BWCA Packing Tarp and Guylines Boundary Waters Gear Forum
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Gear Forum
      Packing Tarp and Guylines     
 Forum Sponsor

Author

Text

THEGrandRapids
distinguished member (377)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/24/2018 10:41AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Seems every time I pack my tarp the guylines turn into a knotted mess. How do you pack up your tarp? I suppose off season storage, but mainlyduring a trip? Do you fold? Do you stuff? Do you roll? How many guylines do you leave attached? I had one buddy who doesn't leave any lines attached, but then his paracord becomes a mess on its own. I leave multiple guylines on. I also have a crazy creek tarp, which is a weird shape, so I'm guessing I end up using more tie downs than a square or rectangle tarp. Does everyone tarp the same?

I don't have a problem with my tent and tent fly, but I think I'm in a more routine packing process and everything gets folded and rolled into each other, with the footprint last, so any loose lines gets tucked into that.

Am I the only one with this problem? Or just haven't turned into a Tarp Master yet?
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next
jmedlin
member (13)member
  
09/24/2018 10:53AM  
I use Cliff Jacobson's method from his "forgotten skills" DVD with great success.

Each tie out has a pair of 10" pieces of cordage tied to it and I keep a bag with about 200 ft of 10' sections of cord. When I need a tie out, I just use a sheet bend with a quick release to add a guy line in that particular spot. When the tarp comes down, all of the pieces get bundled up and the tarp gets stuffed away.

He sells the DVD as a digital download for $10, a lot of good knowledge in there.
https://www.cliffcanoe.com/product-page/the-forgotten-skils-dvd-digital-download
 
donr
senior member (83)senior membersenior member
  
09/24/2018 11:34AM  
I have a 10 x 12 CCS tarp that I leave in a ridge line configuration. I leave my lines attached, coil them, then secure the coils with elastic hair ties that I attach to the line loops on the tarp. I stuff, not fold or roll.

Wintertrekker has a good youtube video from which I appropriated this technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqlFP8C_z10&t=335s

Hope this helps,
Don
 
09/24/2018 11:34AM  
I have a home made silnylon ridgeline tarp similar to a CSS tarp. In addition to the ridgeline I keep 6-8 tie outs on there all the time, and I stuff it into a stuff sack when I take it down. To keep the ropes from tangling, I wrap each cord up on one hand in a figure eight, then put about 6-8 wraps around the coil and finish it off with a slip knot. Sounds harder than it is - I tie each on in typically 10 seconds or so. All tie outs and the ridgeline get done this way. Eliminates almost all the tangles, and makes for much faster set up. When I get to camp I open the stuff sack and always have one coil right on top which I know is the ridgeline (because it's yellow, not green/blue like the tie outs). I secure that, then walk to the next tree with the tarp coming out. The last thing out of the bag is the other yellow coil, which goes around another tree. Then do the tie outs. My tarp goes up and comes down very fast. Every once in a while the coils come undone by accident, but with practice they are fast and stay put about 98% of the time.

 
HayRiverDrifter
distinguished member(928)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/24/2018 12:26PM  
What Jaywalker said.
 
TipsyPaddler
distinguished member (315)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/24/2018 12:55PM  
donr: "I have a 10 x 12 CCS tarp that I leave in a ridge line configuration. I leave my lines attached, coil ery, then secure the coils with elastic hair ties that I attach to the line loops on the tarp. I stuff, not fold or roll.


Wintertrekker has a good youtube video from which I appropriated this technique:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqlFP8C_z10&t=335s


Hope this helps,
Don"


This is my system as well. Every couple of years or so I replace the hair ties as they lose their elasticity but work very well.
 
Othello
distinguished member (139)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/24/2018 02:27PM  
HayRiverDrifter: "What Jaywalker said."


+1, and though I don't always leave the guy lines attached (depending on the tarp), the figure-8 coil is the constant that keeps it all tangle-free.

Also consider snakeskins. These have made tarp management so much quicker and easier for me.
 
DrBobDg
distinguished member(850)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/24/2018 03:08PM  
I use the CCS Lean 3 as a tarp a lot of times. Really versatile that way over a picnic table etc. I leave the ridge line with the tarp.. It seems easier to figure out what is what that way and I always need a line there anyway. It is plenty long 40-50 feet maybe.
The rest of my lines are in a stuff sack individually rolled up. 10 to 25 feet. You can never have too many.
If I have to I combine lines with a sheet bend...
Lines are attached to the tarp and trees with a quick release knot. It is easy to readjust tension that way.
Lines are always rolled up before putting them away....always, always, always.
Until I get convinced otherwise that is what I will continue to do.
good luck in your quest for a system that works for you...
there is certainly more than one...
surely we agree it is not fun to untangle a bunch of lines when the skies are getting darker and darker with liquid sunshine minutes away.

dr bob
 
09/24/2018 04:02PM  
Fold and roll tarp cuz it packs up nicer. No Ridgeline or guylines attached. Each campsite has different layout and trees so I start from scratch to fit the site. Guylines are figure 8 stored in separate mesh sack. I rarely hang a tarp the same way twice on a trip.
 
09/24/2018 04:02PM  
Fold and roll tarp cuz it packs up nicer. No Ridgeline or guylines attached. Each campsite has different layout and trees so I start from scratch to fit the site. Guylines are figure 8 stored in separate mesh sack. I rarely hang a tarp the same way twice on a trip.
 
HammerII
distinguished member(637)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/24/2018 04:25PM  
I use cut pieces of bicycle inner tube to hold the rope sections together in about 10ft pieces. I also have "bungie cord" that I made into roughly 12" circles. That can slide thru the tie downs on the tarp and act as a shock cord for big wind gusts. They also keep the tarp tight so we rarely have to adjust lines
 
09/24/2018 05:26PM  
I leave the Ridgeline in place and a 25 ft line at all 4 corners. Dan Cooke showed me a way to roll up the corner ropes that works very well and keeps the lines from tangling.

You roll most of the line over your hand like others have illustrated here leaving about a 1 ft piece loose at the end. Tuck the whole thing into the corner of the tarp and use the last 1 ft piece to run several circles around the rope/tarp bundle. Tuck the last couple of inches under the last loop and pull snug.

Works neat.
 
Savage Voyageur
distinguished member(14414)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished membermaster membermaster member
  
09/24/2018 10:09PM  
I fold my CCS tarp into the length of the stuff sack then roll it up, tarp only.

I use the “Kanoes method” of cord management. Jan told me this years ago. I took a 150’ of 3mm cord and cut them into lots of 7’ pieces. Then each piece gets a loop on each end using about one foot for each end, leaving me with a 5 foot section with loops on each end. I then feed all the loops on a caribiner. Example, I look at the spacing and I need 15 feet of cord I just pull off 3 of the cords and loop the loops together to make 15’. It’s fast and easy to do. Ever since I tried this I have not thrown away any cord left over from trips. When breaking camp I just unloop the cords and back on the caribiner for storage.

I used to never cut ropes until I needed a certain length. Then after every trip I had a load of weird sizes that were unidentifiable as far as length for the next time. I would get frustrated and toss the whole mess. Not any more.

I also use the Nite eyes figure 9 cord tighteners with my cords. Simple and easy to connect onto any cord and they are fast and easy to use. This is another reason this method is so easy. No knots to use so you won’t have to cut tight knots apart anymore. Just remove the figure 9 cord tighteners and unloop the ends.
 
zski
distinguished member (331)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/24/2018 10:51PM  
good initial question, i'm taking notes as my cordage tangles way too much too. I've been using 550 paracord. In addition to technique, there must be less tangly alternatives. right?
 
09/25/2018 07:30AM  
Jaywalker: "I have a home made silnylon ridgeline tarp similar to a CSS tarp. In addition to the ridgeline I keep 6-8 tie outs on there all the time, and I stuff it into a stuff sack when I take it down. To keep the ropes from tangling, I wrap each cord up on one hand in a figure eight, then put about 6-8 wraps around the coil and finish it off with a slip knot. Sounds harder than it is - I tie each on in typically 10 seconds or so. All tie outs and the ridgeline get done this way. Eliminates almost all the tangles, and makes for much faster set up. When I get to camp I open the stuff sack and always have one coil right on top which I know is the ridgeline (because it's yellow, not green/blue like the tie outs). I secure that, then walk to the next tree with the tarp coming out. The last thing out of the bag is the other yellow coil, which goes around another tree. Then do the tie outs. My tarp goes up and comes down very fast. Every once in a while the coils come undone by accident, but with practice they are fast and stay put about 98% of the time. "


+1, and batting fashionably close to 1.000 on being tangle-free.
 
mjmkjun
distinguished member(2885)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/25/2018 07:35AM  
cowdoc: "Fold and roll tarp cuz it packs up nicer. No Ridgeline or guylines attached. Each campsite has different layout and trees so I start from scratch to fit the site. Guylines are figure 8 stored in separate mesh sack. I rarely hang a tarp the same way twice on a trip."


+1 (except I use gallon zip locks)
 
Savage Voyageur
distinguished member(14414)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished membermaster membermaster member
  
09/25/2018 07:54AM  
zski: "good initial question, i'm taking notes as my cordage tangles way too much too. I've been using 550 paracord. In addition to technique, there must be less tangly alternatives. right? "


550 cord has its advantages, multi strand sometimes comes in handy. I use PMI 3mm Utility Cord from REI. It doesn’t tangle much because the core is not strand, it woven.
 
DanCooke
distinguished member(1271)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/25/2018 11:25AM  
550 cord is nylon it stretches and stretches more as humidity increases.
Polyester cord does not stretch nearly at all; and humidity or rain will not make it stretch more.
Most inexpensive 3mm ply cord is stranded core and a breaking strength rating of 225 lbs. CCS has made special by the folks who made the first paracord a polyester core with 3 twisted braided cord with a breaking strength of 450lbs.
Some folks like the stretch to dampen the impact of gusts, others prefer the lines to remain constant.
For the final wrap to hold a figure 8 form or just a coil around the fingers, from my experience I find that wrapping away 3 wraps and then wrapping back a minimum of 3 wraps gives me the best holding force on a coil so it does not unwrap. Including the corner of the tarp in the coil I find gets rid of the ropes tangling with each other.
I leave the ridgeline in and the corner lines attached, on a 15 x 15 I also have cord on the two seam lines on the sides parallel to the ridgeline.
In the coming weeks I hope to post some short videos to show these techniques and other tarp tricks/ aids; just gotta get some other stuff done first.
 
Chlorin8ed
distinguished member (249)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/25/2018 12:04PM  
I learn this a couple of years ago, it works for me.
Animated Knots
 
smoke
senior member (52)senior membersenior member
  
09/25/2018 02:04PM  
Tarp sleeves also called snake skins should help solve the tarp tie out problem. They are quick and easy to use.
 
09/25/2018 03:55PM  
Lots of good suggestions on this thread. My own tarp line management needs some improvement as well. Time to pack and repack that tarp downstairs!
 
Flashback
distinguished member (156)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/25/2018 07:30PM  
I stuff (never fold) my CCS tarp in a stuff sack. I have 2 tarps; and one is larger than the other, so I use a larger stuff sack for it. I think stuffing a tarp takes up equal, if not less space than folding.

I typically leave the CCS cord I bought for both tarps attached to the tarps.
When I take the tarp down, I double the cord a couple of times, and then daisy chain it. Doesn't tangle & pops loose with one pull on the ends. Not for sure, but I believe the pieces of cord I use are each about 15 feet long.

I carry a couple of extra lengths of cord; don't remember ever having needed to use them.

Both tarps, and all cord are still in nice condition.

BOB
 
09/25/2018 08:39PM  
Stuff sack. No lines attached.
 
marsonite
distinguished member(2468)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/25/2018 09:31PM  
My method is a bit different. I leave the ridge line and other cords on the tarp. I grab the tarp by the center loop, and stuff it in the stuff sack, a handful at a time. When it's all in the stuff sack, all the cords will be out (since I started in the center, the corners are the last to go in). Then I just keep stuffing the cords, just like I was stuffing the tarp. To set it up, I just shake it out and go. I have not had problems with tangling with this method.
 
joewildlife
distinguished member(605)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/25/2018 09:54PM  
Wow, lots of great ideas. I have my ridgeline with prussic knots and little carabiners rolled onto a flat "spool". I leave the tie outs on the CCS tarp or just roll them up loosely. I roll the tarp and put it and all my lines, carabiners, clothespins, etc... in a small zipper up bag that a super cheap solo tent came in, about a foot long and 4" square.
 
Birdknowsbest
distinguished member (288)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/26/2018 01:20AM  
+1 on the hair ties. Never have to worry about your cords being tangled again. I have 8 or ten lines of cordage permanently attached to my CCS tarp. I just use the lines I need each time I set it up and never have to search for the right length of cord.

donr: "I have a 10 x 12 CCS tarp that I leave in a ridge line configuration. I leave my lines attached, coil them, then secure the coils with elastic hair ties that I attach to the line loops on the tarp. I stuff, not fold or roll.


Wintertrekker has a good youtube video from which I appropriated this technique:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqlFP8C_z10&t=335s


Hope this helps,
Don"
 
THEGrandRapids
distinguished member (377)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/26/2018 10:26AM  
DanCooke: "
Some folks like the stretch to dampen the impact of gusts, others prefer the lines to remain constant.
"


Dan- What do you perfer? Are tarps designed for one or the other? Does the 1.1 or 1.9oz nylon act differently. Another poster mentioned added shock cord sections, which I've only seen with boat ties.
 
campnfish
distinguished member (487)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/26/2018 11:44AM  
Not sure if Zing-It (or lash-It) has been mentioned, i use it on both my hammock guy lines, my hammock tarp ridgeline and CCS Lean ridgeline, the tangle dosnt seem as bad as some other cordage.
 
TheGreatIndoors
distinguished member (142)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/26/2018 12:19PM  
In a stroke of consumerist genius, I bought the MSR Rendezvous 200 and added two 12 ft. extension poles. It's a blimey circus tent, with many possible orientations, and supposedly withstands strong wind. Paired with a clothesline and clothespins it really saved our bacon after two days of setup and takedown in the rain. It's overkill - until it's not.

Experienced climbers very neatly tie and stack their gear for speed and safety. If you tangle, you are not tying neatly enough.
 
09/27/2018 01:20PM  
I leave my guy lines attached.
I use the figure 8 wrap shown by jaywalker.
My guy lines have loops at the end so I can add extra length if needed.
I bring some extra 10 and 20 ft lengths.
I use zing-it for my tarp.
 
SinglePortage
distinguished member (267)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/27/2018 02:01PM  
I use Dutchware Fleaz and Zing-it for my tie-downs, so I don't leave a set attached to each of my tarps and Lean shelters. I have a rigging bag with two continuous ridgelines, eight 20' lengths of yellow Zing it and eight 8' lengths of red Zing it and eight Dutchware Fleaz on short continuous loops of Zing it. When I pack for a trip I attach ridgelines and and Fleaz to my tarps and and Lean shelters.

When I get to my site I set up the ridgelines and attach Fleaz to the corners. I then attach eight or twenty foot chords to the appropriate tree's and attach to the tarp/Lean and tighten via the Fleaz. With the Fleaz attached to the tarp I can tighten my guy lines from under the tarp, a nice plus in a downpour.

My method affords me the most flexibility with my various rigs.
 
MagicPaddler
distinguished member(1495)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
09/30/2018 10:20AM  
I leave my tarp tie outs attached and wind them like many others with one little difference. I start by pulling a piece of tarp into the winding. This way the tie out is not dangling.
 
09/30/2018 01:51PM  
I am still trying to figure it all out. I am now using a 10x12 CCS and picked up a bishop bag from Dan on recent trip through. Hair ties for the tie downs is working well but I am going to shift to the figure eight rather than roll. Useful thread, I will think more on this and experimenting with new ideas....well isn't that what it is all about.
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next