Tent Guylines

Tent Guylines - Inspecting, Repairing and Replacing Guylines For Tents & Awnings
Inspection - It is always a good idea to check your guylines for fraying and loose knots at the beggining or end of each season. Damaged guylines should be replaced where necessary. However, nylon cords that have only frayed at the end(s) can be fixed by melting the end so that the chord strands 'bond' together. Beware that the melted nylon will be hot and avoid touching the end until it has cooled! Fraying that has occured mid-way along the cord will cause a weakness and cannot be fixed; in this circumstance we recommend replacing it.

Replacing Guylines - The Options - When replacing guylines it is not always necessary to replace 'as is'. Take this opportunity to consider purchasing guylines that have additional beneficial features. Therefore it is worth considering the following

Visibility: Guylines are notoriously difficult to see and very good at tripping both the young and old alike ( they don't seem to care who they catch ). As dealing with accidents is not exactly most peoples idea of a relaxing, enjoyable time, you should consider purchasing brightly coloured or luminous guylines. They won't remove the problem, but they certainly help to reduce the risk.
Thickness & Strength: Most modern guylines are between 3 to 5mm thick. It is not possible to state with absolute certainty what thickness you will require as this is dependent on the size and weight of the tent and tent fabric. However, we can give some guiding principles

Small 2-3 Person Tents - Unless you are absolutely fanatical about keeping weight to an absolute minimum then a 3mm or 4mm guyline should be ideal.
Average Size Family Tent (4 - 6 Persons) with Lightweight Modern Materials - 4mm guylines are usually ideal for this size and weight of tent.
Large Capacity Cotton or Polycotton Tent - these may well require a 5mm guyline but generally will not need anything thicker than this.

Length: What length will you require? Well, as a general rule of thumb: measure the height of the attatchment point on the tent and double it. Then add a bit for the runner double back adjustment.

It is always worth having spare guylines and packing them away with the tent.

Tent Guyline Runners

A good time to check that the guyline runners are not broken is before packing the tent away at the end of the season. If you have metal runners it is also important to ensure that they are clean and dry. Some cheap metal runners have a tendency to rust which in turn spoils the tent fabric.