[Paddlewise] Tarps

Just my 2 cents:  Regarding ropes, I have a preference for the polyester
ropes, which don't stretch as much as nylon and hence don't require as much
adjusting to keep the tension on the tarp.  Also, note that a strong wind
can impose *very* strong loads on the tarp.  For that reason, I always use
at least 1/4 inch rope for my ridge line.

Another thing -- most of the tarps that are made with grommetted corners
aren't reinforced very well -- the most I've seen is where they simply
double the fabric.  As a rule, polyester and especially nylon fabrics (as
opposed to, say, canvas), being slippery and thin, by their nature don't
hold grommets very well.  But even if the material is reinforced better
than that, grommets just don't have that much material to bite onto,
especially where strong gusts could inflict a hundred or more pounds of
force on the connection.  Maybe this is overkill, but I created my own
corner attachments for my tarps by sewing a yard or so of nylon or
polyester webbing (I think 3/4 inch wide) along the outside seam of each
corner, forming a loop at the corner (for attaching a rope) that comes back
around onto itself, then continues down the other side of the corner.  Sort
of like this:
                    _
________|__)
                   |
                   |
                   |
                   |

Then, since most tarps don't have nearly enough attachment points on the
sides (and sometimes only on the corners!), I cut triangles of
reinforcement material for placement where I want an extra attachment point
which I glue (I use contact cement) and sew these to the tarp (again,
probably overkill, but it's easy and I believe this makes the reinforcement
much stronger), then sew a loop of webbing onto the reinforced area for
attaching the rope to.  I've never regretted doing this, since you never
know where you'll need to tie on -- especially if you're camped on cramped
or irregularly shaped area.  I like attachment points at least every 6 feet
or so.

One other quick tip:  If you really need to tie a rope where there isn't an
attachment point, put a smooth rock (maybe golfball size or a little
smaller) on one side of the tarp, wrap the loose material around the rock
enough that you can tie a loop of rope around it from the other side.

Evan Dallas, tarp-lover, grommet-hater
Woodinville, Washington


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