G
Guest
Guest
(and CCS Ridgeline stuff sacks)
I seam sealed the exposed stitching atop the Noahs tarp and got to work on the outfitting challenge. In this case the challenge is trying to rig and outfit a tarp to be as simple and foolproof to erect as possible for someone not good with ropes. Or knots; she does know the truckers hitch, but any other knottage can be a mess.
This tarp needs especially intuitive set up for trips where she may have friends helping her.
For simplicity sake, since she prefers to hang between two trees sans any poles, a SS carabineer at one end of the ridgeline to simply encircle the tree or limb and clip back onto the line. Hopefully using a truckers hitch (instead of 6 granny knots) on the other end to tighten the ridgeline around another tree.
Prussic knots and clips for the end webbing loops at each end of the ridgeline, so that tarp can be slid anywhere along the rope length, clipped and prussic tightened in place.
I would rather not to have used the last loop for the ridgeline, so I could affect some drop on the apex ends for better side windage, but the Noahs tarp does not have as many, or as sturdy ridgeline loops as a CCS Tundra Tarp. I left the loop free for the prussic clip and ran the ridgeline through the end grommet. The beefy plastic clips have a circular pole aperture (under the webbing loop) in case a pole is ever needed.
P6090858 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Attached hair ties for bundling all of the coiled lines. With the three guy lines that get stuffed inside the Ridgeline sack wrapped & trapped inside the tarp corners, so those lines can not mysteriously tangle together in stuffage.
P6090854 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
(By the way the next tarp I worked on has two triangulated lines on each of 4 corners. Those lines were all carefully coiled the last time I put the tarp away. When I pulled it out of the stuff bag to work on I had a rats nest to tangled line. Black Magic, or stuff bag leprechauns?)
58 feet of closeout 3mm Army Green Glowire for the ridgeline; 24 feet through the ridgeline loops, with 17 foot lengths out each end, which should be enough to span any reasonable tree spacing, even if she has to throw some line over a branch to achieve her max headroom preferences.
Two 15 foot long corner ties, yellow Glowire since those are trippable if staked to the ground. With Lawson Equipment line tightners (also closeouts) instead of taut line hitches (see knots, not). I know she would prefer line tighteners, yet dislikes the ubiquitous little black plastic dookicies for confusion about which of the three holes to pull the line through.
These are at least one-less-hole confusing and kinda hard to screw up.
P6090857 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Time for the moment of truth, will the 16 x 16 Noahs Tarp fit inside the cordlocked bottom half of a CCS Ridgeline stuff sack?
The answer, if I smushed the living heck out of it, is not quite. Even if it fit that would have left no room in the stuff bag for the auxiliary lines and stakes. But the Noahs tarp stuffs easily in the expanded Ridgeline stuff sack, with room to spare.
P6090860 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Room to spare was important; I want to have everything she needs stored inside one grab-and-go tarp bag.
There are four unadorned tie downs loops remaining, two on each side. Some (unattached) auxiliary lines, clips and tighteners (no, no knots) might come in handy in the wind. Having four more ten foot lengths of yellow Glowire with tighteners and clips available for those unadorned side ties would not hurt.
P6090862 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Eh, that is a total of six possible side guys. Needs six stakes. Knowing that she is sometimes camping on hard packed State campground sites, spike stakes. She has a mallet and knows how to use it.
Maybe a stupid question, but why are the heads of those spike stakes green in color. Those things are camouflaged toe stubbbers, even in daylight.
I had the dregs of some orange spray paint. Much better.
P6100865 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Those stakes and aux lines fit inside a little ditty day, which fits inside the expanded Ridgeline stuff sack.
P6100869 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
I need to do some line replacement on the big Tundra Tarp, but first I want to see how it fits inside a Ridgeline Stuff sack.
It is amazing how much smaller a sil-nylon tarp will pack. Even the 1.9 ounce sil-nylon 12 x 14, with beefier ridgeline and multiple guys fits inside the fully compressed Ridgeline stuff bag. There is a reason Cooke Custom Sewing uses only sil-nylon for Tundra Tarps:
All CCS tarps are now sewn utilizing 1.1 oz or 1.9 oz silicone coated nylon. Sil-nylon is lighter weight yet provides more than twice as much tear strength when compared to 1.9 oz urethane coated nylon.
16 x 16 Noahs Tarp and 12 x 14 Tundra Tarp in Ridgeline bags:
P6100871 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
For home storage the Tundra Tarp can rest less compressed in the expanded bag, and only takes a second to fist to down to the smaller compressed size.
P6100872 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
One last tip:
P6040840 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr
(Actually the latest prank on my waitstaff buddies at the diner. The spring lever is disabled, the release arm fixed in place and the bill glued to the trap)
I seam sealed the exposed stitching atop the Noahs tarp and got to work on the outfitting challenge. In this case the challenge is trying to rig and outfit a tarp to be as simple and foolproof to erect as possible for someone not good with ropes. Or knots; she does know the truckers hitch, but any other knottage can be a mess.
This tarp needs especially intuitive set up for trips where she may have friends helping her.
For simplicity sake, since she prefers to hang between two trees sans any poles, a SS carabineer at one end of the ridgeline to simply encircle the tree or limb and clip back onto the line. Hopefully using a truckers hitch (instead of 6 granny knots) on the other end to tighten the ridgeline around another tree.
Prussic knots and clips for the end webbing loops at each end of the ridgeline, so that tarp can be slid anywhere along the rope length, clipped and prussic tightened in place.
I would rather not to have used the last loop for the ridgeline, so I could affect some drop on the apex ends for better side windage, but the Noahs tarp does not have as many, or as sturdy ridgeline loops as a CCS Tundra Tarp. I left the loop free for the prussic clip and ran the ridgeline through the end grommet. The beefy plastic clips have a circular pole aperture (under the webbing loop) in case a pole is ever needed.
P6090858 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrAttached hair ties for bundling all of the coiled lines. With the three guy lines that get stuffed inside the Ridgeline sack wrapped & trapped inside the tarp corners, so those lines can not mysteriously tangle together in stuffage.
P6090854 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr(By the way the next tarp I worked on has two triangulated lines on each of 4 corners. Those lines were all carefully coiled the last time I put the tarp away. When I pulled it out of the stuff bag to work on I had a rats nest to tangled line. Black Magic, or stuff bag leprechauns?)
58 feet of closeout 3mm Army Green Glowire for the ridgeline; 24 feet through the ridgeline loops, with 17 foot lengths out each end, which should be enough to span any reasonable tree spacing, even if she has to throw some line over a branch to achieve her max headroom preferences.
Two 15 foot long corner ties, yellow Glowire since those are trippable if staked to the ground. With Lawson Equipment line tightners (also closeouts) instead of taut line hitches (see knots, not). I know she would prefer line tighteners, yet dislikes the ubiquitous little black plastic dookicies for confusion about which of the three holes to pull the line through.
These are at least one-less-hole confusing and kinda hard to screw up.
P6090857 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrTime for the moment of truth, will the 16 x 16 Noahs Tarp fit inside the cordlocked bottom half of a CCS Ridgeline stuff sack?
The answer, if I smushed the living heck out of it, is not quite. Even if it fit that would have left no room in the stuff bag for the auxiliary lines and stakes. But the Noahs tarp stuffs easily in the expanded Ridgeline stuff sack, with room to spare.
P6090860 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrRoom to spare was important; I want to have everything she needs stored inside one grab-and-go tarp bag.
There are four unadorned tie downs loops remaining, two on each side. Some (unattached) auxiliary lines, clips and tighteners (no, no knots) might come in handy in the wind. Having four more ten foot lengths of yellow Glowire with tighteners and clips available for those unadorned side ties would not hurt.
P6090862 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrEh, that is a total of six possible side guys. Needs six stakes. Knowing that she is sometimes camping on hard packed State campground sites, spike stakes. She has a mallet and knows how to use it.
Maybe a stupid question, but why are the heads of those spike stakes green in color. Those things are camouflaged toe stubbbers, even in daylight.
I had the dregs of some orange spray paint. Much better.
P6100865 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrThose stakes and aux lines fit inside a little ditty day, which fits inside the expanded Ridgeline stuff sack.
P6100869 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrI need to do some line replacement on the big Tundra Tarp, but first I want to see how it fits inside a Ridgeline Stuff sack.
It is amazing how much smaller a sil-nylon tarp will pack. Even the 1.9 ounce sil-nylon 12 x 14, with beefier ridgeline and multiple guys fits inside the fully compressed Ridgeline stuff bag. There is a reason Cooke Custom Sewing uses only sil-nylon for Tundra Tarps:
All CCS tarps are now sewn utilizing 1.1 oz or 1.9 oz silicone coated nylon. Sil-nylon is lighter weight yet provides more than twice as much tear strength when compared to 1.9 oz urethane coated nylon.
16 x 16 Noahs Tarp and 12 x 14 Tundra Tarp in Ridgeline bags:
P6100871 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrFor home storage the Tundra Tarp can rest less compressed in the expanded bag, and only takes a second to fist to down to the smaller compressed size.
P6100872 by Mike McCrea, on FlickrOne last tip:
P6040840 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr(Actually the latest prank on my waitstaff buddies at the diner. The spring lever is disabled, the release arm fixed in place and the bill glued to the trap)
