Guylines

Guylines

Guylines are vital for use with tarps and for use with tents in high wind areas.  Guylines can/should be attached to stake down loops on tents to allow you to anchor your tent onto rocks, logs and other natural features that may be nearby. Each tent/shelter should be set up with its own set of guylines prior to use.

Why Use Guylines

• Keeps tent from blowing away

• Adds structure to tent in high winds

  • Helps prevent poles from snapping

  • Reduces collapse of walls

  • Reduces noise

• Add tension to walls

  • Opens up space in shelter as walls are pulled away

  • Reduces condensation from inside of rainfly from coming in contact with inner wall

  • Reduces pooling of water outside

• Required in high wind areas such as Iceland, Ireland and Scandinavia

• Guylines on ground level stakeout points allow you to anchor tent to nearby anchors such as roots, trees, logs, etc. 

Guyline Considerations

Not all cords are created equal.  Consider the following:

• Strength/Weight ratio

• Ability to tie knots

  • Size of cord - too small is hard to tie

  • Friction/grip of fabric

  • Flexibility/stiffness of cord

• Tensioner slippage

• Water absorption (makes heavier and freezes)

• Durability 

• Color and findability at night

  • Some prefer to see guylines and not trip on them

  • Some prefer to stealth camp

• Price

Guyline Examples

• Guyline cord is generally between 1.5 and 3mm

• Paracord

  • Great Scout cord

  • Not the best guyline

  • Around 4mm

• Lawson Equipment Reflective Glowire Cord 

  • Strong, low stretch, and tangle resistant

  • Kernmantle Construction

  • Jacket: High Tenacity Polyester 

  • Parallel Fiber Core: High Tenacity Polyester 

  • UV Resistant

  • Jacket and Core Melt Together

  • Size: 2mm (5/64")

    • Sufficient size for guylines

    • Weight Per Foot: .04oz (1.13grams)

    • Avg. Break Strength: 275 lbs

  • Size: 3mm (1/8")

    • Easier to tie than 2mm, but more than you need

    • Weight Per Foot: .08oz (2.26grams)

    • Avg. Break Strength 575 lbs

  • Size: 5mm (13/64")

    • Weight Per Foot: .235oz(6.66grams)

    • Avg. Break Strength 1500 lbs

• Larson Equipment Guywire Accessory Cord 

  • Same as Glowire, but without reflective strands

• Larson Equipment Reflective Ironwire 

  • Compared to Guywire and Glowwire - stronger and stiffer

    • This is stronger than you need for a guyline

  • Jacket: Fusion of High Tenacity Polyester and Dyneema SK75

  • Parallel Fiber Core: Dyneema SK78 

  • Extremely strong

  • Low stretch, abrasion resistant

  • UV resistant

  • Won't freeze

  • Knots and unknots great

  • Exceptional cut resistance

  • Melts together because of the fused construction

  • 2mm (5/64")

    • Weight Per Foot: 0.040oz (3.80 grams per meter)

    • Avg. Break Strength: 650 lbs

• Larson Equipment Ironwire High Strength Accessory Cord 

  • Same as Reflective Ironwire but without reflective strands

• Hilleberg 3mm guyline 

• 176 l b(80kg) breaking point

• Vectran interwoven with polyester 

  • No sheath to slide

  • Less stretch than dyneema

• Kelty TripTease Lightline

  • Nylon

  • 1.5mm: 1 oz per 50' (15.2m)

  • 2.15mm: 1.39oz per 50' 

  • Reflective

  • Weave and quality not as good as Larson Glowire

Ultralight Guylines and Tent Stake Loops

• Stakes don't need super duty pull loops

• You may also get away with smaller cordage for your guylines if you don't mind fussing with difficult to tie cords

• Atwood 1.18mm Reflective Micro Cord

  • 0.7oz (20g) per 50 ft

• ZPacks Ultralight Cord (Z-Line)

  • Stiff hand, low water absorption, minimal stretch

  • 1.3 mm cord 

  • Holds knots well

  • Many issues:

    • Slides through lineloc tensioners under high loads

    • Expensive

    • Prone to knotting

    • Challenging to work with due to how thin and slippery it is

  • 0.75oz (25 g) per 50 ft

• Kite Line

  • 0.5mm

  • Braided Dyneema/Spectra

  • Concern for tangles

  • Difficult to tension

  • Users of this will place fixed loops in cord and tension tent/tarp by moving stake

  • NOTE: this is thin enough to risk cutting through other cord or fabric loops

Guyline Lengths

Length varies depending on intended use

• A-Frame Tarp

  • 8' for ridgeline

  • 4-6' for sides (depending on height)

• Hexagonal Hammock Tarp

  • 8' for ridgeline

  • 6' for sides (depending on height)

• Tents

  • 3' for ground level corners and sides

  • 4' for midpoints (longer if tall tent)

• Snow Camping

  • Add 3' to guyline or anchor to all for deadman

Guyline Knots

Line Locks and Tensioners are problematic

• Add weight

• Some loosen in wind

• Need proper sized cord

• Freeze in winter

• Can fail

Learn to Tie Knots

Tent Stake Resources

• Slow Hiking - How to Stake and Guy Your Tent: Snow, Rock, Sand, Platforms and More 

• Slow Hiking - Tent Stakes for Backpacking: What You Need to Know

• Slow Hiking - How to Secure Your Tent for Strong Winds and Storms

• Ryan Jordan @ backpackinglight - How do tent stakes interact with soils to create holding power?