tying tents down - tautline hitch vs guyline tensioners

hi all - I have always used tautline hitches to tied to either stake, tree, etc.. to secure the tent when needed.

I am thinking of finally buying some guyline tensioners (see link below) to make life easier for low cost -

quick question - do they actually make life easier in folks experience with them? Do people find them easier to use in say high winds, etc.. How much better than using knots? the 100 dollar question - are they worth it? even tho its low cost, is the tautline just as good?

thanks!!

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Pro...&parent_category_rn=4500662&vcat=searchrefine

Use a trucker's hitch instead. Gauruntee it will be tighter than those yellow things or a taughtline. It's awesome for rigging tarps and tying boats on cars too.

sleeping bear said:

Use a trucker's hitch instead. Gauruntee it will be tighter than those yellow things or a taughtline. It's awesome for rigging tarps and tying boats on cars too.

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I know it as a rigger's hitch--been using it for years. Great knot for tensioning a line. Easy to tie and untie under tension too.

Doug

thanks - have to give that knot a go.

I've always called it a riggers hitch. Knots are great, and an interesting pursuit all by themselves. They don't have to rely on finding some additional gizmo in the dark.

Paradox said:

Knots are great, and an interesting pursuit all by themselves. They don't have to rely on finding some additional gizmo in the dark.

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No but they can be hard to tie with mittens on...

Doug

On all tie-off points, I first use about a foot of 3/16 in. diameter shock cord looped through the grommet and tied with a water knot. This makes a double loop about 4 inches long that can stretch to about 6 inches long. I tie the guyline to the loop with another water knot, followed through backwards (like an overhand knot on a bight). Then I tie the guyline to the peg with a tautline hitch tied close to the peg and with the shock cord stretched to about 5 inches long.

sleeping bear said:

Use a trucker's hitch instead. Gauruntee it will be tighter than those yellow things or a taughtline. It's awesome for rigging tarps and tying boats on cars too.

Click to expand...

thx for the link, I've seen that one before but it never sank in.

I think the advantage of a tautline hitch, though, is you can slide it up or down as necessary w/o untying.

Since I'm really good at losing "thingies" of any kind , I've been using the tautline hitch for years.

Love the way it slides, so that you can adjust the tension when your line gets wet and stretches a little. It holds even with the flat lines on my tent.

Here's another one I found recently that I think works better than the tautline - I'm using it on my Bibler tent's guylines. The "adjustable grip hitch":

http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_Hitches.htm

Thanks for the URL's on the rope links -

Looks like the "adjustable grip hitch" and "tautline hitch" are the same knot.

I've used that one for tent lines for, well, as long as I've been pitching tents. Good around the house for snugging down a tarp over the wood pile too. I've also used it to secure car top loads. Nothing lost yet!

They're actually slightly different - take a close look.

Having tried both, I do like the adjustable grip hitch a bit better - it really does grip better on the rope and cord I've tried it with.

ok - thanks all - sounds like the the device is a marketing gimmick.

awesome links and sugegstions on others knots

thanks!!

Nice links on knots. Search around, I used to have a knot site (boy scouts?)that was animated showing how to tie-knots step-by-step in motion. Trukers hitch is a great knot for tightening line, but for tents one has to keep changing its position along the line which can be a nuisance. Tensioners do work well, too, especially in winter when finger fumbling comes into play. They do make them in smaller styles, too and even in titanium.

http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/accessdetail.cfm/MSR610

http://shopping.msn.com/Prices/shp/?itemId=410879923

http://jacksrbetter.com/index_files/Self Tensioning Lines.htm

rambler said:

Nice links on knots. Search around, I used to have a knot site (boy scouts?)that was animated showing how to tie-knots step-by-step in motion.

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Here is one.

Here is my favorite very complete knot page..

Two thoughts I had on reading this:

1) If you tie a taut-line hitch or whatever, end it on a bite -- that is, don't pull the final end of rope all the way through. Instead leave it looped and hanging and pull it for a quick, futz-free release. (It's like untying your shoelaces.)

2) Often I don't bother using knots to tie down a tent. Most p-cord has a rough exterior, and will grip well to another rough surface like tree bark. Just give the p-cord several wraps around a stout branch and call it good.

In rock climbing, this is even an acceptable way to anchor a climbing rope (if you clip the wrapped end back to the rope)!

cushetunk said:

Two thoughts I had on reading this:

1) If you tie a taut-line hitch or whatever, end it on a bite -- that is, don't pull the final end of rope all the way through. Instead leave it looped and hanging and pull it for a quick, futz-free release. (It's like untying your shoelaces.)

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Good idea.

Also, you don't have to untie it at all. Tie the tautline hitch through the tent tie-off, and just have a loop to attach to tent peg. The linem with the hitch, stays attached to teh tent.

I have a tarp tent (no floor) and this allows me to re-tension without leaving the tent, just reach under the side. Mostly it is when it rains that the tent needs re-tensioning.

Kevin Rooney said:

Thanks for the URL's on the rope links -

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Ditto on that! Good stuff!

Agree with knowing good knots, but to the question, I have had experience with the guyline tensioners that Giggy showed and also the ones that Rambler linked to. FTR, they do work well... the plastic ones seem to hold better because of the way the rope feeds through the passageways in the device. Then metal ones work, but can slip depending on the current set-up. Then again, I've had plastic ones break, have some that are twenty+ years old but never remember a metal one breaking.

Shouldn't a guy named Guy be using guyline tensioners? Or, is he knuts about knots? [a little voice in my head is saying delete this line...]