Newbee Tarp Builder

[TheNumberSix]

I am working on another one of my brute force projects and am trying to figure out the best way to attach tie-outs to the tarp. It will be a big red barn of a tarp. I understand reinforcing the tie-out but am not exactly how much reinforcement I need or what is reasonable.

I have put together a 12x10' tarp using the closeout silnylon seconds from http://www.diygearsupply.com/ I hemmed three sides of two panels and then joined the two panels. My questions for HF are:

1.What size and kind of material do I need to use for tie-outs
2.What size and kind of material do I need to use for tie-out reenforcement
3.Should I use D rings or fabric loops
4.Would there be any value to have zing-it in the channels of the hems
5.Should I install pull-out tie-outs in the field of the fabric or use a friction adjustable device for that?

Thanks in advance.

[PuckerFactor]

I've got some closeups of the tieouts on my first tarp in my gallery, but generally, you can use a lot of different materials for reinforcements.
I use something heavier than the base material, and the size and shape is dictated partly by preference, aesthetics, and physics. Something I've found is you don't need nearly as much reinforcement as you think. There are several vendors that sell tarps with no reinforcement, and the webbing just bar tacked to the rolled hem!
That said, I think it looks better to have a decent sized patch that's proportional to the size of the tarp.
As far as the tieout material, I have a huge 12'x10' "sail" that I have Linelocs on all the tieouts. I used .5" grosgrain, and they have yet to break. Other people like D-rings, either acetal or metal. Those are usually 1", so use 1" grosgrain for them.


1. Most people use grosgrain webbing. I use .5" grosgrain, others use 1", depends on the hardware you're putting on, see above.
2. You could use the same material as your tarp, or maybe if you have some coated 1.9 that would match colors, that would work too. I've used 1.9 PU coated, 200D packcloth, 2.1 ripstop...
3. Hardware would be preferable if you don't mind the extra few grams, because of the added abrasion resistance.
4. I can't think of any reason to put it in. It would probably mess with how taut you could rig the tarp and lead to flappage.
5. Are you talking about side-panel pullouts? That's kind of a preference thing also, I guess it would depend on how humongous this tarp is. Maybe use the Grip Clips to decide on the exact placement, and then sew something in?

Hope all that isn't too complicated.

PF