I'm an old Boy Scout and I know my knots. I also know that when weather is coming, or it's just plain cold, I want quick and secure over knots.
Instead of going the bowline to tarp and taut-line hitch to stake route, I wanted something that would be easier (hard to accomplish) and would be faster (hard to accomplish).
I've got Spinn tarps so stretch really isn't a factor, but I did want to incorporate some sort of "shock absorber" at each guy point to allow a little movement and give when the tarp is hit by big wind gusts (Texas weather of course).
I'd seen some of the self tensioning guy lines using the sling-shot tubing at the TX hang. Those work for tensioning, but to adjust you have to pull up the stake and replace it. That option was out.
I was intrigued by the mini line-loks being sold at the hammockforums store. I'd looked at the instructions for them, and didn't see an application I was trying to get, but they were cheap, so I bought 8 pair (4 pair per tarp). It took about 5 minutes playing around with the line-loks to figure out how to string them to get the application I was shooting for.
So... I put the guy line system together. Guys at the 4 tarp corners are 6' long. Guys at the 4 panel pull outs are 12' long.
I started with a 13" long piece of 3/32" shock cord.
I fed one end of the shock cord through one of the holes in the line-lok, then closed the loop with a fisherman's knot.
I fashioned the locked brummel loop in one end of zing-it.
I fed the other end of the zing it through the line-lok in a manner to be able to pull for tension or lift to release the cam.
I finished the other end of the guy line with a small back splice to prevent that end from working back out of the line-lok.
Larks head the shock-cord loop to the tarp pull out ring.
To use the guy line:
Hang your tarp.
Place stake in the ground.
Place guy line loop around the stake.
Pull on loose end of guy line until shock cord loop begins to stretch (I stop pulling when I get about 1" of stretch in the loop).
Shane, as a newbie, this is exactly what I was looking for. I had your same thoughts/concerns "Those work for tensioning, but to adjust you have to pull up the stake and replace it. That option was out." This will be one of my way too many newest additions. Thanks again!
Syb
11-24-2010, 09:43
Muskrat
Nice setup you got there, I like it. I will look to do the same. Thanks for posting. :thumbup:
11-24-2010, 10:31
cataraftgirl
Thanks Shane. That looks super easy to put together. Do you leave the set-up on your tarp when you take it down, or do you take it off each time? Looks like you could go either way since it's just a larkshead to the tarp D-ring.
Thanks for the video & pics. Much easier to figure out the concept with pictures in addition to the written description.
KJ
11-24-2010, 10:55
Poppabear
Quick and easy I like it!
11-24-2010, 11:01
fred1diver
A prussik on the tarp end would also have worked, that's the system I'm installing on mine
11-24-2010, 11:31
Miguel
I already use line locks but without the bungees. I like your system better and plan on using it. Thanks for sharing.
11-24-2010, 12:11
JayS
Can you all see better now? 'Cause the light just went off in my head! Or would that be "went on"?
I wonder if having a standard shock cord setup (where the shock cord is clove hitched to some guyline and both are attached to the tarp D ring) attached to the line loc via the guyline would give an extra degree of safety. This way, if the shock cord failed, you would still have the guyline attached. Basically, you're just replacing the guyline from the shock cord to the stake with the line loc and a guyline with the loop spliced in the end to go on the stake. I might carry a couple of sturdy mini-biners or soft shackles to use with the stake end loop on permanent objects like trees that are used in place of stakes.
11-24-2010, 12:20
Shewie
Interesting use of the lineloks
I tried them in the conventional way on my tarps a couple of years ago but didn't really get on with them. I might dig them out again and try them your way.
11-24-2010, 13:07
Buenos
That's a nifty little system. Thanks for showing that off.