Ever wondered what those tiny little ropes attached to your tent are used for?
Or even what they’re called?
Well, those ropes are called guy lines, but also known by guy ropes or guy wires.
Knowing their name doesn’t help you though; why do tents have guy ropes? Guy ropes are used to secure a tarp or tent to the ground. They offer additional support for your tent in places that the tent poles cannot. They especially help in windy or rainy conditions to keep the tent secure.
These lines are actually pretty tricky to use correctly, and don’t really do much structurally if used incorrectly.
Want to learn more about guy ropes and how to properly use them?
Read on!
Are Guy Lines Necessary?
First of all, you might be wondering if guy lines are even necessary.
After all, the tent poles are supposed to lift up the body and keep it erected, right?
And in some cases, using a tent without the guy lines would be okay.
However, guy lines serve a very specific purpose for making your tent work properly, and should be used while camping.
The main reasons you’d want to use guy lines are:
- Structure: sure, your tent can stand up on it’s own. However, if the wind picks up your tent will have a hard time not blowing all over the place. Using guy lines will help to anchor the tent. This added stability will also help during heavy snow and rain.
- Extra Space: tents usually come with extra loops placed around the edges or on the roof. Attaching guy lines to these can help pull out the edges and prop up the roof to provide extra space around the tent.
- Ventilation: double-walled tents consist of a tent body (the inner layer) and a rainfly. Without guy lines, the two layers sit on top of each other. This keeps hot air and condensation inside of the tent, which is not ideal. Using guy lines will pull the rainfly up off of the tent body, allowing for proper ventilation. This will keep you cooler and prevent condensation from building up.
Why Are Tent Ropes Called Guy Ropes?
I had to look this up because I wasn’t too sure why they’re called guy lines in the first place.
Seems like a really weird name to me!
However, a ‘guy’ is a tensioned wire used to add more support.
So guy lines are just that; tensioned lines used to add more support to your tent.
How To Properly Use Guy Lines
Using guy lines are fairly simple, but there are a few things to get right in order to get the best results.
A loose or incorrectly staked line is nearly useless, so it’s important to have the proper length, tension, and stakes to keep your tent secure.
Follow the guidelines below to properly use guy lines!
How Long Should Tent Guy Lines Be?
You want your lines to have enough slack to be able to adjust the length slightly.
This will allow for moving the stake further or closer should you need to.
Usually you’ll find guy lines to be around 3 feet, with some a little longer.
How Tight Should Guy Lines Be?
There’s a bit of a give-and-take relationship going on with the guy lines and the stakes attached to them.
Having the line too loose and neither is helping to support the tent.
However, having your line too tight can add strain on the stakes and make them want to come out of the ground.
A good rule of thumb for tension on a guy line is to tighten them until they’re snug.
Some scenarios, such as not being able to get the stake all the way in the ground or high wind conditions, will cause extra strain on your lines.
To prevent them from snapping (or the stake from being pulled out) in these conditions, keep the lines slightly looser so there is a little bit of give should the wind pick up suddenly.
Angle Of The Stakes
Just as important as guy lines are the stakes.
A line doesn’t do you any good if it’s not properly secured with a stake!
You want to do your best to drive the stake fully into the ground so that it will hold up under harsher conditions.
As for the angle, try to put the stake in the ground at a 45 degree angle towards the tent.
This will help deal with any tension put on the tent while preventing the stake from being pulled out of the ground.
You also want to think about how tight the line is when you first drive your stake in the ground.
If you pull the line tight and then drive the stake, it may be too tight and potentially snap the line in windy conditions.
When driving your stake, loosen the line tensioner (more on that below) slightly and leave a little bit of slack on the line.
Then you can tighten the line back up once the stake is in the ground.
How Do You Use The Line Tensioner On A Guy Line?
As an example, a line tensioner works very similar to a dog collar where you tighten it by overlapping the material (in this case the rope).
To get extra line, slide the tensioner away from the looped end, and vice versa for adding more tension.
If you’ve positioned your stake properly, you should only need to slide the tensioner a few inches to get a tight line.
And if you’ve moved your tensioner as far as you can and it still isn’t tight enough, considering shortening your guy line or repositioning your stake further away from your tent.
How Do You Make A Guy Line Tensioner?
If for some reason you don’t have tensioners on your guy ropes (they fell off, broke, or you’re using a new line), you’ll be happy to know that there is a really simple way to make your own tensioner.
And the best part is that you might already have the piece you need with you!
Materials Needed
- Line (paracord or similar)
- Something to cut your line with
- Soda can tab
Instructions
- Measure out the correct amount of line you’d like to use (roughly 3 feet) and cut.
- Feed your line through the underside of the top hole of your can tab, over the center piece, and then out the other hole (see image below).
- Knot the end of the line on the can tab and attach the other end of the line to your tent.
- Use like a normal tensioner.
If you want a more sturdy option, you can replace the can tab with a more sturdy piece of plastic or wood.
Use the instructions below for a more durable line tensioner!
Materials Needed
- Line (paracord or similar)
- Something to cut your line with
- 2”-3” piece of plastic or wood
- Drill (use a bit slightly larger than your cord)
Instructions
- Measure out the correct amount of line you’d like to use (roughly 3 feet) and cut.
- Drill 3 holes vertically in your plastic or wood piece.
- Loop your line through one of the end holes, then back through the middle hole, and out the last hole.
- Knot the end of your line.
- Attach the other end of the line to your tent.
- Use as a normal tensioner.
Bonus Tip: Use Pool Noodles To See Lines Better
Walking around your tent at night (or even the day) can be slightly annoying if your guy lines stick out far enough.
Tripping over your line and having to fix it isn’t fun at all, especially at night.
So what can you do?
To see your lines better, use pool noodles!
Simply cut a 2 foot piece of a pool noodle, then slice vertically on one side of the noodle.
Now wrap the noodle over your line and never trip over your guy lines again!