View Full Version : ridgeline and fly rope?
whitefoot_hp
04-19-2007, 19:28
what is the lightest/toughest rope to use for tying down tarp and setting ridgeline?
slowhike
04-19-2007, 19:38
what is the lightest/toughest rope to use for tying down tarp and setting ridgeline?
this is one of the lightest i know of.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/aircore_nano_dyneema_spectra_guyline_cord_50_ft.ht ml
if you look above the picture on that link & click on "other products by aircore" you will see "Aircore PRO Dyneema guyline cord kit". that's the one i use.
it's strong & light but the cord is still big & stiff enough to easily tie & untie.
Just Jeff
04-19-2007, 19:44
Yep - I have Air Core Plus for supports and Air Core 2 for other uses.
Something to consider - if you get into REALLY bad winds, the kind that'll cause gear failure, how strong do you want your tarp lines to be? Consider a systems approach - if something is going to fail, you want the line to fail before the tarp.
- If the line fails, the tarp will flap around until you secure it. Then later, you just tie the line together with a square knot and you still have a shelter.
- But if your line is strong and your tarp rips...well, that's not exactly field repairable. Might be able to sew it up in a pinch depending on how it rips, but still.
So the right answer is to never get yourself in that position. But unforseen things happen sometimes, so design your system so that you know where to expect failure first...and make that something cheap and easy to fix. Kinda like putting a fusebox in your house.
Here's (http://www.tothewoods.net/HikingPicturesWinnemucca.html) the story that makes me design my system this way. Great trip!
this is one of the lightest i know of.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/aircore_nano_dyneema_spectra_guyline_cord_50_ft.ht ml
if you look above the picture on that link & click on "other products by aircore" you will see "Aircore PRO Dyneema guyline cord kit". that's the one i use.
it's strong & light but the cord is still big & stiff enough to easily tie & untie.
This is the exact stuff I have and I love it. Someone mentioned that they didn't like the cord locks since you can only half the length of each tie out. However, I figured out that I can just tie some knots in the line and reset the cord lock to shorten the line. It works very well.
slowhike
04-19-2007, 20:05
This is the exact stuff I have and I love it. Someone mentioned that they didn't like the cord locks since you can only half the length of each tie out. However, I figured out that I can just tie some knots in the line and reset the cord lock to shorten the line. It works very well.
or form a clove hitch & put the stake any where you want it on the cord. then just use the cord locks to re-tighten the line.
I use the Aircore Pro Dyneema to string up my tarp. I have been using the cordlocks to adjust the ridgeline but this weekend I will be trying out the Figure 9's.
Figure 9s are sweet. That is what I use on my ridgeline. I don't think I would want to use anything else. Sorry, I am just pretty stoked about my setup. With a little bit of tweaking it will be perfect for me.
Figure 9s are sweet. That is what I use on my ridgeline. I don't think I would want to use anything else. Sorry, I am just pretty stoked about my setup. With a little bit of tweaking it will be perfect for me.
I have to agree with you lvleph, the Figure 9's are pretty cool. I saw them on more than one setup in Hot Springs and just had to have them. I had to order them from REI in Charlotte because they were out of stock, but got them in the other day. I can't wait to try them. By the way, I won an auction on ebay for a used Kenmore model 16126. It's nothing fancy at all, but it has what I need excepting a button holer. Since it's a Kenmore, it should be faily easy to get a button holer from them either online or in the store. Looking forward to learning how to use it and making a few DIY goodies. I've already got ideas about what I want to do. lvleph, I can't remember was your hammock a Speer-type? :confused:
My hammock was a rolled hammock ala HH. A mix of both worlds!
whitefoot_hp
04-20-2007, 09:34
whats a figure nine?
blackbishop351
04-20-2007, 09:43
whats a figure nine?
http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=29&product_id=136
this is one of the lightest i know of.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/aircore_nano_dyneema_spectra_guyline_cord_50_ft.ht ml
if you look above the picture on that link & click on "other products by aircore" you will see "Aircore PRO Dyneema guyline cord kit". that's the one i use.
it's strong & light but the cord is still big & stiff enough to easily tie & untie.
any other place you can buy that instead of bpl? I did a search for Aircore and nothing came up
Rhino-lfl
04-20-2007, 11:57
So what does it do exactly? I've been looking for a system (I just have REI rope I bought) to tie to the corners of the tarp and then to tree's or stakes. But I suck at knot tying and there is always slack. Same with my hammock rope. I need some kind of mechinism that I can put that rope in, and then adjust tighter or looser as needed. Any suggestions? I think that this is the last area of my hammock mystery.
whitefoot_hp
04-20-2007, 12:12
a truckers hitch, or a double truckers hitch can serve the purpose as those figure nines. i used to hate tying nots, but last summer i worked as a raft guide and had to learn a few basic ones. now, i can tighten and secure just about anything. i guess it just takes practice, and the only reason i learned those nots was becuase a job required it.
Rhino-lfl
04-20-2007, 14:18
The rope on myh Clarks is 5/16". What would work for that?
My hammock was a rolled hammock ala HH. A mix of both worlds!
Ok, refresh my memory, how did you do that? I looked at HC's pics, but couldn't figure it out.
1.Fold the edges to the center, so that they over lap slightly.
2.Flip hammock over so the first folds are against the floor.
3.Fold one edge in towards the middle. This fold should be about 1.5" (depends on width of hammock).
4.Fold it again, and again, and again, and again. Basically 5 total 1.5" folds on one side (this is the rolling portion).
5.Repeat step 4 on the other edge. Both edges should meet in the center.
6.Taco the end of the hammock together.
7.Whip it, whip it real good.
8.Repeat steps 1 through 7 on the other end of the hammock
9.Attach suspension.
10.Go hang and take a rest.
1.Fold the edges to the center, so that they over lap slightly.
2.Flip hammock over so the first folds are against the floor.
3.Fold one edge in towards the middle. This fold should be about 1.5" (depends on width of hammock).
4.Fold it again, and again, and again, and again. Basically 5 total 1.5" folds on one side.
5.Repeat step 4 on the other edge. Both edges should meet in the center.
6.Taco the end of the hammock together.
7.Whip it, whip it real good.
8.Repeat steps 1 through 7 on the other end of the hammock
9.Attach suspension.
10.Go hang and take a rest.
Gracias, my friend. Just trying to get a couple ideas (other than the few I have already) now that I'm just waiting for delivery of my new slightly used sewing machine.
Just a word of caution, if you use snakeskins on your tarp, be careful of the pointy ends of the figure 9's. I ripped a wide hole in mine when I was sheathing my tarp. I've got to figure out a better way to attach them.
Brian
T-BACK
blackbishop351
04-20-2007, 19:44
Don't put the hanging cords and Figure 9s in the snake skins - wrap around the outside instead.
Yeah that's what I do. The tie-outs on my corners kind of "jam" into the ends of the skins, keeping the Figure 9's from ever working themselves inside.
Yeah that's what I do. The tie-outs on my corners kind of "jam" into the ends of the skins, keeping the Figure 9's from ever working themselves inside.
The problem I had was when I was pulling the skins over the tarp to pack it up. My fig 9s don't go inside the skins but rather caught on them as they were pulled. Maybe I should try and move them farther out on the lines. How do you guys have yours positioned? Closer to the tarp or the end of the tie out?
Brian
T-BACK
blackbishop351
04-20-2007, 22:33
The problem I had was when I was pulling the skins over the tarp to pack it up. My fig 9s don't go inside the skins but rather caught on them as they were pulled. Maybe I should try and move them farther out on the lines. How do you guys have yours positioned? Closer to the tarp or the end of the tie out?
Brian
T-BACK
I leave mine as close as I can get them to the tie-out loops on the tarp, which works out to about 1.5-2" away. I could get them closer but I use a loop/larkshead through the tie-out loop for easy installation/removal of the cords.
7.Whip it, whip it real good
I guess it's time to get straight, go forward, move ahead. :p
Never straight always forward!
Never straight always forward!
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Whip-It-lyrics-Devo/C575E83125D911A3482568B800375C8A
Incacamper
05-09-2008, 08:37
Just curious, but why not just tie a tautline hitch rather then the figure 9? Its just one more thing to lose, and also you save some weight, not much, but just something else that you don't have to carry around.
I moved my figure 9's to the stakes ala this thread (see Hooch's post about half way down) and like it much better than having the 9's on the tie out lines themselves:
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/tarps/3869-staking-windy-weather-2.html
Makes for much easier and quicker setup. Stake, run lie adjust, done!
locorogue
05-30-2008, 13:35
what is the lightest/toughest rope to use for tying down tarp and setting ridgeline?
Military "shock cord", "para(parachute) cord", there are plenty of names for it. Its usually 1/8 in thick, 550 lb test, if your lucky(like me) you can find the 650 lb stuff. 7mm is about 400lb test.
NCPatrick
05-30-2008, 13:59
Paracord has a core of a lot of little threads (of dyneema, I think?). These can be pulled out to make the cord a bit lighter. I've not had any problems doing so anyway. YMMV.
locorogue
05-30-2008, 14:32
Paracord has a core of a lot of little threads (of dyneema, I think?). These can be pulled out to make the cord a bit lighter. I've not had any problems doing so anyway. YMMV.
It's great stuff, all the way to the core.
Actually the inner lines are nylon, the real stuff has a total of 14 lines, dual wrapped, so it looks like only 7. Each line is approx. 17.5 lb test.