guy ropes

Introduction

guy ropes are one of the most important accessories for tent or tarp campers, especially if strong winds or rain is forecast
along with a stable tent peg, they can be critical in determining whether or not your tent survives a storm or strong wind event
the guy rope itself is rarely the weakest component - usually either the tarp or tent will tear out, the pegs will come out, the guy rope tensioner will slip, or the guy rope will fall off the peg

guy ropes are generally the last component of your tent or tarp to dry out - inadequate drying when storing may result in both the rope and tent rotting or becoming mouldy!
- consider removing guy ropes from the tent - perhaps use carabiners for faster set up and pack up

most tents are supported by a frame of poles +/- hubs which may be hinged
these poles and hinged hubs may break if they are forced beyond their bending or hinge limits by strong winds with resultant collapse of the tent
if the poles break they may also pierce the tent allowing rain to enter and risk hypothermia
appropriately placed and secured guy ropes can substantially reduce the range of movement of the poles and thus dramatically reduce the risk of breakage while providing strength to the tent structure as a whole and providing additional anchorage to the ground

most tents can be used without guy ropes in mild conditions with only the tent corners pegged into the ground
however, if winds pick up, additional tent anchoring with guy ropes may be needed

vertically oriented tent poles are extremely useful for creating shade or rain shelters and awnings but need to have appropriately placed and secured guy ropes to provide stability

guy ropes are an important aid to allow the fly coverings of windows to be held outwards rather than fully covering a window

these are usually made from 2mm diameter rope which is often reflective and can be adjusted using a small plastic locking device
cheap versions just use a flat plastic locking device with two holes but these are prone to slipping
a better design is the micro-locking plastic devices designed for 2mm cordage which will not slip and these are available in noctilucent material which is more visible at night
can be used with hiking tarps as well as hiking tents
2mm Dyneema inner/polyester outer reflective cords are probably the best you can get as they are light and offer 200kg breaking strain which should cover the needs for ANY tent
- polyester outer is needed to provide abrasion resistance as Dyneema although very strong, does not do well with abrasion or sharp edges
cheaper 2mm standard reflective polyester cordage usually has a breaking strain of 100kg
cheaper 3mm standard reflective polyester cordage usually has a breaking strain of 135kg but will not fit the 2mm micro-locking devices

these tend to be polyester 3-6mm thick and generally supplied with a flat plastic locking device which has a tendency to slip

this is what most people resort to when they need a reliable, stable higher tension guy
mainly for their larger touring tents when winds pick up and they need to be sure their tent will be wind proof
also handy for larger tarp set ups
rather bulky and heavy and tend to get tangled up unless you take care to roll them up when storing or you buy something like this:
- https://www.tiegear.com.au/product-page/270-deg-awning-pack

using a Larks head knot:
- create a simple lark's head knot at the point of your guy rope where you want to place your stake (works best with a stake without any catch points which would make removing the stake more difficult - such as a shepherd's hook stake)
- this is super easy once you know how and comes undone super easy just by pulling the stake out of the knot (and in the process the knot will clean the dirt off your stake if it is a cylindrical stake)
  - see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc3uGKdqL5c
using a Marlin spike hitch:
- similar concept to the larks head knot however, you need to ensure the initial loop is folded towards the tent end (working end) otherwise the knot will capsize under tension and make removing the stake more difficult
- see https://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/marlinspike-hitch

there is a trick to coiling the rope up nicely so that it is neat, doesn't get tangled and comes undone super easy just by pulling on the tent end of it
ensure the tensioner device is at the opposite end so there is no long loop at the peg end
start close to your tent and carefully coil it around your palm without overlapping any coils - they should be next to each other (some prefer to do a figure of eight using thumb and 5th finger as anchors)
when there is about 40cm of line left, remove the coil from your palm and hold the end closest to the tent and start winding the loose end of the rope around the coil starting at the end of the coil furthest from the tent end and avoiding any overlapping
finally, pass the end of the rope under the last wind to hold it in place
see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we18XkDd264