Are there advantages or disadvantages to using shock cord on your tarp tie-outs vs just regular line such as "zing-it" on sil-poly or dyneema tarps?
Are there advantages or disadvantages to using shock cord on your tarp tie-outs vs just regular line such as "zing-it" on sil-poly or dyneema tarps?
I added shock cord tensioners to my ties outs. Best of both worlds?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GQPY5BuyPI
100% shock cord seems like too much of a good thing. I personally like to have a small loop of it at the tarp corners. It keeps things snug yet allows a bit of give. Can make a difference when you trip over it or in a gust of wind.
Definitely don't use only shock cord. Either all line or line with a loop of shock cord.
The shock cord is particularly useful with silnylon tarps because they expand and GE limp when wet from rain or even dew. The shock cord will automatically take up the slack and keep it tight.
Otherwise the jury is divided with DCF tarps that don't stretch with moisture. Some like the shock absorbing effect and some don't.
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Mike
"Life is a Project!"
Since I stopped using silnylon I haven’t used any shock cord at all. I use cuben fiber tarp and silpoly tarps. Neither seem to be lacking.
If you prepare for failure you will probably succeed.
Tensioning for sag is good but there’s also the matter of wind. If you get wind like I do, something’s gotta give. If you’re lucky, your stake pulls outta the ground (but then, that shouldn’t happen with a good stake and good technique). If not the stake, then your line or your tarp goes (tie-out tab or elsewhere). If your lines are Dyneema, it won’t be your line. I like having the short section of shock cord that stretches to take the load off - ideally to the extent that it’ll allow my tarp to come into contact with my hammock which means the wind it then trying to rock me in my bunk rather than rip my gear to ribbons. My view, from a place where the wind seems alive.
Best Kind
Definitely not for my ground corner tie-outs, but I do like to use a long stretch of shock cord for the half-size doors on my ThunderFly. I wrap it around the tree, so it is just one line per side and no stakes necessary. It seems to work well. I think it’s handy to have some extra shock cord in case you need it unexpectedly.
Disadvantage of using shock cord is that if your stake comes loose you now have a sharp metallic missile moving at a pretty good velocity.
I tried shock cord loops on a couple of my tarps, but ended up taking them off. I like a tight pitch and would rather my tarp not bouncing around in the wind. I use Lawson Glowire so I usually don't have a problem seeing my lines and am not worried about catching them.
I have used shock cord in the past but went back to using about 8 ft lengths of Zing It. When using shock cord I found that if the wind pulled the stakes out of the ground it could turn them into flying projectiles. While I do get some slack if my silnylon tarps get wet, I don't find it to be that big of a deal. I rarely close the doors on my tarps, I just let them hang loose and even during some heavy rains I have still stayed dry.
I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !
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