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  1. #1
    Senior Member ibgary's Avatar
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    Tarps & shock cord?

    Hi, I'm looking for input/discussion on the pros and cons of having shock-cord on tarp tie-outs. I've gone back and forth on it.
    After putting them on I saw a lot of movement in the wind. I can't say if my stakes stayed better or not.
    I took them off after an unfortunate event, which I'll describe, that I blamed on the shock-cord.
    A storm front came through with a lot of strong gusty winds. A stake failed. It actually broke in half leaving the lower half in the ground. The upper half flew through the tarp creating an L shaped tear about 6"x6". I might be wrong, but I blame that on the shock-cord. My thought is that the cord loaded and at the point of failure fired the broken stake at the tarp. I'm wonder if it would have failed without the cord. And if it had would it have had the same results?
    Since removing the SCs, I've had stakes pull out, but nothing resembling the slingshot effect.
    Thanks



    Sent from my couch

  2. #2
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Ain't nothing perfect in the tarp world.
    A lot of it is how you set your stake...type of stake...soil condition...etc, etc.
    Carry forth.
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  3. #3
    Countrybois's Avatar
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    I've never used shock cord and haven't ever felt the need to try.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

    Need Adventure...Make Adventure


  4. #4
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    One kayak instructor suggested that if we wanted to attach things to the boat or our PFD with shock-cord, we should be willing to stretch that item out on the cord, point it towards our face, and let go. But that’s just one opinion. Theres is a definite benefit in having something normally taut, but with some give. I’m guessing there were times, in high wind, when the stretch allowed my tarp to change shape to spill some wind, then spring back. Or a tripped over line was more forgiving.

    That said, I can’t see how having shock-cord on your stake would cause it to break any more (probably less) than non-stretch guyline but I can see how the non-stretch wouldn’t become a sling-shot.

    I’ve seen winch owners replace their pull cables with Amsteel because 1) it’s lighter, 2) it won’t “snap” like a taut cable.

    For me, bungee on guylines is not necessary, but I like the way it helps the tarp keep it’s shape while offering some forgiveness.
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 06-29-2021 at 12:25.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  5. #5
    jakev383's Avatar
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    I think the shock cord on tarps is a decent idea if you're using a silnylon; as the tarp absorbs water in prolonged rain, it will sag/stretch a little. The tension on the shock cord will reduce the sag of the tarp since it is actively pulling it tight. Otherwise you may need to tighten your guylines or readjust your stakes.
    Silpoly should negate the need for it, IMO.
    An from where I sit on the couch second guessing the scenario, I'd blame the stake. If the wind was blowing hard enough to break a stake, I suspect it would have whipped the tarp corner around enough with the broken stake attached to poke some holes in the rest of the tarp. The good news is that my second guessing and fictitious "what-if" oracle commentary is free of charge

  6. #6
    Senior Member packman9000's Avatar
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    ^^ What he said. I have shock cord tensioners on my Silnylon Superfly, and it works like it's supposed to; definitely a noticeable benefit. When I get myself around to making my Silpoly one I'll revisit the idea and see how it goes, but in the meantime for the exceptionally small weight difference I like having them.

  7. #7
    FLTurtle's Avatar
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    Quick google search on breaking strength of 1/8 inch shock cord comes up with 100 lbs. For 1.75mm Zingit, it's 400 lbs. So, the stake failed at less than the breaking strength of the shock cord...that's bad. And it slingshotted the broken piece into your tarp. That's bad luck.

  8. #8
    Phantom Grappler's Avatar
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    Tarps & shock cord?

    I usually tie tarp guylines to trees, and even at ground level if tree is small

    If no trees, sometimes I coil tarp guyline around a dead length of branch, maybe a branch 2 or 3 feet long, coil wrapped in a spiral with no overlapping coils. Then I place a large rock on the coil wrapped branch.

    In morning, push rock off branch, lift guyline and branch coils unroll automatically.

    In high winds, I cross corner guylines in front of tree I’m hanging on then wrap guylines around tree at ground level, crossing one another and meeting back in front of tree. I tie them together in a secure shoestring bow.

    If winds are even higher, I tie tarp guylines together at corners, and close up the ends with excess guylines. This looks like an upside down postal envelope open at the bottom. It’s free to swing back and forth with me in my hammock.

    My main fear, in high winds are tree branches falling on my head. Also whole trees have been known to fall, and they don’t even need high winds to suddenly fall over.
    Maybe avoid camping in high winds if you do have a choice. Sometimes there is no choice.

    I don’t use shock cord. But many do, and that is just part of their style of rigging their tarp. And their tarps always look shipshape and strak, while my tarp is not near as neat or cool looking!

  9. #9
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    I tried shock cord once, and the shock cord turned the stake into a projectile. It flew about 20 feet away and took me 20 minutes to find. After that, no more shock cord.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  10. #10
    Senior Member Crazytown3's Avatar
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    I used to have shock cord attached to my tarp tie outs, and then orange zingit from there to the stakes. I took the shock cord off because it stretched too much, especially in the wind.

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