searching around the intraweb I wasn't able to find to much on pitching poncho-tarps- a little here, a little there- so I decided to put up some basic pitches this am and snap a couple of shots
first a poncho-tarp is a really versatile piece of kit- it can provide rainwear and shelter in the same day, packs small, doesn't weigh a lot and not overly spendy
knots/hitches- I know a lot of guys don't like fussing about w/ knots and I'm one of them
I use three very basic knots/hitches the bowline, the tautline and the clove hitch- very easy to tie
All of my guy lines look the same, except length- I have two 6' lines (these are usually used in conjunction w/ my trekking poles), two 4' lines, two 3' lines and four 2' lines- all have a static loop in one (bowline) and an adjustable loop in the other (tautline). I carry eight stakes (two also do double duty w/ my wood stove).
guys/stakes
with the poncho when used as a shelter you need to tie a knot w/ the hood (big hole in your shelter is not desirable
)
on to the pitches- there are three basic pitches:
a-frame
lean-to
1/2 pyramid
there are variations of each, but those are the main ones
the a frame is probably the most storm worthy of the three and can be pitched low to the ground in bad conditions and pitched further off the ground in better conditions
the way I do the a frame is stake out two corners of a short side (this will be undone, but helps at the other end) and then go to the opposite end, a clove hitch is tied to a trekking pole (this could just as easily be a stick, an oar, a tree, etc) and one end (bowline) is attached to the center end loop of the tarp, the other end (tautline hitch) is attached to a stake, I then stake out the corners (w/ one of the shorter guys) on that end. There is one more hitch, but it's extra easy- it's the girth hitch, this is how I attached the loop (bowline) end to the loop of the poncho/tarp-I move back to the opposite end and remove the stakes and repeat the same thing (I shorten this pole as this is my foot end)
once both ends are complete, I add two guys to the middle
here's how it looks from the head end
side view
again with any of these pitches you can vary the pitch to get the tarp lower or higher (you don't want it so low that you run out of room)
I'm going to show you a modified a frame as this one is pretty handy, it's constructed in the same manner w/ a few minor differences- I get one long side closer to the ground and then at the head end I move the trekking pole from the middle loop to the end loop- this basically makes a a frame at the foot end and kind of a lean to at the head end
it's also pretty easy to go back to a standard a frame if the weather starts getting nasty
front
side
first a poncho-tarp is a really versatile piece of kit- it can provide rainwear and shelter in the same day, packs small, doesn't weigh a lot and not overly spendy
knots/hitches- I know a lot of guys don't like fussing about w/ knots and I'm one of them
I use three very basic knots/hitches the bowline, the tautline and the clove hitch- very easy to tieAll of my guy lines look the same, except length- I have two 6' lines (these are usually used in conjunction w/ my trekking poles), two 4' lines, two 3' lines and four 2' lines- all have a static loop in one (bowline) and an adjustable loop in the other (tautline). I carry eight stakes (two also do double duty w/ my wood stove).
guys/stakes
with the poncho when used as a shelter you need to tie a knot w/ the hood (big hole in your shelter is not desirable
)on to the pitches- there are three basic pitches:
a-frame
lean-to
1/2 pyramid
there are variations of each, but those are the main ones
the a frame is probably the most storm worthy of the three and can be pitched low to the ground in bad conditions and pitched further off the ground in better conditions
the way I do the a frame is stake out two corners of a short side (this will be undone, but helps at the other end) and then go to the opposite end, a clove hitch is tied to a trekking pole (this could just as easily be a stick, an oar, a tree, etc) and one end (bowline) is attached to the center end loop of the tarp, the other end (tautline hitch) is attached to a stake, I then stake out the corners (w/ one of the shorter guys) on that end. There is one more hitch, but it's extra easy
- it's the girth hitch, this is how I attached the loop (bowline) end to the loop of the poncho/tarp-I move back to the opposite end and remove the stakes and repeat the same thing (I shorten this pole as this is my foot end)once both ends are complete, I add two guys to the middle
here's how it looks from the head end
side view
again with any of these pitches you can vary the pitch to get the tarp lower or higher (you don't want it so low that you run out of room)
I'm going to show you a modified a frame as this one is pretty handy, it's constructed in the same manner w/ a few minor differences- I get one long side closer to the ground and then at the head end I move the trekking pole from the middle loop to the end loop- this basically makes a a frame at the foot end and kind of a lean to at the head end
it's also pretty easy to go back to a standard a frame if the weather starts getting nasty
front
side
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