[pct-l] Tarps, MSR whisperlite

["Joanne Lennox" <goforth@cio.net>]

I remember reading in the archives of the person using bungie chord on his
tarp system.  As I remember, he only used it when he has pitched his tarp
in a high wind situation.  When the tarp edge is right at the ground it is
somethimes difficult to get in - he used the bungie to be able to lift the
tent edge and crawl in.

I haven't done this, but I have purchased a length of l/8 inch shock chord
( the Rain Shed, Seattle Fabrics - check Jardines book) and I will try it. 
The problem I find is that if the tarp edge is close to the ground, and you
are in a real wind, every manner of thing can chew up your tarp edges and
the lines that you anchor it with.  I wonder if shock chord would only
aggrevate this problem.  An analogous problem happens when you anchor the
tarp edge close to the ground using a bush which is a ways off, and have
used a fair amont of chord out there  - the anchor point of the tarp moves
back and forth over the ground a lot, and it can also bang on the ground . 
Even if you don't actually get a hole in the tarp, you definitely have
compromised the waterproof coating on the underside of the fabric. Often
the poles that anchor the open ends sway alot as well, creating abrasion on
the low edges if they are near the ground, and especially if they are
broadside to a good wind.  One begans to realize how uneven the world is
out in the mountains.   Sometimes I stick my boots under the tarp edge in
strategic places to prevent wear; a  forked stick or rock proped under a
guy near the stake helps prevent wear from things on the ground.  You can
use rocks for all kinds of places .  It takes a big rock to hold the most
stressed corners in a big blow.  More than one person has been injured
moving rocks to their tarp.  However the  anchoring rocks can also be the
ones that are chewing through your anchoring lines.

At first you have to fiddle a lot, with experience you start to know what
will really work and what kind of sites are conducive to good tarp
placement, what bushes or trees are too far or are problems, etc.  My
experience is that almost anything that you can imagine will happen, and
some things that you could not imagine happen.  A tarp seems to have a life
of its own; it is something that you makes friends with slowly.  It can be
a rewarding relationship!

Peace
Goforth  
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