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  1. #1
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    Shock cord question

    I have seen some pretty cool ideas for shock cord systems that use the guyline as back up or to limit the stretching. I have a question. Is it necessary for the cord backup in practical terms? I was thinking of just adding a loop of shock cord to to the guylines and tying of that to the tarp. Are the forces that the tarp is likely to see just too great for my simple idea?

    Rick

  2. #2
    Senior Member headchange4u's Avatar
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    I think a small loop of shock cord would be okay, especially if you were staking the tarp directly to the ground. If you were stakes things up higher, where longer lengths of tie out cord is required, I wouldn't use shock cord because it's much heavier than standard guy line and I think the stretch would be too much.
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett



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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by headchange4u View Post
    I think a small loop of shock cord would be okay, especially if you were staking the tarp directly to the ground.
    In reference to this thread and gunn parker's thread here...in your experience...how small a loop of shock cord do you think would suffice? I typically attach to the ground and am thinking about using this idea in lieu of tarp tensioners a la JRB STLs.

  4. #4
    Senior Member headchange4u's Avatar
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    I would say 6-8" or so. I went I stake my tarps to the ground I normally run the stake through the shock cord on my tensioners instead of tieing off to the line itself.
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett



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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by headchange4u View Post
    I would say 6-8" or so. I went I stake my tarps to the ground I normally run the stake through the shock cord on my tensioners instead of tieing off to the line itself.
    Ahhh...gotcha! So if I have the picture in my mind correct, you tie line directly to your tarp, run it down to the shock cord, and the shock cord attaches to your stake, yes?

    Do you use Figure 9s in the middle of the line between the tarp and your shock cord to adjust for length or is you line pre-cut to a specific and constant length?

  6. #6
    Senior Member headchange4u's Avatar
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    I think you got it. In the picture below you can see Youngblood is passing the stake through the shock cord loop on the self tensioning guy lines. This is the same technique I use, except I actually put the stake through the shock cord.


    I don't use Figure9's. I know, I know; blasphemy.
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett



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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by headchange4u View Post
    I don't use Figure9's. I know, I know; blasphemy.
    That's some funny stuff right there!

  8. #8
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    Why not make a small loop in the guy line and link the two legs with shock cord tied on with a pair of prusiks? The shock cord would take up the slack. The minor amount of slack in the guy line would back up the shock cord in case of failure.

    'scout

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    1/8" shockcord is strong, a loop of it would be twice as strong and pull pretty hard too, i think it would be hard to break 2 strands of it side by side.

  10. #10
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    On one of my tarps, I have LineLoc-3 tensioners from questoutfitters on Prusik loops made from 3/32" shock cord. I have had the tarp in pretty high winds and have not had any trouble with the shock cord breaking.

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