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Pitching a tarp shelter is a basic wilderness survival skill. Navigation expert Blake Miller explains some of the knots that can be used to make constructing a tarp shelter quick and easy.

by Blake Miller

 I have been going through recommended day pack gear lists several respected backcountry writers and field experienced trainers have published.  In each case, parachute cord and shelter material are listed.  Their recommendations exceeds the ten essentials and certainly supports a trek into a local forest or wilderness.

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 I’d like to narrow the focus of this post to the parachute cord and knots that becomes the support structure for an emergency shelter (tarps, lean-to and 4 mil plastic trash bag.)

 Quality parachute cord (para cord) is durable, strong and very light.  A day pack should hold between 50 to 150 feet – it is a personal choice.

 Para cord has many uses but the principle reason for carrying it is to hold up the shelter material (a poly tarp or heavy 4 mil garbage bag.)   Para cord is strong (breaking strength of about 500 pounds), light and affordable.  My only caution is that there are some “knock off” versions that do not offer the strength of the true material.

 It is the knots applied to the para cord that assist in holding the tarp erect and taught.

 But for the purpose of this post I am going to list three knots and provide a few resources for further review and reference.

The timber hitch is a friction knot, easy to tie and very easy to release. (Pantenburg photo)

The timber hitch is a friction knot, easy to tie and very easy to release. (Pantenburg photo)

A great knot to start with is the timber hitch.   The timber hitch was first mentioned in a nautical source around 1620.

The timber hitch is a friction hitch. The many wraps of rope or para cord around a post or tree hold firmly under tension. It’s simple and easy to use and can be an anchor point of a shelter’s ridge line. Best of all, after being placed under tension it won’t become next to impossible to untie; we have all been there.

 

For complete instructions watch the video at animated knots: timber

 

 
The Bowline is a true hold in place knot that has many applications.  This is not a slip knot.  It is a fixed loop knot at the end of a bowlinev1line.  It is easy to tie and like the timber hitch simple to untie when not under load.  The only caution reported is that it may work itself loose when not under tension.  That said, this knot is strong and quite versatile.
 
For complete instruction watch the video: bowline 

The Taut-Line Hitch is a sliding loop knot.  This knot is frequently used to tie the guy lines of a tarp or tent to a peg or post.  It is a slip knot that allows the user to move the knot to add or remove tension.   Tension is applied by moving the hitch away from the anchor point.  The taught-line hitch is a variation of the rolling hitch.

tautlineFor complete instruction watch the video: taut-line hitch.

 An excellent resource for knot tying is the online web site animatedknots.com. This site offers downloadable apps for the smart phone and categorizes knots by topic (such as scouting, boating and fishing.) The instructions are concise and easy to understand.

The Boy Scout Handbook is another source for good information about tying knots.

 

 

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