Bungee cords for tarp?

[jessearl]

I've seen it mentioned somewhere that you can use bungee cords to quickly setup your tarp in the rain and then have a relatively dry area to setup your hammock underneath.

What type of bungee would be the best for this type of thing?

What length for each bungee would you use?

[greentick]

I've seen it mentioned somewhere that you can use bungee cords to quickly setup your tarp in the rain and then have a relatively dry area to setup your hammock underneath.

What type of bungee would be the best for this type of thing?

What length for each bungee would you use?

get the lightest you can find with about 6 feet of stretch. carry at least 6 - one for each corner, one for the peak if your tarp has one and a spare one for loss or if you need a longer line. In the army you could throw up a poncho hooch in about 30 seconds like this.

[hammock engineer]

A 6 foot bungie could work. I would be careful if you let go of it and it hits your tarp. You could put a hole in it.

What I have are therma rest excersise bands. I use about 6 inches for each tieout. That gives me more than 6 inches of strech. That has worked for me so far. Some people use the bands off of sling shots. These 2 options should be lighter that just a bungie cord. You could only use a small bungie, then tie guy lines onto it.

I don't know how much of a problem it will be in FL, but I have heard problems with the bungies of sling shots loosing there strech in the cold.

Jeff has good instructions on his site. www.tothewoods.net

[Seeker]

I've seen it mentioned somewhere that you can use bungee cords to quickly setup your tarp in the rain and then have a relatively dry area to setup your hammock underneath.

What type of bungee would be the best for this type of thing?

What length for each bungee would you use?

ditto Tick's advice... we used to be able to get these really skinny green bungis from the uniform stores on post, but i've not seen them on the outside... walmart's sports section would be the place to look, i think, especially now that it's hunting season... basically, thinner is lighter, and if they're about 18-24'' long, they'll do what you need them to. you can also use cord on 6 points... slower, but lighter.

[neo]

bungee cords and tarps,i think i will try it neo

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

We have a set of mini-bungees - each is about 6-8" long. We don't use them for rapid deployment, but to keep the tarp fairly taut and to shed any puddles that form (the weight of the water stretches the bungee on the end of tarp closest to puddle which lowers it & dumps the water and then 're-tensions' itself)

[ShakeyLeggs]

ditto Tick's advice... we used to be able to get these really skinny green bungis from the uniform stores on post, but i've not seen them on the outside...

They are called blousing bands. They are used to blouse the bottom of your military uniform pants leg. They are hard to find outside of the military. And they are most likely to short and the little hook on the end would be way to small.

[greentick]

They are called blousing bands. They are used to blouse the bottom of your military uniform pants leg. They are hard to find outside of the military. And they are most likely to short and the little hook on the end would be way to small.

No, I was talking about bungee cords. Was at work so I had to be brief. Seeker knows what I'm talkin about. We would keep 5-6 wrapped around the frame of our ALICE ruck and your poncho in an outer pocket stuffed so that the hood was on top. Drop ruck, snatch poncho out and string it up. Took about a minute for a good shelter. Also, if you tightened the hood down and wrapped it on itself you would have no leaks and a little loop to hook a bungee to. The bungees were green, skinny, and came like 4 to a pack. If you wanted it shorter wrap around the tree or tie a knot in the middle, etc. Longer? put 2 together. I would store them separate from your tarp to avoid damage.

Here they are, $6 for 4 of em (took 30secs to find)
http://www.rangerjoes.com/camouflage...rds-p-286.html

I might have to get some myself. My last one was seen securing an AT4 rocket launcher to a humvee hatch. These bungees make good mates for the "neo" tarp from SG.

[Spock]

Abouit 12" of the 3/16" elastic cord used for waist drawstrings and such looped through the tarp tie-out and the guy lines attached to that will protect the system from wind shock and will take up the slack so the tarp won't sag when wet from either rain or dew. You need only that short length of doubled elastic to do the job. More is too heavy and has too much stretch. You can use blousing elastic mentioned above the same way. Leave it in a loop and attach it to the pull-out with a lark's head knot.

[jazilla]

I still have my camo bungees. I took one and cut it in half and use it for my side tie outs. Never thought of using them for my tree tie outs.

[snowhoe]

the best kind are 3 feet and stretchie.

[SuperTroll]

Google BrigadeQuartermasters....

They have them...and I use them the way you describe...hook two together in places you need the extra length...

http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/ta...Fresults%2Etam

[SuperTroll]

Ridge line of para cord...tarp over the ridgeline....tarp ties are ALL bungies...keeps the tarp tight, stretches and contracts in the wind and the rain...

one stake on each side...bungee from stake to tarp, with hook facing up where it hooks to the grommit on the tarp...then tie a loop at the end of the hammock tie-outs (Also elastic cord) and feed the loop up through the grommet on the tarp and hook it over the upward facing bungee hook....

four bungees total (I carry six for when I need the extra length...).

[titanium_hiker]

There have been warnings on this board in the past about probably-lethal tarp pegs being flung out of the ground by elastic cords- use a rock or something to hold any stakes down. Or tie off to branches etc

TH

[fiddlehead]

I don't see the advantage to bungy cords being used for this.
Simply use good quality string that union blocklayers use for their stringlines, and keep them tied to your corners and whatever points you use to tie your tarp. Put a few loops in them so you have options for staking out. Just pull everything as tight as you can and put the stake in. Simple, no extra bungy cord weight. I've had the same strings tied on my sil-shelter now for 3 thru-hikes and have never had one break. DOn't make life so complicated.

[Just Jeff]

Bungy cords are much quicker...no knots, no adjusting tension, etc. It's just heavier.

Welcome back, th - haven't seen you post in a while!

[titanium_hiker]

thanks Jeff- it's amazing the time that university requires.

TH

[Just Jeff]

Something else to take up your time, then - www.hammockforums.net

[DLFrost]

What type of bungee would be the best for this type of thing?

For everybody's reference: A good place to get bungie by the foot in different sizes & colors are marine stores like West Marine or Boater's World.

Doug Frost