poor mans soft shackle - knot questions

[Chaard]

So I have some thin 2mm cord to attach my tarp to my 4mm ridgeline.

I want to make prusik knots on the guy line to tension the thing but to I ...

a) make a fixed loop (with a double fishermans knot), make a prusik over the guy line and attach the tarp using mini carabiners

b) make a loop at one end of a short (10cm) piece of 2mm cord with a bowline or double figure 8.

then make a stopper knot of some type on the other end and then use a larks head to connect the two?


anyone better at knots want to weigh in? I'm not sure I've been very clear :S

 

[Jack Bounder]

One possible method.

1) Tie a prusik knot with the 2 mm cord to attach it to the ridgeline Clicky.

2) Then pass one of the ends of the 2mm cord through the loop on your tarp and tie a bend to join the two ends Clicky.

 

[Joonsy]

Here’s two options which allow for easy removal of prussic from both ridgeline and tarp for different tarp set ups without having to use soft shackles.

1, Get a short length of cord to use for the prussic, in one end only tie a small loop and larks foot it to the tarp, with the other end fix to ridge line with a blakes hitch (or an adjustable guyline hitch) Blakes hitch http://www.animatedknots.com/blakes/

2, Or, get a short length of cord for prussic, tie it into a continuous loop, larks foot the loop to the tarp, with the other end of loop tie an adjustable guyline hitch to the ridgeline which acts as your prussic (so you are tying the guyline hitch with the loop, using two strands instead of tying it with one strand as usual).
Adjustable guyline hitch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Jj1FZCPBo

Both these options can be undone quickly and easily without using soft shackles or krabs from both ridge line and tarp should you want to use different tarp set ups. I use option 2. The adjustable guyline hitch is good for attaching to ridgleines as well as guylines, it holds firm but is still easy to untie, it is tied exactly as normal even though yuo are using a sepearte thin cord onto a ridgeline.

 

[Chaard]

thanks for the advice guys - this forum is useful as always!

ill try a few out maybe this weekend and see what i like the mostest!

 

[User3326]

Tie a small loop onto your tarp using a simple overhand knot

Then tie a bigger continuous loop using a double fisherman's knot

Tie a prusik knot (or klemheist knot) onto your ridge-line using the big loop. Then make a larks head at the end of the loop.

Slip the larks head over the overhand knot you attached to the tarp and pull tight.

This is how I attach guylines to my tarp as well. Overhand knot loop on one end of guyline (for the larks head) and a big adjustable loop on the other using a tautline hitch. Easy to attach/detach, adjust and it hold well too.


Is this what you want?

 

[User3326]

If you want a really fast/easy attachment/detachment You can do this using the loop on your prusik and substitute the pen for a fat stick (1 inch diameter by 4 inch long).

 

[Adze]

I like that a lot. If you put the second loop over the first one, rather than through it, and then pull the main line through, it'll hold a smaller stick more firmly as the loop doesn't wrap around itself, but pinches the stick between the first and second loops.

 

[User3326]

I found that the stick tends to twist and move about while you tension the tarp if you do that. I put a larks head through the loop on the tarp to hold the stick firmly while I tension/pull out guylines.
Maybe I'm doing it wrong. You got any pics Adze?

Edit:
Now I'm confused hahaha. Think I've completely misread what you wrote.
Is this what you mean?

 

[Buckshot]

I often use a taught line hitch exactly the same as for the guy lines around a peg

 

[User3326]

Sorry for spamming your thread with a **** load of pictures. Thought a visual reference might be better than an explanation.

 

[Adze]

Very quickly as I'll be late - I'll edit this later to hopefully make more sense.

You only brought one of the long lines through the loop - bring both through and it'll make more sense.

Very similar to your method, but doesn't wrap the main line into the loop.

 

[User3326]

Ok that makes a lot more sense. Knew I was doing it wrong
Very similar as you say, Although yours is quicker/easier. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Joonsy]

Adze and User3326 methods above are fine, however if you use different tarp set ups with ridgeline along different parts of tarp you would need lots of little cord loops attached to the tarp to be able to relocate the prussic to them (unless you untie the little loops to relocate which is too finicky). If your tarp is always set in the same configuration it doesn’t matter of course as they won’t have to be removed, or if you don’t mind having lots of little cord loops fixed to the tarp then it doesn’t matter. For example sometimes I have the ridgeline running along the centre of tarp and other times I have the ridgeline running along one edge of the tarp, therefore the ridgeline sometimes needs to be totally removed and relocated which means so does the prussic. Therefore I like a system where this can be done quickly and easily using just two short lengths of cord/prussic and without having to need extra things fixed on the tarp to fix prussic to.. For that reason that’s why I like larks-footing a short length of cord to tarp and fixing to ridgleline with guyline hitch (tautline hitch is similar), the whole lot can be removed and relocated quickly and easily off both the tarp and ridgeline without needing extra things fitted to tarp. Everyone will have their own preference of course., whatever suits the individual there’s many different ways.

 

[User3326]

Every tie out on my tarps has a small loop of cord. Find it easier to quickly attach a guyline/prusik on ridgeline to any loop with a larks head or a twig. A y-peg goes in the loop easier than it does with the small webbing tie outs too (when I set it up as a lean to or half pyramid) You can leave several pretied prusik's on the ridge line and use as many as you need. Slide the rest to the ends of the ridgeline for drip lines.
Horses for courses.

 

[Chaard]

Well that should keep me busy for an hour or 2 this weekend!

Thanks guys and or gals.