How do you tension your guylines?

**gargoyle** · 03-02-2012, 06:02

Marlin spike hitch the line around the stake.
Plant the stake in the ground.

heres a video..the marlin spike info is at the end around the 6:30 mark...skip the rest, its some goofball rambling..

Video

**Pj1008** · 03-02-2012, 06:53

Originally Posted by Bubba

I like knots so I use prusiks attached to the tarp tie outs and just slide the cordage through the prusiks to lengthen and shorten. It's handy to have them attach to the tarp so you can adjust them from under the tarp when its raining.

I really like this idea of using the pruskis attached to tarp in case I need to adjust the tarp in the middle of the night. Do use any shock cord on you're guy lines? And if so where do you attach it? I was thinking about adding a shock cord to the loop that attaches to the stake and pretty much flip the normal self tensioning guy lines upside down. Or using the shock cord attached at the tarp before the prusik.

Come to think of it can you just prusik 8th" shock cord right onto 1.75mm lash it? Or will that not hold? If I remember right doesn't the cord for the pruskis need to be the same diameter or smaller then the line it's attached to to hold?

**Syb** · 03-02-2012, 11:21

Originally Posted by gargoyle

skip the rest, its some goofball rambling..

I think the Marlin Spike Hitch explanation is around 7:18. That just means more rambling

. Nice explanation gargoyle, thanks.

**Delboy** · 03-02-2012, 14:25

Originally Posted by Bubba

I like knots so I use prusiks attached to the tarp tie outs and just slide the cordage through the prusiks to lengthen and shorten. It's handy to have them attach to the tarp so you can adjust them from under the tarp when its raining.

This is the way to go for me! I saw it in a video here and thought "why didn't I think of that"

**HappyCamper** · 03-02-2012, 15:27

Delboy sent me the link to the prusik tarp tie out video. He talks tieouts at the 2 minute mark.

**Navigator** · 03-02-2012, 20:06

Taut-line hitch, in most cases.

**Catavarie** · 03-02-2012, 20:45

Shock cord larks headed to the tarp tie outs, mason line larks headed to running end of the shock cord. Then I Ronco it.

Set it, and Forget it. Never woke up with a loose tarp since doing this.

**Roadrunnr72** · 03-02-2012, 20:57

Originally Posted by Shotgunred

This is what I use and love em', one hand adjustment using line-loks.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=25052

+1 on Shane's method. I have this set up on my WL Tad Pole. Have not used it yet, because it is more of a warm weather tarp, but having set it up in the yard and played with it, I think it will work great. If I ever have a figure 9 failure on my big tarp, I will switch them out to the line-locs.

**FLRider** · 03-03-2012, 07:55

Shock cord hitched into the line parallel to the actual guyline, and then a tautline hitch at the stake. Works fairly well for me.

I also use a CRL with the tarp attached via Klemheists for adjustment and tensioning. Have a mini 'biner at one end and tie off with a pair of slippery half-hitches at the other.