Tarp Pullouts -- No Sew Option(almost) -- with pics

[MacEntyre]

I need to give this a try! I was just thinking of making a pole mod on a Speer Winter Tarp and a BWDD Winter Dream.

[WLMiller54]

Sweet. I think I have some testing to do over the Christmas holidays.

Anyone know how much force a tarp pull-out needs to take?

[Running Feather]

Excellent reporting. Great ideas. Great pics.

That's why You ARE the Detail Man

[slowhike]

Anyone know how much force a tarp pull-out needs to take?

One thing about that is that I usually use a longer length of line & most of the time it's tied off to a limb or sapling, so there is quite a bit of give & take as opposed to tying off to a non moving object (big tree trunk, wall, etc).
But the pull outs do take a fair amount of stress (no idea here how to put it into numbers though).

They can actually play a significant part in stabilizing the tarp in high winds, just like the pull outs/stabilizers on mountaineering tents.
But the more you ask of them the better the structure of the patch & the attachment method needs to be.

[KerMegan]

would it then be a good idea to include the stretchy/shockcord modificaion to the guy out lines? it might avoid a rip situation, by equalizing the pull (if the wind shifts or gusts).

[slowhike]

would it then be a good idea to include the stretchy/shockcord modificaion to the guy out lines? it might avoid a rip situation, by equalizing the pull (if the wind shifts or gusts).

I a really windy situation that may not be a bad addition, but fortunately, it seams that most of the time I can find something to tie off to that is both reliable & yet has some flex.
If not, I have run the pull out cord across my extended hiking pole handle (to pull out rather than down), then staked or tied off to a root. Then I might consider laying something across the cord to weight it yet allow hard wind gusts to pick up the weight, providing a "shock absorber" (small log, rock, etc).

[warbonnetguy]

i wouldn't use any shock cord, you should be fine without assuming the panel pulls are done well and a large enough patch is used. the point of using them is to keep the wind from pushing the tarp inward in a big wind gust, if you use shockcord that allows just that then you kinda negate the point of using them.

this is actually the purpose the patch serves (to keep the involved forces from damaging the fabric), i've been selling tarps with panel pulls for a long time and have never had one returned due to wind damage.

[rjcress]

fantastic post!
You answered a few questions that I had been pondering since it was mentioned a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks!

[CrackMunk]

Thank You! I'm just now starting my first DIY tarp, and was wondering how to put center tieouts on.

[CajunHiker]

That's a great idea. I've been working on a 90deg rotated HH Hex setup that needs a pole mod, but I don't really want to carry a full pole. I was trying a shorter pole clipped to the under-tarp ridgeline to push out the sides a bit. I now think I'll try to add some pullouts and move the pole to the outside.