Are shockcord loops necessary on silpoly tarps?

[Clisbyclark]

I'm awaiting delivery of my first silpoly tarp. I've always had good success using loops of shockcord on the corner tieouts to help tension the silnylon tarps during the night. Should this be necessary for silpoly tarps? Thanks.

[Dew-it]

I'm awaiting delivery of my first silpoly tarp. I've always had good success using loops of shockcord on the corner tieouts to help tension the silnylon tarps during the night. Should this be necessary for silpoly tarps? Thanks.

I'm not sure if they are necessary, but I use them on mine. Just slept through a pretty bad rain and wind storm and the shockcord tensioners kept the stakes from popping. Many of my fellow hangers were not so lucky.

[TxAggie]

They aren’t necessary for keeping a taught pitch. However, they are a way to add a little bit of give to your tarp in windy weather.

I have both shock cord loops and non-stretch that I attach my lines to,and the biggest difference I’ve noticed so far is when pitching in porch mode. The poles will shift a little in the wind regardless of how tight your pitch is, but just a little bi of stretch from shock cords seems to keep them anchored a little better for me.

An Aggie’s perspective.

[Clisbyclark]

Thanks. Congrats on the 7OT win Saturday!

[Five Tango]

I use them because I'm Klutzy enough to get fouled up in my own guyouts!

[Shug]

I use them as I have them.
Shug

[Floridahanger]

My son likes to hit as many guylines as he can. So, even if the tarp doesn't stretch, the shockcord will help keep the guyout from ripping.

[Crazytown3]

I use them on mine, not for tautness, but for a little give when I inevitably trip over them at some point. I've tried not using shock cord, and it works just fine, great even, but I worried too much about my own clumsiness, so I put the loops back on.

[Halfed]

I have always used them. They keep the tarp taut all night long and the stakes from popping out in windy weather as the other member said above.

[SilvrSurfr]

I tried them once - found them relatively useless. Shock cord doesn't perform well in cold weather, and I find it totally unnecessary on a non-stretch tarp like silpoly or cuben fiber (I don't even like it on silnylon). However, Shug uses shock cord on his cuben fiber tarp, and he seems to like it.