How To Setup A Tarp Using No Knots - "Quick Trick", by IntenseAngler on YouTube. 1 min 40 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 40 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
String a ridgeline between two trees or poles at about chest height and pull it tight. No trees nearby? Use two trekking poles, paddles or fence posts instead.
Cut four to six cord lengths about 1 m (3 ft) long, one for each tie-out point on your tarp. Thin 3 mm accessory cord grips a ridgeline well.
Tie a small fixed loop in one end of every cord using an overhand loop. Leave these loops in place so you never tie a knot at camp again.
Push the loop through a tarp grommet, pass the free end of the cord through the loop and pull it snug. This lark's head holds without a knot.
Run the free end up to the ridgeline. Wrap it around the line twice, then fold a bight of cord and tuck it under both wraps.
Pull the bight tight to lock the hitch, then slide the wrap along the ridgeline to tension the tarp. Repeat for every tie-out.
Check the whole shelter by pressing down on the tarp. Adjust the wraps until the fabric is taut and the ridge sits above your head.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the wraps snug and the cord thin, because loose wraps slide along the ridgeline in wind.
Look up before you pitch. Never camp under dead branches or loose rock.
Wet cord slips, so retighten each wrap after rain and test it with a firm pull.
Angle one side of the tarp lower than the other so rain runs off instead of pooling.
Questions
Will a no-knot hitch hold in strong wind?
For normal weather yes, but add an extra wrap and back it up with a proper hitch such as a taut-line hitch if heavy wind is forecast.
What if there are no trees or posts?
Use two trekking poles, a car roof rack, bike handlebars or buried sticks as anchors for the ridgeline.
Can I use this on a tarp without grommets?
Yes. Push a small smooth pebble into the tarp corner, wrap the cord around it and tie your fixed loop behind the pebble.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
