Nightmare Problems With Bell Tent Guy Ropes & Slides
When bell tent guy ropes and slides fail, the results can be catastrophic as bell tents rely heavily on these two elements to stay pitched.
Slide/Tensioner Failure
Definition
The purpose of the slide on a bell tent is to apply tension to the guy rope, which in turn applies tension to the canvas and gives it its shape. They are also known as tensioners. They come in all kinds of different shapes, sizes and colours, but essentially their purpose remains the same. Below is an example of a wooden slide. Slides are also made from metal or nylon.
Occurrence & Avoidance
Users will often talk about slides failing, but frankly, it’s hard to find a slide that doesn’t work. People get upset when they find they are constantly having to reposition their slides, but better that the slide moves than it stays fixed in place, and so any adverse loads are transferred into that movement, rather than into the canvas of the tent. In short, a moving slide protects the canvas from tearing.
Nylon slides can become brittle when exposed to UV, painted metal slides can chip and rust, wooden slides can become mildewed and even rot. All slides will need monitoring for degradation and may need replacing on occasions.
If rain and/or wind is forecast, apply tension to the slides in readiness. A common failing is that users will then neglect to slacken off the tension once the bad weather has passed, and so they are constantly adding more and more tension to the canvas causing it to stretch and distort very quickly. Use the slides thoughtfully and allow the canvas to ‘relax’ during good weather.
Some suppliers will encourage you to use a locking slide such as this one. There is no doubt that a locking slide will stay put on the guy rope. Their grip on the guy rope increases with pressure (such as windy conditions) and so they do not move. This is an attractive prospect when you have several tents pitched, each with 15+ guy ropes that need constant adjustment with each change of weather, however these are not without their problems as they don’t slide.
If the sliding function is removed, during windy conditions, the power of the wind is transferred to the canvas itself which can tear – the slide prevents this. During windy conditions, the regular slide moves a little whilst remaining in position enough to keep the tent erect. For this reason, some will choose to fit locking slides to every other guy rope, while others prefer to fit them to every single guy rope.
Bell Tent Guy Ropes & Failure
Definition
The bell tent guy ropes (also known as a guy lines), in connection with the pegs, serve to give the canvas its shape and to hold the tent erect.
Modern guy ropes are made from synthetic nylon of varying thickness which doesn’t shrink or slacken with each wet and dry.
Occurrence & Avoidance
Nylon guy ropes can breakdown when exposed to UV and this can be spotted by a lightning of the colour. They can also fray if the ends are not adequately sealed and they can snap eventually, particularly when they have degraded to some degree and too much tension is applied.
When you first receive your tents, using a sharp knife remove a small section from one of the guy lines (each guy line should arrive with plenty of spare). You can then keep this section indoors and use it as a benchmark. You will be able to use this section to spot colour loss (UV degradation) and so replace the guy lines ahead of any issues arising.
Frayed guy lines can easily be addressed with a simple cigarette lighter. Heat seal the ends by touching them in the flame and roll the guy line between a damp thumb and finger. Take care here though as hot nylon can burn.
