct, it becomes second nature. I love the shock cord loop for stowing. Thanka for sharing this idea!

[Tim Skidmore]

I keep my lines attached to the stakes along with shock cord loops because my tarps are silnylon. I attach them to my tarps (5×8 or 8×10) with trucker hitches.

When I pack them I just wrap the lines around the stakes and then pass the ends of the lines through the ends of the stakes to keep them in place.

[JCH]

I also use the figure-eight method of coiling small cord…it’s discovery was life changing :)

Matthew…I’m not sure if this would be an improvement over Mordacai’s small shock cord loops, but a roll of Velcro OneWrap is quite cheap (home improvement stores) and can be cut to any length/width required and attached to the tarp corner in any number of ways.  I use it all the time and find in most cases the size piece needed for the job weighs 2-4g

[Matthew / BPL]

Tim, I hadn’t considered attaching the lines from the other direction. I’ll think about that. When forced to use rocks I could employ the stake as a deadman.

JCH, that Velcro makes sense too. I think I have a bunch of those. Good idea!

[Tim Skidmore]

I’ve used them as Deadman anchors, but I’ve also just reversed it and toggled them through the tarp loops when I wanted to tie them off to something.

[James holden]

matthew …

one thing i failed to add was that for the permanantly attached corners there no real need to have long lines …two feet or so is more than sufficient if you use line locks

if needed you can just girth hitch one of the premade longer lines that have an overhand one side and a blakes/line cleat on the stake side … you can thus adjust it at both the stake and line lock sides

you can also just clove the extended line to a stake or any object as well

keeping the corner permanantly attached lines fairly short does alot for reducing tangles

also 90% of the time with “normal” staking a two feet or so is sufficient for the corners for many normal tent or A frame setups

having a few detachable lines that you add to the corners or various tie outs via girth hitch is much more flexible than having permanantly attached longer lines ..

;)

[Author]

Posts