I like tarps, I like the flexibility they offer over most other types of shelter. However, when the winds whistling through the trees or charging over the hill tops the main weakness of a tarp often becomes apparent and it submits to nature ... resulting in you laid under a flat tarp!
By their very nature, a tarp when erected will usually have at least one big, unsupported side or sail as it may as well be. We'll have plenty of pegging points around the edges but not much else. If we could support any sail like areas then we'd have a shelter that could take much more of a battering from the wind ... The answer is, tarp clips.
These two bits of plastic are fantastic. They work a little like a button, trapping the tarp between themselves and locking into position ... importantly, without damaging your tarp.
By either using the eyelets or just the outside edge you can add guy lines to your tarp, you can put them pretty much anywhere. Besides adding strength, if you place them correctly you can use the new guys as lifters to raise the sides of the tarp helping create more internal space ... cunning eh!
As if by magic, here's one I made earlier. There's two clips each side on this example, hopefully you can see what I mean about using the guys as lifters. You can get then in the UK from Ultralight Outdoor gear, follow the link below and it'll take you straight to them.
At £3 per clip, I'm inclined towards using a pebble and some dyneema cord...
ReplyDeleteLike the look of your set up pictured though ;)
It's true, they're not the cheapest things in the world but I suppose you don't need many and hopefully you'll only be buying them once.
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