I use spring clothespins in place of twisty ties for plastic bags in the kitchen. These are much faster & easier to use than the plastic & wire twisty ties. Does anybody else do this or am I weird?

I use binder clips (office stationery) for the same purposes.

eeph

Hmmm, I tie knots in the end of the plastic.

I wonder if clothespins would work for shelter building, to hold a tarp?

They're probably not strong enough. I've thought about using the spring clips sold in hardware stores - typically used to press glued wood together. They are much much stronger and still fairly small.

I've thought about using them as heavy duty clothes pins to hold tents and sleeping bags up to dry when in the field - most important on windier days.

My wife and I use clothes pins to keep bags closed in the kitchen. Sometimes bulldog clips (the metal office clips), because I have a few of them. Bulldog clips are right up there with duct(k?) tape, and zip ties. One can never have too many or too much.