How to Pitch the Ray-Way Tarp

Instruction by Ray Jardine

Pitching the ray-way tarp is easy!

Grab a few sticks and head to the back yard and practice the Ray-Way Two Stick Pitch. It takes only a few minutes, and by referring to this page and paying careful attention to each detail, you may learn a great deal. With that, you are set for a lifetime of tarp pitching fun. And yes, using the tarp is fun! It is also easy, and the absolute best way to camp.

The Ray-Way Two Stick Pitch

Start by laying the tarp on your chosen area. Do not spread it out. Instead, simply straighten the ridge somewhat, and align it in about the desired direction.

Please note that these instructions are intended ONLY for our customers who have purchased our Tarp Kits.

If you bought a commercial tarp from some other company, or if you bought your materials somewhere else, Sméagol says:

"Leave now and never come back."

"Gollum: No!!"

Sméagol: (Louder) "Leave now and never come back!"

Gollum: (Growls and bares his teeth) "Arrrgh!!!"

Sméagol: "LEAVE. NOW. AND. NEVER. COME. BACK!"

Sméagol pants and then looks around. "We... we told him to go away! And away he goes, preciousss." (He hops around in joy and does a little dance.) "Gone, gone, gone! Sméagol is free!"

Attach a stake to a corner line about 18" from the tarp.

To attach any tarp line to its stake, always use a clove hitch with a quick release.

To tie this knot, use the Butterfly method, as invented by me.

Note: I sewed my first tarp out of urethane-coated nylon back in 1972, and the next year I added lifters and beaks. Jenny and I were the first to make a tarp out of silicon-coated nylon, while preparing for our 5th thru-hike in 1993.

More recently, we developed a process that prevents our silicone nylon from passing a fine mist in a heavy rain. This process adds no weight, and is proprietary, meaning available only from us. Tarp Kits from Ray-Way Products.

All silicone nylon fabrics purchased elsewhere, even those of first quality, have a very high probability of misting-through. This is because the silicone nylon fabrics available globally are all flawed in terms of the coating. This is important because misting-through can spoil an otherwise warm and dry night in stormy weather.

Some silicone-nylons are double-coated, but this only adds weight (1.5 oz/yd2) and expense. Double-coating does NOT make them more waterproof, nor stronger.

For this reason we encourage everyone not to waste your money buying a commercial tarp of silicone nylon, nor waste your sewing time making a tarp of silicone nylon purchased elsewhere.

We guarantee our tarp kits will not mist-through in a heavy rain.

Ray-Way Tarp kits
Why Sew?

With one hand, lift the ridge to the estimated height. With the other, press the stake firmly into the ground with a twisting motion.

Tie a second stake to the opposite corner line. Again holding the ridge up with one hand, place this stake with the second hand.

The reason we hold the ridge up is to estimate the best location for placing the stakes.

With the two stakes in place, walk to the other end and raise a support stick. Do not press it into the ground.

Wrap the ridge line once around the stick (no knot required).

Note: This pitching sequence was invented by me (Ray Jardine), and is called the "Ray-Way Two Stick Pitch." When teaching it to others, please refer to it by that name.

Keeping only enough tension on the ridge line to prevent the stick from falling over, back away from the tarp, to the line's end. There, tie a stake to the line and press it firmly into the ground.

Note that the stick remains upright. This is because it is triangulated between the three stakes.

Walk to the other end, and raise the second stick. Wrap the ridgeline around it once, step back and place the stake.

Now place the two remaining corner line stakes.

When seen from directly above, each corner line should extend from the tarp at a 45° angle.

After checking that, adjust the line's tension to eliminate wrinkles.

At this point we are basically camping. All with only six stakes, two sticks, and a few minutes of your time.

The basic setup is described above. Everything below here is optional.

And by the way, on a rainy day, now might be a good time to place your packpack and any extra gear under your tarp.

Beaks

Pull the beak line horizontally and wrap it around the stick twice. Secure with two overhand knots, finishing the second knot with a quick release for ease of removal.

The tip of the extended beak should be one to three inches from the support stick. To move the stick closer or farther, simply twist the stick. This ease of adjustability is why we merely wrap the ridge line around the stick rather than tying a knot.

Lifters

The lifters are optional. They create more headroom and add stability.

A lifter stick is smaller than a support stick. Wrap the lifter line around it once, then stake the line down at its end.

Note that the stick is positioned against the "V" where the line splits into two directions.

Stake Detail

Every line to every stake is tied with a clove hitch w/ quick release. See my Butterfly method.

The stake is angled away from the tarp such that the line makes a 90° angle with the stake.

After pressing the stake into the ground with a twisting motion, slide the clove hitch down the stake until the knot contacts the ground.

In ground as solid as shown here, you would not need to pound the stake fully in. As long as the angle is correct, and the knot slid to the ground, a firm, twisting press should do fine. How to tell? Simply by pulling on the line. If the stake moves, it needs to go farther in.

With one exception: the ridge lines. These must be doubly secure, and often require tapping (not pounding) into the ground using a large stick or small rock. Always test the ridge lines with a tug.

Every ray-way tarp owner should have a set of practice sticks for pitching the tarp at home. That means, two support sticks, and two lifter sticks. On your next outing to the wilds, look for the strongest but lightest sticks you can find, and bring them home.

If new to the tarp and you want to practice before heading into the wilds, look for sticks around the neighborhood or whatever. You could even buy them at your local hardware or department store, in the form of hardwood dowells: 1/2" for the tarp supports, and 5/16" for the lifters - two of each. The 1/2" dowells might not be quite long enough for the supports, but they should work fine for practice. Before buying, test them for stiffness. Avoid the soft, oriental type identified by the creamy color and lack of grain. Good hardwood is usually darker. Another option is bamboo, often available in the lawn and garden section.

Common mistakes

Whenever you find someone using a ray-way tarp, you will invariably see the following mistakes. Don't let anyone find these mistakes in your camp!

Ridge line staked short. Bad idea! Each ridge line should be 12' in length, and the stake should be tied at its far end. Never stake a ridge line short because that would be much weaker. Remember that the security of the entire pitch depends on the strength of the ridge lines and their stakes.

Ridge line stake not pressed or pounded fully into the ground. Oops! The ridge lines must be staked with maximum security, more than all the other stakes combined. Unless the ground is exceptionally solid, do not leave a ridge stake partially extending. This does not normally apply to the other stakes.

Corner stake tied closer or farther from the tarp than 18". Wrong! On a windless day, tying them closer restricts all-important ventilation, and internal condensation will likely result. Only on a windy day do we tie the stake closer, for better support. The more wind, the closer, and of course the wind will prevent condensation. We never tie corner stake significantly farther from the tarp than 18", because this would reduce the corner support. The line's extra length is for tying around rocks or larger objects when desired.

Stakes not angled back, away from the tarp. Big mistake! Placing the stakes vertically reduces their holding power enormously. The stake should always make an angle of 90° with the line attached to it.

Knots attaching lines to stakes positioned above ground level. No good! This places an unnecessary bending stress on the stakes, greatly reducing holding power. Always slide the knot down the stake right to the ground.

Lifter stick not against the "V" in the lifter line where the line splits into two directions. Sloppy! The "V" supports the stick from wobbling side to side.

Beak line too loose, causing the beak to sag. Unsightly! This will cause the beak to flail noisily in any kind of wind, and it reduces the designed weather coverage. The beak line should be tied straight horizontally, and just snugly enough to give the beak its proper shape, without overtightening.

If you meet someone whose tarp pitch has none of these problems, then you know they studied this page. :)

The following problems are not universal like the ones above, but they do occur with some regularity.

Camping on dished ground. Whether using a tarp or tent, never camp on dished ground. Instead, look for a place that is somewhat elevated above its surroundings, so any rain will flow away from your shelter. Flat ground that has a slope to it also works well, because it greatly reduces puddling. In a pouring rain you can trench sloped ground. Trenching from inside a tent is not possible, from beneath a tarp easy. Don't trench until you absolutely have to, which is almost never, and be sure to restore the landscape before moving on. In 35 years of tarp camping I have trenched only three times.

I am always amazed at the large dead branches or leaning dead trees people will camp under. I suppose the theory is that if it hasn't fallen yet, it won't tonight. My own theory is that if it hasn't fallen yet, it will sometime.

Speaking of objects that could topple in the night, make sure your tarp support sticks are not injuriously large. Always use the thinnest sticks that will do the job. If too long, break off the excess.

90 percent of the tarps I have seen were pitched too low. Psychologically, lower seems more stormproof. But look at the sky and ask yourself, is this a storm? Probably not. A heavy rain with a bit of wind is no call for a too-low pitch. A strong wind is, and if you need to lower the tarp in the middle of the night, this is actually quite simple. Slacken the lines just a bit, slide the ridge lines down the support sticks a ways, then re-tighten the lines. How to slacken and tighten the lines? Simply by moving the stakes.

I invented the butterfly method of tying the clove hitch in 1994, and have been using it ever since. I have taught it at the Journey's Flow, and finally introduced it to the general public, here at my website, in 2004.

One advantage of the butterfly is it grips the stake much tighter than, say, a two half hitches. It shouldn't need to, if the stake is placed into the ground at the proper 90° angle with the line. But if less than that, either by mis-placement or by shifting from a gust of wind, the two half hitches can slide up the stake, and the increased leverage can pull the stake out - in the middle of the night possibly. With the butterfly the line cannot slide up the stake, so it is much stronger.

The two half hitches, again, must be untied at the conclusion of every camp. Times 8 or 10 stakes, that is a lot of untying! With the butterfly, a tug of the free end and the knot almost disappears. Or at least loosens sufficiently so we can easily withdraw the stake from the loops. And that done, the knot does disappear. No untying required.

My procedure is to pull the stake out of the ground, tug the butterfly's "quick release" to release the line's grip, slip the stake from the now very loose clove hitch loops, tap any grit off the stake using the other stakes, then add the new one to the growing collection in my hand. When I have gone all around the tarp removing the stakes, drum roll ... here comes something important ... I count the stakes before slipping them into their stowbag.

Have you ever heard a camper say "Hey, what happened to all my stakes? I must have lost a few back at the last camp." By counting the stakes before stowing them, you know then and there whether you have collected them all or not. If not, you know where to look - at your feet somewhere. No unpleasant surprises at the next camp for you!

One more item about the butterfly. In times long past I secured the tarp line to the stake with an ordinary clove hitch. That was back in the days when we used "alpine cord" or "parachute cord" which was something like 1/8" diameter. Overkill to say the least. That type of cord was so thick that the clove hitch could be easily untied. But with something very thin like our ray-way white or black line, a clove hitch can be difficult to untie. Usually you can slide the knot off the stake and undo it that way. But not with our ray-way flatline, which almost seems to weld itself to a stake if tied with an ordinary clove hitch. And with these ultra small lines I doubt whether anyone would make the mistake a second time of using two half hitches. The difficulties of untying those would have to be experienced to be believed. But the butterfly is a no brainer. It is extremely fast to tie, exceptionally secure around the stake, and quick and easy to untie when desired.

"The Ray-Way Two Stick Pitch is another Jardine innovation that seems so simple on the surface, but betrays a lot of thought going into it. I love this method: it is very easy to set up and a snap to adjust. Wedded to the butterfly clove hitch, it kicks up the learning curve for proper tarp set-up." -Scott G.

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