Guide Gear Tarp Storage bag mod.

[Bearclaw]

Hi Ya'll,

I'm thinking about putting a hole in the bottom of the storage bag of my GG tarp to run my Ridge line through, kind of like a long bishop bag. I was just wondering what I should do to keep the nylon from fraying. I was thinking of Just heat treating the hole but was wondering if there was a better way?


Thanks
Bearclaw

[lmoseley7]

This is probably overkill, but you could use Fray Check (found at fabric stores and used to keep fabric from fraying) fingernail polish (clear) or something similar after burning the hole in the bag. Then you could reinforce the fabric on the inside and outside with some grossgrain or other material. If you make the hole in the GG bag larger than the hole in the reinforcement material then the stress and wear will be on the reinforcement and not the bag. I bet that would keep it from fraying. Of course that bag is pretty small in diameter, but long, so it might make sewing it a little tricky. Another option would be to make the bag hole bigger than the reinforcement hole and just use a denim or other type of iron on patch as the reinforcement and only reinforce on the outside of the bag. I don't know how the material the bag is made from will hold up to an iron though.

[UncleMJM]

I had a similar idea with a DIY bag and used a grommet.

[Tendertoe]

Grommet didn't work on the thin Granite Gear stuffsack I'm using.

I did swab some GE II silicone on the raw edge to prevent fraying but I'm sure burning will do the trick just as well.

Best mod ever BTW. Poor man's snakeskins.

[specialk198305]

I tried this on mine and it worked great now for about 4 or 5 trips. I just heated up a nail with a lighter then slowly pushed it through. I only needed a small hole to fit dynaglide through.

[Spogatz]

why not put in a slightly larger hole and sew in a draw cord.

[Bearclaw]

why not put in a slightly larger hole and sew in a draw cord.

There is a very simple answer to that question. I don't know how to sew and I don't own a thread injector.

But it's on my TO Do list.

BC

[adfeds]

I ended up burning a hole and used some silicone around it just to stop fraying a bit more. Then, I cut out a ~2"x~3" piece of ripstop that I rolled into a tube. Stuck that through the little burn hole and hand-stiched it around in a circle by folding down the tube edges on both sides and sewing through and around until I opened up the circle. Not sure if I'm making myself clear, but its similar to grosgrain, just cheaper because I had it and good enough. Probably not too pretty.... kinda looks like a sphincter :-p

[Pipsissewa]

Coincidently, I did the exact same thing with my new Guide Gear tarp stuff sack. (I just burned a hole in the bottom big enough to feed the ridgeline through.)

But I have A LOT of trouble getting the tarp in it. How do you do it? I mean, I got it in eventually, but it's super tight and wadded up. I don't feel good about it. Do you roll the tarp around its ridgeline first or what? Do you undo one side of the suspension, then stuff-and-walk to the other side? That's what I did, but there must be a better way. THANKS!!!!

[Jazilla]

Burn a hole with a soldering iron or hot metal stick. Then put fingernail polish around the whole, preferably clear.