Broken Guy Lines??

**zukiguy** · 08-12-2016, 08:48

I love the ultralight crowd because they're constantly pushing the envelope of materials/techniques to drop weight. Eventually I'll pick up on some of their castoffs and get rid of that heavy quilt, bulky tarp, or outdated cook stove.

However, I have to ask about the fascination with ultralight, super-strength guy lines. I see lots of people using zing-it/lash-it, dynema, spectra, and all manner of exotic cordage for their tieouts. I know this may save some weight but do you really need a tiny cord with a 600lb break strength to hold the corner of a tarp. I've never taken measurements but I'd bet most stakes will pull out of the ground with less than 50lbs of force. I don't know how much force my tarp will withstand before a corner rips out.

I had a kid trip over a guy line in a campground and it yanked the stake out of the ground but also ended up snapping a micro-biner I had used to secure my tarp ridgeline. Had one of those not failed I'm assuming it would have ripped the d-rings off my tarp. I decided then I'd rather break some string than destroy a tarp so I "downgraded" to some micro-cord. It's high-vis but only rated to a little over 100lbs. The texture is nice and it holds friction knots well. I'm hoping that worst case scenario this will let go before something breaks on my tarp.

Has anyone had any tarp damage from tying to an "immovable object" such as another tree with high-strength cordage?

**Rain Man** · 08-12-2016, 09:26

I'm with you!

BTW, why in the world leave D-rings on your tarp? They're nothing but wasted weight and something else to go wrong, get twisted around, etc. I take them off all my tarps. Just my two cents.

**Floridahanger** · 08-12-2016, 09:52

I like to use Braided Mason's Line. It has a lower break point than 100lbs. The problem is that it also holds some moisture and it does stretch a little. I do want to move to another hydrophobic type of line and Lash-it is what I may use.

Maybe I will undue the braid and use the individual lines as a guy line. If it's a 6 line braid and it has a 600lbs breaking point, does each line have a 100lbs break strength? I can work with that...

**OneClick** · 08-12-2016, 09:53

Yeah it's funny. I honestly wouldn't be that worried using cheap mason line ($2.99 for hundreds of feet). I think some people do. I guess that's just not cool, though.

Above all, stretching is my concern.

**MikekiM** · 08-12-2016, 12:28

I never understood why manufacturers would put a metal split or d ring on a tarp. I've removed all of them. I'm pretty sure I have all of my pull outpoints started with a low break line.. corners have shock cord which will fail pretty quicklu and ridge lines have simple loops with sliding whipping knots over diamond knots that will give with a serious tug.

there are other places in my kit I am focused on shaving weight, so not having the lightest guy lines isn't a priority.

**OneClick** · 08-12-2016, 12:40

I have all the fancy cord and hardware...then I pitch it snare-drum tight. Probably not the safest setup for the tarp, but I've been OK so far.

**sr1355** · 08-12-2016, 15:00

Originally Posted by MikekiM

I never understood why manufacturers would put a metal split or d ring on a tarp.

We install them to prevent the user from cutting through the webbing if they are using the guy out as a racket point when tightening such as using a reverse trucker hitch. The friction from the guy line on a continuous point on the webbing may result in failure after repeated use. Also from my personal experience it is easier to clip a ring then webbing, I use prussic knots on the ridgeline with small #1 s-biners so it would be difficult clipping them into a 3/8" webbing loop. I keep them with the ridgeline that I rotate through tarps as I use them.

On the OP I use guy line rated to about 80#, this combined with the split rings provides a weak link in the system. The goal would be for the guyline or rings to fail before a catastrophic failure in the tarp itself.

**MikekiM** · 08-12-2016, 17:31

Thanks for the explanation.
Sounds quite logical. I really didn't think that one through.

Sent from East of Montauk

**WalksIn2Trees** · 08-12-2016, 19:12

Yeah, my equipment for work uses a double-ring configuration to keep it from popping off the clips, and it works... That's a rigid connection though where as a tarps loops aren't. however, on a tarp the webbing loops get all wrinkled up with the cord looped through them, then it's really difficult to pass the cord through... A D-Ring prevents that as well as making it a non-issue.

Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk

**dirtwheels** · 08-12-2016, 20:12

You could wax your mason line to add water repellent properties, bank line may be available waxed off the shelf.

Originally Posted by Floridahanger

I like to use Braided Mason's Line. It has a lower break point than 100lbs. The problem is that it also holds some moisture and it does stretch a little. I do want to move to another hydrophobic type of line and Lash-it is what I may use.

Maybe I will undue the braid and use the individual lines as a guy line. If it's a 6 line braid and it has a 600lbs breaking point, does each line have a 100lbs break strength? I can work with that...