I remember reading about crocodile clips and other tarp clips, but I couldn't find that post even with the search tool.

So here's my question, which clip do you like best and why? And how would you compare using your favorite clip versus the old fashion pebble?

I always lost tarp clips when I tried to use them, so I ended up using the grommets, lashing points or tying ropes over the tarp anyhow.
So I guess I would rank the idea of using pebbles or whatever to make lashing points higher than the tarp clips as lashing points.

I used to use all sorts of tarp clips, then I found these

EZ Grabbit

and I threw out/gave away all the clips I owned and bought up a bunch of these. Far, far superior to any sort of clip. Check out the video demos on the website. You will see why these are a much better choice. I'd rather have two of these (even the mini size) than a dozen clips.

My father worked in construction and, when I was a kid, he showed me that if you wrap up a small stone in part of the tarp, then tie a knot at the base of the tarp (under the stone), it works great for holding a tarp in place and making secure mounting points. He used to use this for securing tarps over loads in the dump trucks.

You can see what I mean on here:

http://practicalsurvivor.com/?q=node/28


I got so used to doing it that way I've never used anything else.

Edit: Ah, I see it mentioned in the first post.

Thanks guys for your input.

I have used the pebble method in the past and was just wondering about the clips as I see them in stores. It seems that the EZ Grabbit and gripclip work on the same principle as the pebble but may be less stressful on the tarp as the tension seems to be more spread out. From looking at the videos, the grabbit or pebble approach may be more secure than the clips.

Any other feedback is appreciated.

What the heck YoDuh?

The EZ Grabbit will have the best load bearing ability since it distributes loads over greater area and more uniformly. The gripclip would be preferable over croc style or a rock, but not quite as strong as the EZ.

I don't know if ACE will have them, the link says they are available at Home Depot. I hope ACE does carry them. I like ACE.

Ideally on a reusable tarp, one intended to last for years, like one suitable for camping I punch in extra grommets or sew in ties. Grommets, ideally the sort you get from a marine supply house intended for sails, heavier brass with spurs, get mounted at roughly 12" to 16" centers. Ties work better in the middle.

Construction site or utility tarps are much more temporary sorts of things. Hardware store grommets work pretty well if you run a strip of industrial grade duct tape on both sides before you hammer in the grommets.

I have also simply used duct tape to form loops at the edge. I run the tape down the tarp for about a foot, arrange for a three inch loop of excess and then back on the other side of the tarp for a foot. The tape top and bottom sandwich the tarp. These can be improved if you reinforce the loop by laying in a piece of fiberglass reinforced strapping tape or light line. The ends up on the tarp can be kept down by overlaying with a 3" piece of tape at right angles. The trick here is to round the end so there are no corners to lift.

I have had decent luck with a plastic gripped device that resembles 3" long plastic tongs that are held close with a sliding loop of plastic. Placed so the jaws ride up against the thin rope reinforcement at the edge of the tarp they don't slip. I have bought, over the last couple years, perhaps a dozen of them and they sell for $1 to $2 a pop.

They seem to work well enough. Fairly light but a bit bulky to use as a replacement for grommets and ties on hiking gear but two or four in a kit can be quite handy. I keep a set of six of them in my truck for hauling and have used them with utility tarps and plastic sheeting. On thinner plastic I lay on a piece of duct tape on both sides to spread the load if the attachment is going to be under strain. I have seen ones similar to these under different names.

After some significant testing - I would recommend the Pro Grip in #1.

1. http://www.mcfeelys.com/product/PGP-7040/Tarp-Clips


2. http://spidergroup.net/


3. http://www.tarpline.com/

4. www.acehardwareoutlet.com - homax 5300

Compression clips of this sort are not too bad, but none of them will hold as well as the grabbit. I used clips for quite a long time. They held up better than grommets, but under heavy wind loads would often slip. The problem with clips is the same as with grommets and the gripclip, that being a point stress that doesn't allow the load to distribute well. The grabbits don't create a point load stress, and the greater the load, the stronger they hold. Some clips use the same principle, but again with the point load problems the clips just don't hold as well.

If you see the videos on the Grabbit site, you can see how one grabbit actually defeats a whole handful of compression clips. I discovered the same while trying to tie down a tarp over a load in my pickup using grabbits and croc clips. As I cinched the tie line down on the grabbit, the tension pulled some of the crocs off the opposite side. I went back to the store and picked up some more grabbits and replaced the clips and no more slips, and the tension was as much as I would dare put on a blue tarp. That sold me.

YMMV

+1 for the ghost knot(pebble method). I've never used tarp clips but I've never had the ghost knot fail. Obviously that corner will show wear if you use that a while and then remove the pebble, but it will last far longer than a grommet.

I probably wouldn't use it on a thin, expensive sil-nylon tarp, but ultralight gear like that requires special care anyway.

Benjammin,

I like the idea of the grabbit, but tell me, it seems from the video that you could make these from two sections of household piping. Split one to use as the sleeve which "grabs" the other. If that's the case then you could make these any length you liked. Or am I over simplifying the idea, not having one in hand I could be wrong.

I'd appreciate you input.

Yes Stokie, you are absolutely correct, and I tried that as well. The result was acceptable, but for the time and money I put into it, I concluded that the real units were cheap enough not to waste any time with. As you may note, they do make various lengths, including one that is 20" long, and there's a good reason not to go any longer.

I would advise not to exceed the 2 foot length, as it gets downright frustrating to try and thread tarp through the dogbone any further. The tarp binds up too easily with longer lengths and the dogbone bends too much under load. I made mine out of Sched 80 PVC and dowel, and ended up cutting it in half to make it more servicable, and even so I still preferred the smaller ones. Better just to use three or four smaller ones and cross hitch them to a couple stakes outrigged wider than the length between the grabbits. Cross hitching them negates any load warp on the bind, meaning the load on the tarp is laterally balanced. You get that with any sort of tie down system.