Rigging a camp ridgeline

If something hangs from the middle of a taut line, its weight pulls the line down. The flatter the line stays, the greater the force in the line and at the trees – it can be many times the weight hanging on it. That is pure physics: a nearly horizontal line can only hold a weight up with a great deal of pull. So “as tight as possible” is not automatically good; an over-tightened line can snap under load.

The tree straps spread the force over a wide area. A thin cord directly around the trunk acts like a saw by contrast: it presses into the bark and rubs with every movement. Under the bark lies the layer through which the tree grows and transports nutrients – injuries there harm the tree.

Friction hitches such as the Prusik hold by friction. Unloaded they can be slid along the line; under load they grip firmly. That way you can hang tarp corners or a lamp exactly where you need them and move them later without re-tying anything.

Choosing the trees comes first. You need two healthy, sturdy trees at a suitable distance, away from paths. Look up: no dead trees and no trees with dead branches above the spot, because you spend time under a line and may even sleep beneath it.

On the first side you attach the line to the strap with a fixed knot such as a bowline. On the second side you tension with a trucker's hitch or a taut-line hitch and finish with a slipped hitch – a hitch with a loop that comes undone with a pull on the loose end. Instead of a slipped hitch you can push a short wooden toggle through a loop; it pulls out easily even with cold hands.

Many cords stretch, especially when they get wet. That is why the quick-release side matters so much: after a shower or in the morning you simply re-tension. Knots that jam when wet and will not come undone cost a lot of time and patience when breaking camp. Take the breaking strength of your cord from the manufacturer's data; this entry gives no figures.

A camp line is not a safety system and not a climbing rope. Never hang people from it, balance on it or cross water with it. Rope bridges and rope crossings need tested equipment, training and experience; they are deliberately not described here. The same goes for play: children do not hang from the line.

Taut lines at head or neck height are a real danger in the dark. Anyone who walks into one can fall or injure their neck. So never string lines across paths, mark them with bright tape or reflective strips and check them again as darkness falls. A tarp's guy lines are trip hazards too.

Under tension, a snapping line or a slipping carabiner can whip back. So tension in a controlled way, not with your full body weight, and keep your face out of the line of pull. Against dead branches from above, only the right choice of trees helps.

Practise the knots at home first, for example between two chair backs or in the garden: bowline, trucker's hitch or taut-line hitch, slipped hitch and Prusik. Once you can tie them without thinking and with gloves on, it works much better outdoors in rain and cold.

Then rig the line completely once in daylight: choose trees, fit straps, fixed side, tensioning side, Prusik hooks, tarp over it. Hang some weight in the middle and watch how much the line gives and what re-tensioning feels like. When breaking camp, take the straps and every scrap of cord with you.

Ridgelines with friction hitches are common in bushcraft and tarp guides because they let you pitch tarps without any poles. One line then does several jobs: roof, drying place and storage system. Especially in rain it is pleasant when pack, lamp and mug hang under the tarp instead of lying in the mud.

Wet clothing hanging under the tarp only dries, however, if air moves past it. More about how drying in camp works is in the entry on drying clothes and gear. The knots themselves each have their own entries with detailed instructions.