When using a tarp - what cordage do you use?

Diomedes Industries

Diomedes Industries

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Mar 19, 2007
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I have a tarp set up in mind and I want to use good LIGHT / STRONG cordage for my tarp.

What do you use and what would you recommend?

I need a ridge line and multiple guy lines.

TF
 
I use 550 cord for the ridge line because I want to put a lot of tension on it. Easier on the hands and the slider knots that attach the tarp to the ridge line work better with a thicker line. The tie outs are thin line that came with the tarp or some thin orange cord I got from one of the usual suppliers.
 
You can't beat good old parachute/550 cord. Lightweight and strong enough for a ridgeline. Put a quick release in your knots or they can be tough to undo without cutting.
 
Kelty Triptease Lightline is an incredibly strong cord and also reflective.

8.36108_d.jpg
 
550 is good stuff. Mind you, it is not LIGHT at all, but very versatile, holds knots well, and you have access to lots of cordage in an emergency (all the core braids). 550 stretches over time, and even more when wet. To counter this, I use a trucker's hitch knot on the ridge line and tight the line from time to time.

On my hammock, I use Amsteel blue; great stuff but very tricky to tie knots with this cord; you pretty much have to rely on friction/splicing. I guess it would make a great ridge line, very light, but a tad on the expensive side. It doesn't stretch at all.
 
It might be worth having a look on the ultralight hiking pages, I am sure that the guys on hammockforums.com have lots of opinions ;)
For guylines, for instance...
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14262
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2660

I use Marlow 2mm Excel Pro (sailing line), 16plait polyester low stretch for guylines. Light, strong, good gripping surface for adjustable tension knots, and bright enough that it doesn't get tripped over too much.

I have used different stuff for the ridgeline but there is much to recommend one of the 3mm 16 plait sailing lines. The only problem I can see with these lines, so far, has been that the lack of stretch means you have to be pretty good with your tensioning knots. With a stretchy line, like 550 cord, you can allow your tension knot to slip by an inch or so and you still have tension on the line. Non-stretch lines aren't forgiving of slips in the knot tying, they are either really taut, or not taut at all. This lack of stretch can also mean that you can wake up with a slightly less tight tarp if it rains during the night, the lines can't take up the slack when the tarp material stretches.

There is also an arguement that non-stretch guylines can impart a lot of load to tarp tie out points in strong wind. http://www.jacksrbetter.com tarp uses short pieces of surgical tubing mounted in the lines to prevent over-tensioning, give a little shock absorbtion, and take up slack if the tarp stretches.
 
KuRUpTD said:
Kelty Triptease Lightline is an incredibly strong cord and also reflective. ]
Click to expand...

I have used 550 para, but bought some of the Kelty Lightline a year ago. I like it a little better. It's nice that it reflects light, is very nimble, and stretches a little less than 550. Either way, you would be just fine. If you already have 550 (as most of us do) it will work well.
 
If I am raft/canoe/horse/4WD camping and weight is not critical, I put about a 6 inch loop of sturdy shock cord (12-14 inch piece, tied off in a loop) at each grommet that will take a guy line. In sudden gusts, it can take a good deal of shock off your lines and avoid tearing out grommets. Places like REI or A16 generally have it on bulk spools. The larger your tarp, the thicker the shock cord needs to be.

DancesWithKnives
 
KuRUpTD said:
Kelty Triptease Lightline is an incredibly strong cord and also reflective.

8.36108_d.jpg
Click to expand...

I'll second this.
It's a lot lighter than 550 cord, especially when you need a lot of it for rigging a tarp.
There are even lighter lines out there, but this is easy to get ahold of, and is reflective. It's also a little stiffer so it doesn't get tangled as easy as 550, but still holds knots really well.
 
When you check the numbers, its really minimal what you save from lighter line than paracord.

My 11x10 feet Warbonnet Big Mamajamba w/panel pulls tarp weight 395 gram without cordage and 545 gram with 4x10feet paracord tieout and 1x30feet ridge line + 2 mini-biners. That is way too much for my need and its only adding 150 gram to the setup including 2 biners. Since paracord got other usages and the weight is ridiculous already, i find the "get lighter rope than paracord" argument invalid. Also my line doesn't get "tangled" at all since i know how to tie it.
 
I found 550 cord unsuitable for tarps. It stretches too much, especially when wet which is the last thing you want in those conditions and it retains moisture so that it becomes heavy to carry.

I now use low-stretch cordage from the climbing gear place in town. Not sure what rating it is but you aren't suspending people from it, just a tarp.

NiteIze figure 9s make the job of putting up the ridgeline no-fuss and I then use taught line hitches on the guylines to the stakes. For the guylines i have thinner lighter cordage that for the ridgeline, also low-stretch. I considered trying shock cord on the guylines which I may still do in the future.

I carry separate lengths of paracord in my pack for utility/emergency purposes.
 
Generally for tarps, I avoid using 550. The reason is that certain knots (like the prusik) can bind on the sheathing only. The sheathing will then slip relative the inner strands and leave things not tied up like you want :D But, there is always a different knot style to use and you can always figure out a way to avoid that problem.

But, another issue I don't like with 550 is that nylon stretches quite a bit when it gets wet. Wet is when you need a tarp the most. Unfortunately, most "generic" cordage for camping use is nylon and also poses the same stretching problems when wet.

Because of that, I use Polyester Cord. It is harder to find, but I just order a bunch at a time :D

B
 
Country Comm sells some stuff called tether cord.
It is what I have been using and it seems to work pretty good,
it also comes in neon orange so no worry about tripping over
lines in the dark.
 
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