tarp pull outs.. small magnets??

**1camper** · 09-20-2010, 20:42

I'm ready to buy a new spin ul tarp. I was thinking of trying to use some very small powerful magnets for pull outs, what do you think? I know somebody must have tried this.. I thought I'd use a matchcover or something light about that size under the one inside and then put the one outside in the corner of a plastic bag and tie my shockcord to that...brilliant or impractical, please chime in with experience.

**Cannibal** · 09-20-2010, 20:52

Maybe they're out there, but I would imagine it would take a pretty strong magnet to hold the kind of pull a taut tarp in a breze has to endure. That kind of strength would seem to translate to increased mass.

Grip Clips work great and they're most likely lighter weight and less expensive. Not trying to talk you out of anything; experiments is good.

**1camper** · 09-20-2010, 21:07

I'm talking about just the pull outs in the center of my tarp just to be clear, I'm not familiar with grip clips, however I don't want to crimp or deform my taut tarp. I'm also not crazy about sewing a patch in my new tarp.

I have these small magnets, about half the size of a dime and weigh about 4grams a apiece. That way I can move them around, heck put four lines on the windward side if I want. They seem pretty strong..

**Cannibal** · 09-20-2010, 21:20

Like I said, I'm not suggesting you don't try. I thrive on doing things people say I can't or shouldn't. Just offering my thoughts. I've been wrong many times before.

**1camper** · 09-20-2010, 21:29

Yeah me too...it's like a curse.

I think I'll change my plan from plastic to nylon to hold the magnet on the shockcord side..for durability reasons. Should be able to adjust it somewhat from the inside. Now I'm getting excited about trying it!

**Rhino** · 09-20-2010, 22:09

Sounds like a fun experiment, I did see these really small magnets at harbor freight one time while checking out so I picked them up, it was crazy how much it took to pry them apart I actually had to slide them apart from each other. Oh yeah and the package had all kinds of warnings on it too.

**sandykayak** · 09-22-2010, 16:13

here are the grip clips on JRB (they're having an end-of-summer sale until Sept 27).

http://www.jacksrbetter.com/GripClips.htm

Your tarp fabric might stretch a bit.

**nacra533** · 09-22-2010, 17:15

I use rare earth magnets for various things and they can be very strong. I would think those that are the size of a nickel would hold, I don't know if the smaller ones would if the wind picked up. I think if you used thin bungee instead of line (or bungee in addition to line) for the panel pullouts, the smaller ones might hold. Thanks for volunteering for this experiment.

I'm assuming you don't have sewn in loops for panel pullouts. Why not just put a pebble in the pullout location and clove hitch around it on the outside?

**pgibson** · 09-22-2010, 17:25

I thought of doing something like this a while back, but after several of the magnets that I was playing with shattered, cracked or flaked off shards I abandoned it. The rare earth magnets that I was working with were very strong and I thought I could use fairly small ones to make the attachment points I became concerned that they could connect together with such force to break them and possibly cut the tarp or the user. Never took it farther than the drawing broad but would love to see how they function in actual use.

**Just Jeff** · 09-22-2010, 17:29

I have "the strongest magnet in the world" on a gun holster. I assume the seller meant it's the strongest type of non-electro-magnet. It's pretty strong for a magnet that size, and I surely wouldn't want to carry anything bigger/heavier on a backpacking trip.

That magnet is nowhere near what I'd need for a tarp.