I lent Ginger my summer tarp. Because of the rain in the forecast, she wanted some shelter to sit outside away from her tent, and still be dry. This meant I was using my bigger (and heavier) winter tarp which has a lot more pieces of string attached to it.

There are a total of 14 tie-outs on this tarp, and I’ll often use them all. By doubling up the lines running to some of the stakes I can manage with six to eight stakes. 14 would probably create a major trip hazard for me.

All the tie-out lines are reflective and at night they light up like a proverbial Christmas tree when a light shines on them. Excellent for helping me see them and not fall over them, but not so good if you want to be stealthy — as I found out once when camped near Table Rock Lake. My camp was raked by a searchlight after the reflective line on my food bag hanging in a tree caught some illicit hunters’ spotlight. At least they didn’t mistake me for some wildlife and take a potshot at my camp.

I suspect that this picture could almost, in the vernacular, be referred to as ‘hammock porn.’

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