Tensioning Guy Lines

One thing that I read about in the late 1950s has stuck with me. I don't see it used or even talked about, which is surprising. It's immensely useful for backpacking.

What I read about was how to moor a boat using a real rope and a piece of rubber rope.

Rubber rope is a thing I've never seen, but it's the idea that counts. The same idea in the world of backpacking shelters works out to be what's called "shock cord", which is just an elastic core wrapped in fabric.

You tie some of this into the middle of a guyline for a tent, or a tarp, or a hammock tarp, and leave a little slack in the real guy line, and this lets the tent or tarp move a little, give a little in the wind, like a flexible tree bending a little, but not snapping off.

The thing is, it's hard to fasten a length of plain shock cord so it stays tied. All knots in the stuff eventually work loose.

Well, you can run this stuff through a little soft metal tube and then crimp the tube, but where do you get super lightweight metal tubing about 1/8" in diameter, in like 1" segments? (3mm by 25mm) There are things like this made for exactly this purpose, but you don't see them just sitting around in every store, and it's baffling what a guy could use as a substitute, so I've been stumped.

Yeah, so today while buying groceries and letting myself be open for ideas about whatever, and also to kill time, I blithely wandered through the women's doodad section at the supermarket and had a nice bingo moment.

Goody. Goody Ouchless Hair Elastics and Goody Ponytail Holders. Yep. Them's things, and they were there. Just about what I wanted, and all ready-made. Cheap too.

Goody.com doesn't have details. You have to follow the links from there to Walmart or Target and check them, and that's where I stole the images you see here. Too good not to steal.

I made a dumb graphic (right below) showing how to use elastic with guylines and it shows way too much slack, but I'm not going to do it over, so use your imagination. And what looks like a knot on each side should be in red. Or something. The graphic should be clearer, but I'm not a pro, hey. (Another D'Oh! moment, brought to you by me.) But it's the idea that counts, and this is one idea that is really fine. Think about it. I believe you've even caught on already. The elastic stretches just so far under heavy stress, and then the actual guyline takes over. Brilliant, as they say.

Guy line with elastic tensioner, showing way too much slack.

Ouchless hair elastics.

Ouchless hair elastics showing thickness.

Ponytail holders.

One ponytail holder, showing "welded" ends — no knots, no crimping, etc. Woot!

Updated tensioner graphic. More schematic but possibly no clearer. At least I tried, eh?

 

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Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff@nullabigmail.com
Me? Still trying after all these years.

 

Etc...

so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals

Kerosene

1) Kerosene is a petroleum distillate used in cook stoves and some older backpacking stoves. It can also be used in wick-fed lamps. It is a thin and colorless flammable hydrocarbon oil also known as "paraffin", and is sometimes used as a solvent. (Exciting, right?) It is sometimes also known as "range oil", "stove oil", or "coal oil". All of which are just as exciting. True! (Can you feel it?)

2) But wait! There's more! Kerosene is alternately described as a light petroleum oil, one that generates pronounced fumes and dark, greasy smoke, blackens cookware, and clogs stoves. (Hey! That's something!) It is non-explosive but stinky. (I.e., similar to diesel fuel in a lot of ways.) While it evokes all the romance and charm of diesel, it is no longer easy to find in the U.S., though it is more available elsewhere — places where aroma is valued. But it burns hot, if you can get it lit. Have fun with that.

 

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Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff@nullabigmail.com
Me? Will definitely do some thinking next week, maybe.

 

Etc...

so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals

Invertebrate

Insects, worms, spiders, crabs, lobsters, skeeters, flies, various wiggly things and so on, for example.

Kind of like a generic case of what an insect is but not as tasty, though still with too many legs, and other parts that get waved around a lot. Also crunchy if you stomp it, if it has a shell, which is its skeleton, if it has a shell, but some of these guys are simply barely-organized glop held together by slime.

And for some reason, way too many of them seem fascinated by us, and want to get close.

 

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Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff@nullabigmail.com

Me? Mostly spineless, it's true, but definitely working on the slime thing.

 

Etc...

so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals

Humus

(1) "The finely divided, amorphous organic matter that is diffused through mineral material in a soil profile", according to the Toolik-Arctic Geobotanical Atlas. They sound smart, so maybe they're right. But also...

(2) Dirt. Humus is dirt. The stuff trails are made of. What plants eat.

(3) Humus is dirt with organic matter in it, which is the kind of thing that plants really prefer to eat instead of just plain dirt, if they can get it. But they're not all that fussy. Which is a good reason to use a backpacking hammock that keeps your kiester a couple of feet above any potential threats from creeping tendrils. Or, if you do sleep on the ground, use the buddy system — get up early and just let the plants take your buddy. But you need a lot of buddies for that, even for a week-long trip, so a hammock is maybe your best bet here.

(4) Humus is typically dark brown or even black soil containing a lot of organic substances, which are partly or completely composted plant and animal remains. This stuff provides nutrients for plants and keeps them happy. Happy, well-fed plants are less likely to become aggressive than the other kinds of plants, so they hardly ever chase hikers around, etc. Humus also increases the ability of soil to hold water, another thing that plants like, so pee as much as you can while you're out there in order to leave a good impression. Peeing helps keep the soil moist and the sound is like music to plants, both good public relations moves. Peeing soothes plants, calms them, and the suckable salts and minable minerals keep them occupied long enough for you to tiptoe away.

 

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Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff@nullabigmail.com
Me? Have never trusted plants, especially the ones with eyes.

 

Etc...

so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals