“I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy
I've got a speer winter tarp (swt) and practicing setting it up in the backyard. What methods are there for the tie down strings in attaching them to the tarp and to the ground? I saw some videos and they mentioned not attaching the strings to the tarp and I found out why while in windy conditions, what a mess! I thought about using shorter lengths attached to the tarp so I could quickly set up the tarp, hopefully without a tangled mess. I also have the idea of small caribiners staying attached to the tarp and the strings not attached, but already setup with loops at one end to snap into to mini caribiners. ideas? and better yet, pics?
First of all, high winds should be avoided. I only deal with taking down a tarp in high winds when the winds shift on me or start up unexpectedly after I have already set up. I haven't tried to set one up in high winds nor do I understand why I would in the future.
Taking down a tarp in the wind is tricky, I have to be careful in how I go about it to keep the lines from whipping me upside the head or tangling and I have to control the sail the tarp itself makes. If the winds are too high I'm not sure you could do it safely with a large tarp. I keep the wind direction in mind when I do take down a tarp to minimize my potential problems. I take the stakes out on the windward side last so that I have less tarp material and guylines flying at me when I take out the stakes on the leeward side. Once I get the stakes out, I control the sail as I stuff the tarp into the stuff sack as best I can. I roll two guylines at a time when I come to them and stuff them in the stuff sack using some tarp fabric to stabilize them, just as I normally do.
Youngblood AT2000
i have the 1.75 mm single braid dyneema "zing it" it's pretty stiff. if i plan to use a steep pitch i just leave some short lines attached to the tarp, like 4' long. they do a pretty good job of not tangling at that length. i then have longer lines that i keep coiled (using the fig 8 coil method) i instal these if needed, but take them off when i pack the tarp because they are long enough to be a pain. i have a single loop tied in all the lines and just attach to the tarp via a girth hitch, no biners needed. it is nice having a little bag to hold all the lines and it's nice having lines of different lengths, that way i don't have to mess with the long ones unless i need them.
I used to do a lot of windsurfing back in the day .... so messing with gear in the wind shouldn't have to be a problem, there's just got to be a technique to it and having those long lines bundled with a rubber band just wasn't working! ..... but something will! and practicing in the wind is a good way to find problems with your kit, and I found problems!
I discovered that once the ridge lines are set, and the sided are facing the wind, the swt will just fly in the wind. Setting up the windward side first is key, not the downwind side. I'll have to have a video of this next time for sure!
someone suggested figure 9 stuff attached to their stakes and that looks like the ticket for me. some shorter lengths tied to the tarp for a steep pitch, and the figure 9 attached to the stakes ...... I'll be buying some stuff online today and testing it out ASAP .... got my big trip happening within 2 weeks or so! Two weeks on the back of my dirt bike going xcountry .....
yeah, you just kinda have to figure out what works best for you, definately check out the fig 8 coil method, you can toss the whole bundle and it uncoils perfectly mid air. i'll see if i can find the link.
i can't find it, maybe someone else remembers where it is or the name of the thread. basically you make a fist, but stick out your pinky and pointer finger, like you would if you were front row at a metalica show, and just loop it over those two fingers in a fig 8 pattern, for some reason looping it in a fig 8 pattern instead of a circle keeps it from tangleing when it's time to stretch it back out. works unbelieveably well, and you can coil it up really fast too.
yeah, I've seen a video of it somewhere and actually used it with a rubber band on it , it works out pretty good....... but I have to somehow incorporate that into the figure 9/stake kit ....
I also want to be able to undo one side and flip it over onto the other side for daytime, or nights where it's clear, but have the tarp at the ready, just in case, then to just flop over the loose side onto the pre set pegs.
I think you mean the unattached coil. It can be done either as a simple coil or as a figure 8.
That's really quite simple. In the animation I linked above, you can see that it should be quite easy to make the coil while leaving the cord attached to either the tarp or figure 9.
“I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy
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