Self Tensioning Lines

[Hawk-eye]

There's no education in the second kick of a mule.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

[Hawk-eye]

Not sure where some of you are camping but if the wind is strong enough to shred a Sil tarp ... instead of a paracord tie down ... ya might want to rethink your hang. You're definitely going to need a helmet to protect you from limbs and the like.

I string my $85 Equinox tarp tight and use tension straps as needed ... but all pulled tight. It stays quiet and protects me from the weather and has no sign of damage in three years.

No harm no foul on my tarp in a whipping thunderstorm. But maybe I'm too old a fart to ride out a hurricane strung between two trees!

You youngins go for it!

[Quoddy]

There's no education in the second kick of a mule.

And it was even on the same day! On the Long Trail while packing up in the morning, and in the evening of that day while changing from a porch to normal tarp configuration. I guess I had short term memory loss. I can guarantee that it will never happen again, though.

[animalcontrol]

Well you guys must be using hardy tarps!!

I figure it like this: The lighter the tarp, using cuben for example , and using grosgrain instead of nylon webbing for the pullouts, for another , can cause two things to happen. The first is that the price starts to skyrocket and the second is that durability plunges . When using a tarp that you want to seriously baby , having some give in the tensioners to reduce the shock of wind gusts is the way to go. You might need longer tensioners to do both, account for stretch and give a margin for gusts, but this is way cheaper than ripping your new expensive lightweight tarp. Double length isn't yet such a big deal now, since all of the current lightweight materials don't stretch, which is even more reason to use the tensioners for shock absorbsion.

I'd even go so far as to say not to use any of the super strong guylines that are all the rage right now. I'd want the part that breaks to be the cord, not the tarp pullouts or tarp fabric. In order to guarantee this, I'd make sure my guylines were good, but breakable under high winds or serious stress, like someone tripping into your tarp on accident.

Simple economics tells me that a $5 guyline is better and easier to replace than a $400 tarp.

I'm confused...
why would you use tensioners on a cuban tarp? cuban doesn't stretch! neither does spinn. IMO, tensioners are not required for those materials
My intent with tensioners is to keep the tarp taut, not provide a break away point for high winds.
My break away is the guylines themselves...simple braided mason line...less than 100 lb breakage. Way under the tarp itself. If you want to pay the big $$ for a ultra lightweight tarp, why add weight back with tensioners?
What is the break strength of your guylines?
of cuban?
of sil? (tensioners needed due to stretch of sil)
of spinn?
If you don't know, you're simply being cautious...and that's ok.
I'm 100% positive that my guylines (and tensioners) would break before my sil would rip
FWIW, I've had the plastic d rings on the tarps break before the webbing or the silnylon
I agree with you about the high strength guylines...

Finally, never even seen a $400 tarp...let alone used one!

[Hawk-eye]

.... Finally, never even seen a $400 tarp...let alone used one!

Must have solar panels

[gargoyle]

I'm confused...
NEW Some things we already knew

Finally, never even seen a $400 tarp...let alone used one!

I'm sure someone will sell you one...quick.

I agree with "the weak link" theory, let the strings break..cheap to replace. If its blowing that hard, I generally stake my tarp directly to the ground. Or really close to the ground. Or I'm running home