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Hi Complex,

Guy line's are important for the stability of the tent so its worth taking a little time to work out what each guy line does as there are 2 types, (a) storm lines: these are the lines that hold the tent secure in windy conditions and in some cases the tent from collapsing and then there are (b) what I call the form lines, these are the ones that attach to the centre of a panel to hold the area away from the bedroom pods or window covers etc, these are under far less stress and tend to be single line guy's.

So once you have worked out your a's from your b's things become a little easier with regards to which one's you need to take more time over to get the position and tension correct.

When you fit your guy lines use the loops on the flysheet pass the guy through the loop and then back on itself so you have a return of about 4 to 5 inches, or enough to leave you with a tied off loop at the end of the guy line. Saying this though it all depends on what tent you have as there are a number of different ways that manufacturers lace their tents up. A single line guy is one that simply ties to the tent at one end and loops around the peg at the other returning back to the plastic slider to form a large loop in the lower section of the guy line. A double line will attach at two points on the tents flysheet and the way to do this will involve un-doing the knot on the plastic adjuster and passing the guy line from this section through the loop on the flysheet and then passing it back through the slider and re-knotting it. The large loop with the slider should always attach to the higher of the two loops on the flysheet and the guy line then pass around the peg as a single line and back up to the flysheet to attach to the lower loop on the tent as explained above or as a single guy line would.

Now when you come to pitch your tent the best rule of thumb is to follow the direction of the seam that runs through the point where the guy line attaches to the tent and then peg the guy line out at about 45 degrees to the tent. To try and explain this a little easier when your tent is up take the guy line and from the point where it attaches to the tent hold it loosely and let it fall against the tent so that it lays against and in line with the seam then follow that line out about 3 to 4 ft and stick a peg in the ground. That should give you a good starting point depending on your tent, now take up the slack in the line by adjusting the large loop section of the guy line via the slider to a point where it is firm but not too tight. What you are after is tight enough to hold the tent in the position it should be but not that tight that the flysheet on the tent is pulling away from the poles or that it looks like its going to pull the stitching over time. You also have to remember that each pole / seam will have a second guy line on the opposite side of the tent so you need to adjust the two to work together to hold the tent square rather than all the tension on one side and the tent then twists, stand back take a look and walk around the tent all will become clear. Then have a play with them and you will soon see what each one does and you will have it off to perfection in no time.

The Form lines are not so important and these you just need to peg out in a direction that will do what they need to do to form the shape of the tents panels or hold window covers open etc.

Now in some cases you will find the basic rules go out the window and then its all about just stepping back and looking at the tent to work out what direction the tension on the flysheet needs to be to determine where the pegging point needs to go but this is rare and its normally because you need to pull a pole upward to form an arch on a tent like an early Vango Orchy front door pole, just in case you have an Orchy that is as so many people got that one wrong.

Anyway good luck and come back if you get stuck but i'm sure your be fine.   

Quote: Originally posted by dk168 on 20/3/2012

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The plastic bit should be the slider.

Not sure what your slider looks like, however, take a look at this to give you some idea where the peg should be placed:

Clam Cleat Line Lok Instruction

I use Clam Cleat line loks on all the guys as they are much easier to use than the normal sliders, especially when wet.

DK

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Quote: Originally posted by sleedale on 23/3/2012

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Quote: Originally posted by dk168 on 20/3/2012The plastic bit should be the slider.

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Not sure what your slider looks like, however, take a look at this to give you some idea where the peg should be placed:

Clam Cleat Line Lok Instruction

I use Clam Cleat line loks on all the guys as they are much easier to use than the normal sliders, especially when wet.

DK

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I read this thread, saw this post, followed the link and bought a pack of 50, which I've put on the tent in the garden today. And I wonder, why didn't I know about these before


They are very, very much easier to use than the usual flat slider things especially as I have not so good hands these days, so thank you DK168. Perhaps we should have a stuck thread of really useful helpful kit?

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