I bought this 4-pack at REI along with some other shopping to try since it was $10 and seemed like a quick and easy way to hold down my BMJ tarp. WOW does this stuff stretch...more than paracord! Maybe that's not a bad thing, but I was really surprised. Anyone using this kit regularly, likes, dislikes?
The ad from REI says nylon cord, which is an indicator that the cord will stretch. I would recommend using some shock cord as a tensioner, if you want to stay with that cord.
Ellis
I bought the same kit. The line is worthless. I tossed it and used zing-it on the figure 9s instead
"Go sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up here"~Jack Nicholson/As Good As It Gets
Thanks. I would have thought it to be too thin, but I just tried my 1.75 zing-it on the 9's and holds tight!
I've been playing with it a little more. A nice strong hold, but any issues with the teeth on the figure 9 chewing up the zing-it? Seems OK so far as I keep tugging on it.
Last edited by OneClick; 04-11-2012 at 19:38.
I have a set of those, too. Never tried the cord that comes with them, though.
I thought the figure-9 would be a quick way to tie off & tension my tarp ridge line. It seems to work OK, but the plastic flexes a bit. Not sure if I trust it.
I think a metal one that size would be about perfect.
I have been using plastic figure 9s with zing-it on my crl for a while and never had any issues with the line getting chewed up. For tie outs I just use shock cord.
"Go sell crazy somewhere else, we're all stocked up here"~Jack Nicholson/As Good As It Gets
I use Figure 9 carabiners clipped on to tarp bungees at the tarp end and zing-it wound through it going to the stake. Works well so far, although for backpacking tarp bungees are possibly not the best choice given their bulk compared to a simple piece of shock cord.
I use two of these on each end of my tarp ridgeline to center and tension the ridgeline, using the stock cord that came with them. Been using this setup for almost a year now, with no problems or issues that I've noted.
Weasel, my youngest son uses a set of four of these to tension his BMJ tarp to his ground stakes...works fine for him, hadn't noticed any real stretch.
Since posting, I replaced the stretchy green Nite Ize cord with some zing-it, then again with 2.2mm Exped Reflective Dyneema. It was expensive, but I like the black opposed to yellow so my setup doesn't look like a circus during the day. Plus I still have the benefit of reflective rope at night. $22 for 50'...ouch, but I expect it to last a long time. It's like zing-it, but a little stiffer.
Ok, so I finally got to use the plastic figure 9's that came with the tent guyline kit. The green cord glows really nice, but it's practically bungee cord. So like I said, I replaced it with Exped 2.2 dyneema, and I just have to saw what an awesome setup this is for my BMJ tarp! I love the 9's, they let you get a lot of purchase and crank it down tight.I'm using the unused NiteIze green cord for miscellaneous zipper pulls and part of my side pullouts.
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