Isle Royale Forums

Disclaimer: I won't get a chance to test this for real until Sept, but it works great on my basement studs and floor joists.

I always bring a tarp to hang across the front of the shelters on my I.R. trips. And lines to hang things from are always great. I've always managed to use existing nails/screws and make something work, but it's not always what I'd prefer. So thinking about a better way, I've come up with this.

Start with 2 Nite Ize Figure 9 Carabiners (small).
Cut the gate off, including extra metal at the gate hinge end.
Sharpen the point on the open hook end.
The the left is modified, the right one is original. I used a dremel tool with a cutting disk, which was pretty easy. Hook onto a stud or joist like this, and tighten. I tested with a few pounds, pulled in different directions, and was surprised at how secure it was. My only question is if the wood in the shelters is too hard they may not hold (or as well). We'll find out in Sept unless someone else wants to test it out first .

Looks good to me.

Simple, efficient, light weight, and relatively inexpensive.

Now to get to that shelter at Todd Harbor!

I think I need to figure out a way to add a "like" button on posts. Ingo's post would get the first like, and jrwiesz's comment to "get to the shelter at Todd Harbor" would get the second like.

Simple, efficient, light weight, and relatively inexpensive.

That's what I'm going for .

fonixmunkee wrote:I think I need to figure out a way to add a "like" button on posts. Ingo's post would get the first like, and jrwiesz's comment to "get to the shelter at Todd Harbor" would get the second like.

"Like"

"Like"

These worked great! I used them to string a line across the top, hung the tarp from the line, then put gear on the bottom to hold it. The crisscrossed lines were to limit the flapping from the wind that was blowing rain into the shelter (note the very wet floor by the door).

thanks for the pic and update (pictures speak a thousand words!). How many clips did you bring? Anything you would do different?

I had a chance to talk to two Park Service campsite maintenance workers at Caribou Island this past September. They indicated that they were the only campsite maintenance workers apart from the volunteers that staff the north shore from the Ranger Station on Amygaloid Island/ the patrol station at Belle Isle.

They were remarking how adding or installing screws, nails, or other devices to shelters really damage the shelters and that the effect of screws, nails, etc. is cumulative.

These devices appear to be a great substitute for screws and nails. Kudos!

johnhens wrote:thanks for the pic and update (pictures speak a thousand words!). How many clips did you bring? Anything you would do different?

I made and brought 4 (2 sets). One set for the line across the top to hang the tarp from. The other set for a line about 1/2 way up to hang things from. I would suggest that 2nd line just to help calm the tarp in strong winds, if nothing else. Note that because of how the shelters are constructed there's an available stud to use in the front corner, but only above the height of the back wall (4' ?) You can't attach one in a corner any lower than that, i.e. below the "shelf". The angled lines keeping the tarp flat (or flatter) in the wind also used a couple nails already there.

I wish there was some way to secure the tarp better at the bottom of the shelter. The tarp is slippery enough (silnylon) and the wind was strong enough that the bottom blew out a couple times. Crisscrossing the lines across it helped a lot though. Didn't want to risk damaging the tarp by using rocks to hold it--although I suppose you could use rocks and tie off to them. FYI, that's an 8x10' tarp. 9x9 would be about the perfect size--could go up as high as you could reach and width wise would about come to the edge of the door.

Couldn't come up any way to improve on the hooks. Very happy with how they worked. I might make another set for the next trip so I can string a line overhead from the rafters (tried that just to see that it works), but a part of me says that's going to far--"What, you have to hang the light EXACTLY there!"

Redbad wrote:I had a chance to talk to two Park Service campsite maintenance workers at Caribou Island this past September. They indicated that they were the only campsite maintenance workers apart from the volunteers that staff the north shore from the Ranger Station on Amygaloid Island/ the patrol station at Belle Isle.

They were remarking how adding or installing screws, nails, or other devices to shelters really damage the shelters and that the effect of screws, nails, etc. is cumulative.

These devices appear to be a great substitute for screws and nails. Kudos!

I've always thought they could avoid a lot of that if they just installed a few strategically placed eye hooks themselves. But I suppose someone would come along and try to hang a hammock or otherwise have something fall on their head.