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  1. #11
    New Member
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    So it seems like it is more of a piece of mind equipment. When I hung my tarp the other day the wind (10-15mph per weather app) was raising it a lot, which felt like a downside of the tensioner. I guess I'll just try it both ways and see what I like!

  2. #12
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    Nov 2017
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    Quote Originally Posted by bluesam3 View Post
    I was under the impression that protection from such things was a minor side-benefit, with the real benefit being keeping tension up on the guylines as the guylines/tarp stretch.
    Definitely a benefit with silnylon tarps, but even when those get wet they stretch only so much and often a quick re-tensioning will make them taut for the duration, assuming tensioning knots/hardware don't slip and/or stakes don't loosen.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  3. #13
    Senior Member Hangdang's Avatar
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    Oct 2017
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    Elk Grove, CA
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    If I'm seeing the picture correctly your shock cord may be too long. I make mine using 4" shock cord.

    I have a Silpoly tarp and use the shock cord mainly because I have a Tensa4 stand and I like to allow for some movement.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

  4. #14
    Senior Member MikekiM's Avatar
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    Sep 2015
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    East of Montauk, NY
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    Quote Originally Posted by cmc4free View Post
    .... Someone has shock cord and trips over a guyline. The tarp is not damaged (I recall somebody on the forum telling a story to this effect with respect to a DCF tarp, though I'm not implying they attributed the lack of damage specifically to the shock cord). This doesn't prove the shock cord saved it and there's no proof that it didn't..

    That was me... It was a HammockGear DCF tarp, rigged with 1.2 Z-Line and tarp worms. I bought it from a member here who had added a very small loop of doubled 3/32" shock cord. I left it there as an experiment (my cuben Palace doesn't have the loops so I thought I would see the difference).

    I tripped hard on one of the ground lines and was amazed that the tarp corner didn't damage. Can't say whether the shock cord prevented it, or if the DCF is just that robust, but the loops are still there on the tarp.. Make of that what you will. I am a card-carrying gram weenie, and haven't felt compelled to remove the potentially 'extra' grams....yet.

    I had shock cord loops on my silpoly tarps and candidly.. didn't think they helped or hurt. I used an internal pole that contributed more to tensioning out the tarp when wet than the shock cord could. But truth told, I had the shock cord there on the tarp worms only because that's how Dutch sold the tarp worms.

    On my first silnylon tarps the shock cord definitely helped reduce sag when wet. Never has a problem where the minimum length of the corner gear with shock cord prevented me from getting the pitch I wanted...

    I say try it both ways and then make a decision.
    Yes, my pack weighs 70lbs, but it's all light weight gear....
    Bob's brother-in-law

  5. #15
    Senior Member TreeBeard13's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    You've got me there - of course I use shock cord on my underquilt. Perhaps I should say I have no use for shock cord when it comes to my tarp.
    I agree, but I still have them. I pull mine down so the whole line is taught. When they wear out or break I won't bother making new ones. I like to use masons string for my tie outs. I keep a spool in my pack for emergency shoestrings, heavy duty thread, food bag line, lassoing jackalopes and what-not, and it only costs is like 8 bucks for a 500 foot spool at Lowes/HD.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    I always like going SOBO; somehow, it feels like going downhill.

    ...and as it harm none, do what ye will.

  6. #16
    New Member
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    Sep 2012
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    Alberta
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    I like to use the 2” round elastic hair ties, just loop them through the tie outs on the tarp and attach the guy lines. They take up the slack in the wind and offer a fuse if there’s excessive force. The ones that I buy are at the $ store and take about 25 lbs of force before they snap. If you want 50lbs, you can fold it in half through the tie out and double it’s capacity.
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    Last edited by damuffin; 06-13-2019 at 11:51.

  7. #17

    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by bluesam3 View Post
    I was under the impression that protection from such things was a minor side-benefit, with the real benefit being keeping tension up on the guylines as the guylines/tarp stretch.
    I don't want to overlook a valid comment from bluesam. I'll set aside my comments about using shock cord as a method to avoid stressing a tarp to the point of damage and focus on the strategy of using shock cord to keep a tarp taut.

    On a "stretcho-meter", the stretchiest modern tarps when exposed to wet conditions are made of silnylon. Silpoly tarps stretch much less. And then there are cuben fiber tarps which hardly stretch at all, if any. From what I've researched, using shock cord to reduce sagging on silpoly and cuben fiber tarps may be overkill since neither fabric sags appreciably. For silnylon tarps, the shock cord strategy seems to make sense provided that the variable degree of tension can overcome any amount of sag. Silnlyon absorbs more moisture than the other two fabrics so the variables introduced by ice, slush, snow, rain, mist and mere condensation on a "moisto-meter" also come into play. Not to mention that all of the different guy lines available are also affected when under load and by moisture.

    Bottom line: When giving thought after being taught to keep your tarp taut, read a lot and shop wisely. Then experiment until you are satisfied. The game (doing) is the best teacher.
    The game is the best teacher.

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