Tarps on the Beach

[sparkytxn]

+1 on the parachute style anchors... REI, maybe Campmor, or you can make them if you're handy. Trick is to lay them in the whole flat & perpendicular to the line. It is amazing how much force it takes to pull Those things up through a foot of sand.

[Campdavid]

Might try these (or a home made version of them) http://www.toughstake.com/

I made my own and they work great! Just buy some long plastic tent stakes, drill a hole, connect a line and you're good. Probably not as good as the real deal but they seem to work for me.

[johmar]

I'm headed for the beach vacation in a few weeks. It's a rather remote area where we drive out water's edge, I was thinking I might throw up my Mac Cat in porch mode for my wife as she really can't tolerate a great deal of direct sun.

Here's my thought, to find something I can attach my guylines to that I can burry in the sand as an anchor. I was thinking of something like a round plastic lid of some sort.

My wife is looking at beach shelters that are on late season sale but they seem a bit small for the money. I'll be experimenting in the the yard with some salvaged tent poles but the sand dynamics are something I can't really test for. If anyone has any sand experience they could share. Also is it necessary to put a base under tent poles?

David

Icecream buckets - hole in the middle of the bottom - tie off a bit of stick, like a toggle - bury 1' down. Held up in 25 knot wind and a bigger tarp than we use with our hammocks.
John

[Bannerstone]

Might try these (or a home made version of them) http://www.toughstake.com/

I made my own and they work great! Just buy some long plastic tent stakes, drill a hole, connect a line and you're good. Probably not as good as the real deal but they seem to work for me.

I really like this concept, attaching the line at the tip of the stake should add a lot of holding resistance and a short line to attach to makes a lot of sense as well. It I might add one thought an additional short line from the top of the stake to use when extracting the stake.

I think I'll make up a set of these and a set of bag type anchors so I have some things to test. While others will be sun bathing, I'll be messing around with my gear.

David

[TheCoyote]

I have ran into sand on a creek walk and had to stake down in it. Treat it like its snow, dig down about 4-8 inches and stake it in then bury it and maybe add a heavy object on top. Worked for me.

Jeremy

[holantr]

I've used the rei sand ancors and they worked better then I thought they would. I dug a foot and a half deep hole laid the little parachutes flat and filled the hole back in. I had my tarp up for about 4 hours and didn't notice them pulling out.

[brambor]

where I live the ocean usually throws up stuff onto the beach that can be used for anchors. In the past I have utilized:

my kayaks
lobster traps
rocks
waterlogged wood thrown up onto the beach
burying stakes into the sand

[valleyrat]

i will tell you what i have done. take some empty 2L soda bottles fill with dry sand, tie guy line to the handy ring around the top of bottle ( kinda like jug fishing for catfish ), bury in the sand. works good for me. oh and btw dont forget to pack out the bottles when done.

[Doc B]

I am in the sand most of the time. Snow stakes work great in soft sand. Groundhogs work fine if the sand is compacted or wet. The aluminum army "V" stakes are divine if you are driving in.

Best,
Doc

[Deadphans]

I thought about bringing my tarp to the beach mostly because I am an avid beach goer and my gf burns easy and hates going because of that fact...me I got the blessed olive tan Italian skin lol.

Cept I am worried that someone might walk off with it while I am in the water. I am at the Jersey shore...I think an umbrella would suffice asthat would not be a beloved item of mine hehe