pre-stringing a tarp.... help please

[flyingfisherman]

Afternoon guys, I'm heading out for 3 days wild camping and hunting at the end of the month and will be hammocking (amok with its own tarp..) but I've also got an ex army tarp, which i intend using to keep kit and the dog dry.. I was wondering if it was wise to pre-string the tarp before i go to save time when I'm there. Daylight etc will be on my side, in terms of i won't be rushing to set up, but once I'm there, i will be incommunicado, so won't be able to research/practise knots etc.

I was planning on just pre-stringing the corners for the time being.. but then really simple questions like length of para cord to leave..? I don't want to find out that I've wasted materials and time..

Any help appreciated!


FFM

 

[crosslandkelly]

Personally I like to keep my tarp strung, and I use 3m lengths.

 

[Nice65]

Yep, I split 100 foot of cord into 8 lengths, or 6 with 25' left for the ridgeline.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I don't pre-string the ridge, but do so for the four corners. I use 3.75m lengths starting with a 30m spool and breaking it into eight. I reckon that I have too much line about as often as I have too little, but would always rather have to tie my guy line knots with doubled over string than keep having to knot in extenders.

I do pre rig my tarp with doubled short lengths of line for attaching the tarp to the ridge, see here:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78600&p=953871#post953871

 

[Tonyuk]

The best way i find to keep a tarp / basha etc.. is not to use para cord but a roll of shock / bungee cord.

Cut a 6M length for each of the eyelets, then feed through the main eyelet, doubling it back on itself. Tie in knots every few inches along this length, so you have 1 3ish meter long bit of knotted shock cord on each eyelet. This way, then it comes to putting it up, you just bring the cord around the tree or whatever, and then pass a knot through one of the open gaps between the others closer to the tarp, tension will hold it in place, especially since with shock cord you don't need to mess about tying knots as tight as possible. Takes a bit of time to set up, but once done it takes seconds to put a tarp up and take down, no metal hooks to catch on either.

I can try and take some photos if you want?

Tonyuk

 

[flyingfisherman]

great info guys, thank you... I've just got 100 foot of para cord, so that should work well..

Any hints/tips in terms of additional knots you'd add at the 'planning' stage etc?

Been watching Paul Kirtley and he seems to have similar lengths of cord on the corners, but doesn't use a continuous ridge line.. He's explained why, but what are everyones thoughts and feelings on this?

 

[crosslandkelly]

Depends on your tarp I suppose, I use a DD 3x3 which has attachment points along the ridge, so a continuous ridgeline doesn't have to run under the tarp.

 

[bearbait]

Every setup is different for me so I always rig on-site. That way each loop has an (approximately) appropriate length of cord. Cords that I or or others are likely to walk in to are either brightly coloured (dayglo yellow, or red) or have a piece of orange surveyor's tape cow-hitched to the cord in an appropriate place. Sometimes the span of the ridge line has been such that I needed to support it in the middleish with a pole to get appropriate head room.

Knots I tend to use are round turn and two half hitches, sheet bend, rolling hitch (or perhaps more correctly - midshipman's hitch), manharness knot, prussic knot, and occasionally clove hitch.

 

[Joonsy]

i always have the tarp permanently fitted with guylines. A guyline to each corner of about 10 foot long, i attach the lines with an ''adjustable guyline hitch'' (yes that's the proper name for the knot), when i set up tarp i put a clove hitch around the peg and shove peg into ground, then i just slide the adjustable guyline knot on tarp to tension line. This is the exact opposite of what many do, many folks have the adjustable knot on the peg end, i have the adjustable knot on the tarp end. Lines need to be coiled away when tarp is in backpack to avoid tangling. I store the tarp in a side pocket and never fold it away neatly and do not put it in a stuff sac, i just screw it up any old way then shove it in the side pocket, if the lines are coiled away properly they will never tangle and that way i can put it up or take it down in a flash. Edited just to add, i use cheap 1.5mm polyester braid for guylines, polyester is more abrasion resistant than nylon and has less stretch.

 

[flyingfisherman]

thanks for all of the info guys.. I'm sat here watching the travel channel (RM wild food) and playing with knots!

 

[Nice65]

Having fallen several times during nights, be it peeing or approaching my bed after a few ales, I'd strongly recommend a bright cord colour. Not applicable if keeping ones head down of course, but I even invested in the cord with the reflective strip woven into it. If it wasn't me being clumsy, it was someone else.

 

[GadgetUK437]

I use 1.2mm hollow braid Dyneema fishing line for everything, no stretchy-saggy like paracord (and much lighter too).
I use it as 6 foot long dogbones (loops knotted, or spliced, into each end), easy to larkshead on extra lengths as necessary.
Ridgeline tieouts are longer, 'bout 12 foot, I leave them on all the time for a easy initial hang. The guylines I larkshead on as and where I need 'em.
I use a prusik as a guy tensioner, easy to adjust without coming out from under the tarp (nice when the weather is being a bit 'British').

 

[flyingfisherman]

looks like a no nonsense and practical set up there Gadget..

 

[C_Claycomb]

I can't offer any more advice than I did in the Tarpology Knots post.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78600&p=953871

Still using that system. Only thing not mentioned is how to attach guy lines to the corner loops, mainly because there are so many ways, and most work - loop to loop, sheet bends, thread through and bowline. Choosing a line to tie-out knot is more about how easy you want to be able to untie the line than it is about "best" way of attaching the line. Slippery sheet bends are fast, hold pretty well when not in use, and untie fast too.

 

[Gaudette]

Here's a link from the past.


Tarps, are yours pre-rigged with guylines or not?
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=102131


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Squidders]

Since using a Hilleberg tarp, I have grown to love permanently attached lines and line locks. It's so simple, reliable and tidy in use.

 

[flyingfisherman]

C_Claybomb... your 'tarpology' thread is really really good.. I was trying your truckers hitch, as per that thread (albeit, i was indoors, one end tied to the stove with an evenk hitch) but found that it was difficult to get the line really tight with the truckers hitch.. Is this more to do with the fact that i was doing it with 550 cord and between two very rigid points? I figure that stringing over a larger distance (say 12' +) and using 2x trees may mean that it is kept tighter? Or am i doing it incorrectly?

I've got one silnylon tarp, which i use with the Amok and think i will get another, but will make do for this trip with the ex army one as I'm not walking far..


Squidders.... how do you find the Hilleberg?

 

[Squidders]

The XP version I got it overkill, I had a warbonnet one before which I felt was a bit flimsy and was worried I would break it. The Hilleberg feels incredibly strong and durable, it's a good size to live under when the weather is rubbish, not just sleep under. In retrospect I probably would go for the UL version.

I have used it for nearly two years now and can't find anything to fault. I did a review shortly after I purchased it that I should really update after using it through the seasons: http://josephburge.tumblr.com/post/95584690682/hilleberg-tarp-xp-10

 

[C_Claycomb]

Not sure what part of the trucker's hitch is not giving you a taut line. Usually the main culprit is that something is slipping as you apply the locking half hitches, you have tension then you lose it, then you lock in what's left, rather than getting tension, keeping it, and locking it all in. However this effect should be lessened with you using such stretchy string as 550 cord. The longer distance you mention would mean that any slip would be a smaller percentage of the total tension than it would be over a short distance indoors. However, on a longer distance you have a LOT more stretch to take up. I really don't like 550 for ridge lines because it stretches and stretches....and stretches! Of course, there isn't one right way to do this stuff. Lots of people like using shock cord, which stretches a heck of a lot more than 550 cord!

All I can suggest is to try different things, practice, then try them in the outdoors. Maybe if you get to a meet you can see how folk do things and get some other ideas. Wandering around the Moot is very educational

 

[Barney Rubble]

Hi,

I see and hear about lots of people using little gadgets to secure the ridgelines but a few knots is all you need to remember. My preference is to keep the lines seperate from the tarp. I usually carry my cordage bag in a trouser pocket and it's the first thing that I use when I get to camp. I have a long length of 550 paracord for the ridgeline. On one end of the cord I have a loop that I created by tying a bowline. I take that round a tree and feed the working end through the loop. I then take the working end to the other tree and secure it nice and taut by using the truckers hitch. Re your question above about keeping the truckers hitch taut, after getting the ridgeline nice and taut I just wrap the working end round the tree once or twice before securing with a couple of half hitches, that normally does the trick. With the ridgeline in place I usually already have some prussik loops attached and I use those to attach either end of the tarp. The guy lines are then larks headed onto the tarp and I use a taut line hitch to secure. All in all I find this process takes no more than 2-3 minutes, maybe a little longer if I need to prepare some sticks to put the tarp in 'porch mode'!