Flat Tarp Pitches

http://www.equipped.org/tarp-shelters.htm

http://www.downyoutubemp4.net/playlist?list=PL8KMdG4VVjDck-KAqyj_nFbV5TbDmSPYx

https://www.musiclessons.com/youtube/watch?v=uCeKhiLeFGw

https://survivalcommonsense.com/how-to-pitch-a-tarp-to-survive-in-heavy-winds/

https://andrewskurka.com/2016/guyline-tension-system-backpacking-tents-tarps-hammocks/

A Lot more…

Second of James’s list gets you to Papa hiker’s videos, also available on YouTube, which I find real helpful. Nice guy, too!

I’ve got the same tarp you just bought, and you’re going to love it! I would highly suggest buying longer guylines than what is supplied, the ones they give you are not super long (~6ft at the longest). I personally run with 2 X 10′, 6 X 6′, 2 X 4′, and 2 really thin 1.3mm lite-lines around 10′ in length for the wall guy outs. It definitely adds weight to carry so many lines, but it’s really nice to have the flexibility of pitching your tarp in many different ways.

Below is probably the most common way I pitch the tarp. I do use the classic A-frame pitch sometimes, but I mainly camp with the tarp above treeline in CO so it’s nice to have some sort of windbreak.  I’ve also come to really like the ‘flying diamond’ pitch on calmer nights.

Tangential but I got frustrated with managing so much line when I was using a flat tarp earlier this year. I got lots of useful advice in this thread and I particularly liked Mordecai’s advice about halfway down the thread. I ended up tying very small loops of 1/16″ shockcord behind the linelocs to hold the bundled guylines and avoid a rats nest when packing and deploying the tarp.

My favorite pitch was a storm pitch like Allen shows above. More documentation of my brief love affair (and eventual breakup) with my flat tarp here.

I’m glad you got an 8×10. My 8.5 square was slightly small for my purposes.

Apologies for continuing the thread drift …

I ran into an interesting idea on a kite website that has to do with attaching two lines together with a stopper knot and a larks head knot. I’m thinking of creating a modular guyline system out of multiple 8 to 12 foot lengths of line that could be connected in this way to create longer guidelines only when needed.

The guy line management technique using shock cord that Matthew referenced is brilliant.

Yeah, those knots don’t work very well with the fine lines. The half hitch will pull tight and leave a weak point in the system. A good tug and it will break off (on spectrum.) I would recommend using a surgeons knot instead, around 50-75% stronger than the half-hitch.

I usually use a couple end loops. Each piece is around 3′. I usually have a couple lines set up on the tarp. But a loop-to-loop connector is about the strongest with light lines. Otherwise they will tend to cut each other weakening a line.

Thanks James,  I had wondered about that. I was hoping it would work so as to avoid having to pull the tale of the additional line through it’s loop to make the loop to loop connection.

I’m guessing the stresses placed on that type of connection by a kite are a lot less than those placed on it by a tarp?

Like John the HMG tarp has been an option that I’m considering and was wondering more along the lines of what pitches work on the 8×10 Cuben tarp. Cuben being the the question as to what pitches work great and what ones to stay away from that might cause damage to the tarp. In this case a picture is worth a 1000 word as per pitches.

…what pitches work great
A-Frame Nice in a wooded area where you are not expecting a storm with wind blowing in the end. Nice to hang out.

Shed This one is very high. Nice for hanging out.

Storm mode My favorite.

Flying diamond Great for hammocks. Wonderful when car camping as a hang out spot separate from the family tent. Not as useful for ground-based backpacking setups in my opinion.

Please take my taste in pitches with a grain of salt because I only used a flat tarps for ground-based backpacking setups briefly before deciding I liked a shaped tarp (mid).

…what [pitches] to stay away from that might cause damage to the tarp
Just my $.02 but I think the way you avoid damaging a well built DCF tarp is:

1. Distribute the load over many points (use lots of guyouts)
2. Get it tensioned evenly
3. Avoid flapping (see 1 and 2)
4. Avoid having a branch fall on it
5. Avoid having the tarp rub on something
6. Don’t stick your trekking pole through it

DCF is extremely strong with wind and rain loads but relatively weak in terms of abrasion and puncture resistance. I’d guess more tarps get compromised by #6 than all of the others combined.

Much has been written about folding vs. rolling vs. stuffing when packing the tarp up. Many people have strong opinions about how your pack the tarp relates to service life. I’m sure you can find many posts on this topic.

i thought the flying diamond was a ground pitch, often up against a tree.

Diagonal from the ground to the tree trunk at head height (ish)

Another potential cause of damage is supporting the ridge line from skinny trees.  If they’re thin enough to sway in the wind at the height you tie to, they may move in opposite directions with enough force to cause a failure in either your lines or your tarp.

If you only tie to such a tree at one end, think through what could happen at the other end.  A thick tree would still result in a failure because there’s no give.  A bomber root or rock brings a pole in to the equation; an adjustable pole will probably give, resulting in some slack but no damage; a fixed pole could snap.  A ground stake should prevent damage, but means your shelter could come down on you.

Hey all,

I was a member here many years ago and for various reasons have not been able to get out much for a while and am getting back into the game. I was previously a hammock guy but ultimately have decided that it’s not for me. I am going back to the ground and plan to do mostly cowboy camping in a bivy with a tarp– preferably a flat tarp that I can origami as needed. Many of the offerings for this in the past when I was more active doing this have been discontinued and/or are out of business. I have found a few flat tarps like Hyperlight but was wondering if folks would be so kind as to recommend any companies making sturdy, flat tarps with lots of set-up possibilities companies that I could check out?

I will be camping mostly in California and the southwest and so major precipitation is not an issue– mostly want to keep the major stuff off if the weather goes sour.

Thanks in advance. Feels good to be back here and looking forward to getting back up to speed!

Mountain Laurel Designs makes high quality silnylon and DCF options. I’m under the impression most people find HMD and MLD to be the top notch choices.

ZPacks makes nice stuff too, generally at a little lower price.

Yama Mountain gear.

Borah Gear makes a 5×9 at a killer price.

Simply Light Designs is very cost effective and produces custom designs very quickly.

Something like this is what i thought was a flying diamond. Its the over the hammock one?

Thanks Matt. Will check those out!

Jeffs, I’m not sure what that is called but it is pretty similar to what I posted except the heights are different. Maybe that’s a “diamond” and mine is a “flying diamond” because it’s up higher? Pitching one end close to the ground like that purple tarp gives lots of opportunity to stake securely to the ground at multiple points.

Maybe the purple is just a lean to on the bias.