Pitching a Tarp Part 1: Preparat i on - Att ach i ng cordage t o our T arp To enable quick-pitching of a tarp, it is best to have it fully prepared with all the necessary cordage attached. For the purposes of this article, we will assume the tarp is a simple, square or rectangular piece of fabric with appropriate attachment points for cordage. Here is one way of preparing such a tarp: 1. Attac h Guy L ines to all Four Corners For each corner, we recommend a 3 metre length of cordage. This cordage can be, for example, tent guy lines, paracord or accessory cord. The tarp should have attachment points on all four corners. These are usually in the form of eyelets or loops. We are going to tie some paracord to the loops, for this example. An acceptable knot for this purpose is a simple overhand knot, threaded back through itself. T o do this , fir st tie a loose overhand knot, as in F ig. 1: Fig. 1: Tie a loose overhand knot Leave plenty of cord after the knot - a bit more, in fact, than shown in the photos above and below. Next, feed the end of the cord through the attachment point on the tarp (Fig. 2). Here we have chosen to use the loop as the attachment point, rather than the eyelet. This leaves the eyelets free should you ever wish to use the tarp a grou ndshee t, pe gg ing it down with spe cial gr oundsheet