Help finding line tensioners

scraca

scraca

Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Messages
334
I am looking for some sort of line tensioners for a tarp system I will be using for hammock camping. Am having a hard time finding them. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Perhaps you can go old school and use a Taunt Line Hitch and save yourself one more piece of gear to pack around and lose. I've used the Niteze and they work but a Taunt Line works as well or better. Holds in high winds and under loads and adjusts quickly. And the hitch is something you wont leave behind and you can share it with other. An alternative to consider.
 
scraca said:
I am looking for some sort of line tensioners for a tarp system I will be using for hammock camping. Am having a hard time finding them. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

there are two types there depending on the line thickness: http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/spectra_cord.shtml. i use the lineloc 3 with the pmi 3mm accessory cord because it doesn't stretch when wet like paracord. paracord is too thick for it though.


Quirt said:
Perhaps you can go old school and use a Taunt Line Hitch and save yourself one more piece of gear to pack around and lose. I've used the Niteze and they work but a Taunt Line works as well or better. Holds in high winds and under loads and adjusts quickly. And the hitch is something you wont leave behind and you can share it with other. An alternative to consider.
Click to expand...

i agree about knowing the taut line hitch. i did switch to the lineloc 3 purely out of laziness though :p
 
A taut line hitch does seen to be the way to go really. There is a knot called the Blake's Hitch which is a good one for this, and used a lot in tree surgery.

A climbing friend of mine got me into a natty technique using loops of cord.

Tie a length of round cord together to form a loop. Then use this this to make a Klemheist or Prusik type knot around your ridge line.

Both these knots will slide along your main like freely, but under tension they 'lock up'.

If you take a cheap mini carabiner, loop it through your Klemheist or Prusik, you can then latch it on to your tarp loop or grommet and tension it out, along the ridge line.

I hope that makes sense? It is really simple to do and gives you a bit of knot knowledge, which may have some other uses too.
 
Last edited:
Those little plastic "line tensioner" things are usually the first thing to go in the trash when I buy a new tent. A trucker's hitch has never let me down as an easy way to adjust line tension.
 
Knots are great but freeze solid in cold/wet conditions and are difficult with cold frozen hands and cord. They also slip with many of the new, lightweight or coated cords. That said, they are always available and knowledge weighs nothing. I like line tensioners but always pack a few knots just in case. :-)
 
DOC from this forum shows this. Tensioning at 6:00

[video=youtube;P0Om14mtxOw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Om14mtxOw&list=FLzsjQbvcHCFQN9QZv47EL3A[/video]
 
I do a little bit of tree climbing. Hitches are handy in everyday life aside from climbing.

When setting up tents or tying down kayaks I like to use Blake's hitches. They're simple to learn and super easy to tie once you get the hang of it. The best thing is you can't lose them unless you lose your rope.
http://www.animatedknots.com/blakes/index.php
 
the nite eyez stuff works well, but really, you can get by just fine with some knot tying knowledge. ;)
 
Mannlicher said:
the nite eyez stuff works well, but really, you can get by just fine with some knot tying knowledge. ;)
Click to expand...

Agreed! I'm a serious knothead. I've always practiced around 15 practical knots, and 5 or so decorative knots. Wife recently bought me the Ashley book, so my repertoire has vastly encreased, but, I like hanging my hammock in under 5 minutes, including unpacking, so for the tie outs, I like the niteize.
 
gulliamo said:
Knots are great but freeze solid in cold/wet conditions and are difficult with cold frozen hands and cord. They also slip with many of the new, lightweight or coated cords. That said, they are always available and knowledge weighs nothing. I like line tensioners but always pack a few knots just in case. :-)
Click to expand...

I've camped a fair bit in sub-freezing conditions, and never had much of a problem undoing something like a trucker's hitch. Hitches in general are going to be much easier to undo with cold conditions/freezing hands than true knots will be (especially if they've been loaded/cinched down). And, unlike plastic tensioners, they don't get brittle from cold/UV exposure over time and break - usually when you are trying to tension them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top