1.25 mm Z Line Tarp CRL

**GadgetUK437** · 08-23-2016, 17:19

Haven't used the Z-packs stuff but I have used 1.5mm Stein Skyline, that's good single braid dyneema, very easy to splice.

I get the 1 and 1.2mm fishing line from here,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221705842285
It's single braid, 8 strand I think, but it is nearly (but not quite) impossible to splice. Tightly braided,you have to spend a lot of time loosening it up enough to feed a splice inside. Life is too short to bother, with a 300lb break strain, I can afford a knot or two.

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Gadget

**sethmcalister** · 08-23-2016, 20:10

Originally Posted by GadgetUK437

Haven't used the Z-packs stuff but I have used 1.5mm Stein Skyline, that's good stuff.
I get the 1 and 1.2mm stuff from here,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221705842285
It's single braid, 8 strand I think, but it is nearly (but not quite) impossible to splice. Life is too short to bother, with a 300lb break strain, I can afford a knot or two.

--
Gadget

Cool, I picked up two of the small loop aliens off their site today. Be here next week I hope. Planning a 120-mile stretch of the AT next month so these will come in super handy. Couldn't stand how tangled the lash-it can get, irritating getting into camp late and having to untangle your ridgeline even when tying them up figure eight style when taking the tarp down.

**MattK** · 08-24-2016, 09:10

I use the 1.25mm Z-Line on one of my tarps. I love the stuff. However, I don't use hardware with it in the field.

I do know that dutch hooks work well with it. I tested it out and it hooks well and stays solid. That's the only hardware I tried though. I believe Sgt. Rock used the 1.25 Z-Line with dutch hooks on the end, and the dyneema fishing line for prussiks at the tie outs.

As far as knots go, I know that the line holds most knots well. Your friction knots (taut line) take a little bit of work to get seated. The line is very thin and quite stiff, so it doesn't want to bite well to start.

I pretty much exclusively use 3 knots in my tarp set up now: bowline, McCarthy hitch, and truckers hitch. The hitches are easy to tie, quick to adjust, untie easily with no tangle, and hold solid. The bowline knots are just for attaching to the tarp. Here is a video by Andrew Skurka that describes the system well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slOhlEmBwwY

As far as use in a CRL, I think you could relatively easily use just the trucker's hitch to rig it, or put a dutch hook on one end. I don't know that the 1.25 Z-Line would work very well with wasps/flyz/etc. Those are intended for 1.75mm-2.0mm line, which is a pretty significant difference. I may give it a try though just to satisfy my curiosity. I don't have loop aliens so I can't help there.