Tarp Cords

[Tye Possum]

So I just had my birthday on the 23rd and lucky me, I got a DD tarp(as well as a bunch of other bushcrafty gear).
Now I've put up a tarp(cheap plastic one) a couple times over a tent but that was done pretty poorly and with the rope we had just laying around which was kinda thick to be carrying around(we were car camping).

So now that I've learned a few knots that should work for this, I need to get some sort of cord to put the thing up, so what kinda cord should I be looking for? I also got 100ft of paracord for my birthday(which I've already made a bracelet from), would paracord work for the ridge line and guy lines or would I need something a little less stretchy do you think? It came with four guy lines I believe but I'd like to have at least six, maybe ten... Also are the guy lines that came with the tarp any good?

Thanks.

 

[Shewie]

Some paracord is okay whereas other stuff can be too stretchy. I use a static line for the ridge, something like a 4mm climbing accessory cord. It let's you get it nice and taught and then won't sag afterwards.
Paracord is okay for guylines but a bit of an overkill tbh, again 2mm accessory cord does the job nicely.

 

[Mastino]

Static line heer too. What I do is to connect the ridge line via three little plastic s-biners connectected to the ridge line usings little prussik knots. The big advantage is that you can change the attachment points very fast and thus giving the tarp much more versatility. Another advantage is that you can tension the tarp not only be through tensioning the ridge line but also by shifting the knots over the ridge line. Hope this all make sense

 

[redandshane]

I and many others use bungees instead of a ridgeline-its nice and quick
Paracord is fine for guys and you can run a paracord line along under the tarp to hang things on if you want mine has some webbing anyway so I dont bother
I must admit I agree with Shewie that paracord is a bit ott for guys but then you have plenty of it unless you are counting the grams of course
Have fun experimenting and find what works best for you
Happy Birthday by the way

 

[scrogger]

Mastino that sounds like a gem of an idea. So I take it that if the prevailing weather changed you can unhook the tarp leave the ridge in place and re configure the tarp to a different position? I like the sound of that and its pretty simple too. Would there be any disadvantages to this set up?

Cheers

Andy

 

[Tye Possum]

Thanks guys, lotta good info there. One thing I forgot to mention is that I'm planning on getting some mosquito netting that hangs from above, but the ridge line would be over the top of the tarp so how would I put a line under the tarp without it dripping water on me if it rained (which is kind of the point of having the ridge line over it in the first place right)?

Happy Birthday by the way

Thank you!

 

[forestwalker]

I use 4 mm braided polyester cord for just about everything. It is strong and easy to tie knots in. Buy a roll or two, cut off some suitable chunks (say 3-4 m) for each corner, and a longer one (6-10 m?) for a ridgeline. The rest will turn into varied chunks over time as you find a need for them; I carry the ones not attached to my tarps in a small mesh bag (since they are often put away wet).

For my tarps I also have a loop of elastic cord (0.5 m tied in a loop using the Ashley bend) in order to give the hole setup some flex; my belief is that this will spare the tarp and attachement points in the long run (but have no proof of the truth in this).

 

[durulz]

I use bungees - so much easier.

 

[Mastino]

Mastino that sounds like a gem of an idea. So I take it that if the prevailing weather changed you can unhook the tarp leave the ridge in place and re configure the tarp to a different position? I like the sound of that and its pretty simple too. Would there be any disadvantages to this set up?

Cheers

Andy

Thanks Andy, up till now I didn't experience any problems. The nice thing is that I can 'swivel' the tarp around without having to rig everything up again. I use a DD tarp (4.5x3) and that means that I often have to switch between rigging the long & short side or, when making a lean-to with a small roof at the front, I just shift the ridge line from the middle attachment points to the attachment point between the middle and front. Be sure to use the plastic s-biners, I've found out that they are better than the metal ones.