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Posted by Bill S on October 16, 2006 at 9:00:02 pm EDT
In reply to Re: Knotty question! posted by Blackbeard on October 16, 2006 at 7:25:11 pm EDT

Steve -

Remember that I'm just kidding you. Can't help it, having just gotten back from our Mountain Man Rendezvous (re-enactment weekend for a Scout district camporee). Barb and I just do the re-enactment thing a few times a year at one of the State Historical Parks and at Scout events. But some of the people do it as their main hobby. So we get to spend some weekends with (pretend) crusty old backwoods types, who have a warped sense of humor. Which is loads of fun. One of my specialties is telling tall tales, which should warn you not to take my comments too seriously.

On the attachments to the tent - the ball and shower-curtain attachment method is used often when replacing rainflies with a tarp or piece of plastic that does not have grommets or sewn loops. It works pretty well, actually.

You are right that zippers are a major weak point in tents. Guy lines are usually not too much of a weak point in quality tents, but are in mass-market tents (along with cheap poles). All that is really needed for a guy line is "parachute cord", or any accessory cord more than 4 or 5 mm in diameter that is made of nylon, perlon, or related synthetics (we use manila rope for period-correct guylines on period-correct tents, usually 3/8 inch). It's always a good idea to have a 50-ft hank of cord just in case a guy line breaks from someone tripping over it.

The attachment points can be a weak spot. Nylon in particular is subject to UV deterioration (just like human skin without sunblock!) and will "rot". That is, it will weaken and eventually give way, with guy straps or grommets pulling out. At that point, replace the fly or just get a new tent.

As I noted, and Chumango reiterated, the main knot you need for guy lines is the tautline hitch. It allows you to adjust the tension to suit where you had to locate the tent and its stakes (or other tie-down points). The other end of the guy is usually attached with a static knot, which can be basically anything - bowline if you want to be fancy, clove hitch, 2 half hitches, slip knot, figure 8 on a bight, whatever. It doesn't matter. As I said, I prefer after years of trying both ways to attach the adjustable end to the tent and fly loops/grommets/attach points and the static knot to the tie-down point.

But what's this about lying low and lurking? You are a full member of the group, and are not allowed to hide in the bushes. Keep posting! And don't worry about OGBO's silly kidding. This is supposed to be fun. Yeah, I know, some people take their hiking and camping deadly serious. I don't go camping with that type, cause I wanna have fun and enjoy the outdoors. Ya know, if God had intended for us to be super serious and ultra intense, he wouldn't have made humans to be such klutzy clowns.

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• Re: Knotty question! - Tom D 00:06:12 10/17/2006
  • Re: Knotty question! - Blackbeard 05:01:10 10/17/2006
    • Re: Knotty question! - Bill S 11:36:50 10/18/2006

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