This is a preview of a member exclusive premium article.
When I was a young kid in a Seattle Boy Scout Troop in the early 1980s, we used the same blue tarps for camping then that I still use with my Scouts today in some contexts. That doesn't mean that today's technology hasn't progressed (resulting in lighter, stronger materials), it just means that tarp camping is still just tarp camping. Be careful not to overcomplicate it and introduce complexity that doesn't need to be there.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Reducing Complexity
- Nature Weighs Nothing: Select a Sheltered Camp
- Simplicity Breeds Adaptability
- Table 1. Limitations of "Shaped" Tarps
- Guylines and Stakes
- Not Enough Stakes
- Not the Right Type of Stakes
- Fiddly Guylines
- Adapting Guyline Configurations for Other Pitches
- Guyline Diameter and Type
- Tarp Materials
- Conclusion
# WORDS: 4830
# PHOTOS: 6
--- End of free preview ---
Member Exclusive
A Premium or Unlimited Membership* is required to view the rest of this article.
* A Basic Membership is required to view Member Q&A events
Discussion
Become a member to post in the forums.
…
'cribbing' I will definitely use it. Thanks (especially for hammocks)
Instead of using a sheetbend or any other knot to directly attach a line to one's tarp grommet/pullout, I have found it far less hassle to simply tie a small loop in the tarp end of the line using a simple overhand loop or bowline. Just like how you would attach a yo-yo to your finger, one can then simply thread the loop through the pullout and run the rest of the line through the loop (kind of a girth hitch). Knots will not be stuck on your tarp, ever, and switching lengths of line among various grommets/pullouts takes seconds. Bigger loops can be better for speed here and can double as short peg loops like what RJ puts on the corners.
One other insight: My one small bungee loop I sometimes bring for my larger tarp is used on a mid-panel guy, and is dual-purposed as an easy hairband-style closure for my pack liner bag.
Definitely agree with the simple cord management technique of a knotted loop. I have tried and have seen others try to make neat little bundles of cord, which takes a long time and doesn't always keep in a stuff sack.
My next step is color-coding cord by length.
I calculate 24, unless there is additional stress not shown in the numbers posted.
Become a member to post in the forums.