Question about hunting tarps

[Snowwolfe]

Been thinking of a way to cut back on the parachute cord. I found some kevlar fishing line rated at 500 pounds. Would this be a good choice for stringing up a quality tarp while hunting/glassing? The cord is very light and thin but it doesn't have any stretch.
Good or bad idea?

 

[Netherman]

I’m not exactly sure what line you’re talking about but assuming it’s similar to most braided fishing line I’d be worried it’d be impossible to untie and generally a pia to work with.

I’d recommend lawsons glowire with line locks tied on loops so they can be moved around the tarp. I have my lines color coded for length with my DST. I think I ended up with 2 Green at 18’ 4 orange at 12’ and 2 black at 6’.

I used to tie truckers hitches for tension but won’t go back after using the linelocs. Teaching others on the fly was annoying and even if you’re proficient it’s way faster with the linelocs.

 

[Tod osier]

Been thinking of a way to cut back on the parachute cord. I found some kevlar fishing line rated at 500 pounds. Would this be a good choice for stringing up a quality tarp while hunting/glassing? The cord is very light and thin but it doesn't have any stretch.
Good or bad idea?

I've tried several things, I agree the small diameter of the 500 pound test may be a problem. For a no stretch line, I bought a big spool of 7/64 AmSteel 12 strand Dyneema, it is smaller diameter than paracord (packs smaller and lighter), but still thick enough to work with and soft and thick enough not to cut your hands or tarp. I use it as a long ridgeline where I don't want it to sag. I wouldn't want to go much smaller for a tarp than 7/64 just for workability. If you are not looking for no stretch, one of the smaller diameter lines like suggested above, would be my suggestion.

 

[Snowwolfe]

Good point about the line being to thin to untie.
Thanks

 

[Bert01]

I’ll second the 7/64 amsteel. I’ve used it for a lot of backpacking duties including whoopie slings and tarp ties.

 

[alexnelon]

I tried something similar with really thin line and made a couple of temporary hitch knots that turned permanent when it started raining... The combination of thin wet line and the added weight from a wet tarp made the knots too tight to untie without scissors.

 

[Live_weighT34]

I switched to Lawson 2mm glowire and it’s been life changing, I use it on my Kifaru paratarp and in my kill kit. Wish I would’ve made the switch sooner

 

[Chad_H]

Why not just use 275cord instead of 550 cord? Half the diameter and weight, half the strength but still everything you'd need for that task. I've tried micro cords, and they're usually more finicky to tie and have hold with some types of knots used for tarps. I've largely switched to 275 Cord for tarps.

Atwood is a very decent source, not Chinese rope.

 

[Snowwolfe]

Since someone posted about line locks....................what are some of the better ones to consider for tent and tarps?

 

[Bert01]

I used figure 9’s and they work pretty good, these days I just have a few smaller whoopie slings or whatever type of knot/friction hitch you want to call it that I use for tie offs and ridge lines.

 

[mtnbound]

I use Z-Paks 1.3mm cord with their line locks for my tarp.