Pitching a Basha/Hootchie - help

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hobbitboy

Forager
Jun 30, 2004
202
0
38
Erm... it's variable
Just been playing with my Basha in the garden and havin a few issue's pitching it. Can tie the knots all fine. But it seems to be "saggy" and i cant seem to get the sheet to stay tight and firm. Am I just being really dense? Or is there a skill to it??
 

tomtom

Full Member
Dec 9, 2003
4,283
5
38
Sunny South Devon
yeh.. its difficult to say as it depends on how firm/rigid the thing you have tied it to is.. doesnt matter how good your knots are if its tied to a sappling which bends in the slightst breeze
 

Neil1

Full Member
Oct 4, 2003
1,317
63
Sittingbourne, Kent
I normally secure my basha with a round turn and two half hitches, all other points are tied off with truckers hitches on half weight paracord, this keeps the whole unit very taught.
Neil
 

tedw

Settler
Sep 3, 2003
513
3
67
Cambridgeshire, UK
I've often used bungees on at least some of the tie-down/suspension points. Maybe not very "bushcrafty" but it keeps the basha taught!

Ted W
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,347
2,361
Bedfordshire
Gary beat me to it!! Or something very like it. :)

I was wanting to post something like this since I saw a couple of bashas at both the BCUK meet up and the WG that sagged.

This is how I have my basha set up. I have a long line run through all the loops on the central ridge, including the loops on each end, even though they seem turned the wrong way. That main line is tied with an Evenk (sic) and a tensioning knot. The four guylines from the corners are either tied to logs, trees, or pegs. I like the knot that is shown in Ray's Bushcraft book, regular knot used to tension tent guy lines.

Finally, and this is probably where the problem is, the ridge of the basha is tensioned. I have short lengths of paracord, 6-8", tied to the ridge end loops. These lengths are attached to the main ridge support line with CLOVE hitches. The hitches can be moved up and down the line with fingers. By sliding the hitches up towards the support trees the basha ridge gets tensioned. In fact you can put enough tension in that the other loops along the ridge don't rest on the ridge support line anymore.

This is very like the arrangement used on the Hennessy to tension their rainfly, only they use a better knot than a simple timber hitch, which is probably what Gary meant :roll:


If anyone has a better description, post it up and I will remove my rather bumbling explanation above :rolmao:

Note:ARGRGH Clove hitch, not Timber! :banghead: wrote this out while at work and far from favorite knot book :roll:
 

Stew

Bushcrafter through and through
Nov 29, 2003
6,436
1,274
Aylesbury
stewartjlight-knives.com
C_Claycomb said:
Gary beat me to it!! Or something very like it. :)

I was wanting to post something like this since I saw a couple of bashas at both the BCUK meet up and the WG that sagged.

This is how I have my basha set up. I have a long line run through all the loops on the central ridge, including the loops on each end, even though they seem turned the wrong way. That main line is tied with an Evenk (sic) and a tensioning knot. The four guylines from the corners are either tied to logs, trees, or pegs. I like the knot that is shown in Ray's Bushcraft book, regular knot used to tension tent guy lines.

Finally, and this is probably where the problem is, the ridge of the basha is tensioned. I have short lengths of paracord, 6-8", tied to the ridge end loops. These lengths are attached to the main ridge support line with timber hitches. The timber hitches can be moved up and down the line with fingers. By sliding the hitches up towards the support trees the basha ridge gets tensioned. In fact you can put enough tension in that the other loops along the ridge don't rest on the ridge support line anymore.

This is very like the arrangement used on the Hennessy to tension their rainfly, only they use a better knot than a simple timber hitch, which is probably what Gary meant :roll:


If anyone has a better description, post it up and I will remove my rather bumbling explanation above :rolmao:

Chris,

Do you really use the timber hitch, or are you getting muddled?
timber_hitch_03.gif

Timber Hitch

I'm sure it works but I would have thought that a prussick (or one of it's variants would be better.
13.gif

Prussick
 

Gary

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 17, 2003
2,603
2
57
from Essex
Cheers Stew - I want to correct Chris but couldnt find the pictures! :super:

Although it has to be said the Prusik isnt the only knot useful in this sense a taunt line would do just as well or even a midshipmans hitch, anything to tention the tarp.

Timber hitch works for securing one end of the ridge line to a tree while the other end needs a knot which will take up the tention - whatever knot you use this end make sure you add a slip for ease of removal.
 

Stew

Bushcrafter through and through
Nov 29, 2003
6,436
1,274
Aylesbury
stewartjlight-knives.com
Gary said:
Although it has to be said the Prusik isnt the only knot useful in this sense a taunt line would do just as well or even a midshipmans hitch, anything to tention the tarp.

Agreed that there are a number of different knots that would work, but for Chris' method, I don't think the taut line or midshipman's are appropriate either. He's not tensioning the tarp against the tree but against the line that he's strung between the trees.
It's an idea I like because once you've set it up once, you don't need to undo the prussicks again.
Thanks for the idea Chris!
:biggthump
 

ScottC

Banned
May 2, 2004
1,176
13
uk
Hmm, so you use the prussik knot on the ridge line one knot either side of the first and last loops?
 

Gary

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 17, 2003
2,603
2
57
from Essex
Chris and I are using the same technique just different names - this might need expanding upon.

I think Chris is describing the same technique we teach at Bearclaw and I taught at woodlore too (and is still taught there I guess) - which seems to be the most generic one although as pointed out his hitch was the wrong knot for the job ie, as per Stews picture a timber hitch is used (as the name suggests) for tying to timber and in the timber hitches case is used in the lumber trade for pulling logs.

So back to the basha,

The ridge line is slung between two trees - ideally the evenk knot is tied one end and a tentioning knot the other to take up the slack. The basha or Hootchie is already hung from this by passing the ridge line through the central four of the 6 top loops. The end loops (at each end - and here is where me and chris differ as I leave these outside the ridge line to create a small gable) are attached with a prusik knot (a loop of approx 6") so once the ridge line is taunt the shelter sheet can be stretched in both directions to make it taunt also.

This done the guy lines are run out at angles which are alined with the corners of the tarp. Each guy line is pegged or tied off with a taunt line hitch and slip - once all four corners are tied the hitches are slid back to take up all the tention and thus pulling the sides of the basha taunt too.

Not the best picture but ......

course01003.jpg


Hope that made sense.

And easier - more thermally efficient style is .....

hootchie_015.jpg
 

ScottC

Banned
May 2, 2004
1,176
13
uk
Thanks for elaborating on that gary, that is the way i was shown to put one up at a course.
 

alick

Settler
Aug 29, 2003
632
0
Northwich, Cheshire
If weight isn't too big a deal, I like bungie cords for convenience. There's a brand about now that has no metal parts, just a fixed nylon loop one end and a loop closed with a fastex clip at the other - otherwise a tied loop of shockcord would be cheaper and lighter. Like Chris I thread the ridge line through all 3 centre loops on my tarp or the five loops along the edge before tying it off. In this pic, the trees were close and it was easy to snap the bungie around a tree.

80IMG_0817a.jpg


If it's further between trees, I have a couple of prusik / klemheist loops each with a small snaplink attached, these are really fast to fix around the ridge rope and the tarp and bungie go in between under tension.

Guys are tied off with a simple sliding knot.

This is a silnylon tarp from kathmandu trekking. It's a bit odd because it has an offcentre seam where two pieces of fabric are joined to make up the width. Seems OK :)

Cheers
 

Squidders

Full Member
Aug 3, 2004
3,853
15
48
Harrow, Middlesex
This may sound like a stupid question (Coming from me, what else would you expect?!?)...

What's the reason for the ridge line running the full length? why not just tie the two ends to the tree and pull them tight? I tried this, in fair weather, and it works a treat, no small loops or bungies needed. I admit, it probably puts a little more stress on the basha but I can't see, other than hanging things off the line, any benefits of the normal way.

Could anyone enlighten me?

Cheers

Joe
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,347
2,361
Bedfordshire
Yes.....Chris named the wrong knot :roll: :doh: :rolmao:

Whether it is the "right" knot or not, I have been using Clove Hitches on my basha. My knot book talks about prusiks needing the main line to be twice the diameter of the line you are tying the knot in...whatever relevance that has :?:

As Gary rightly guessed, that was how they showed us when I was on the Woodlore course, though I thought that they used simpler hitches than the prusik. It was something that had had me puzzled for ages as it is a detail that does not show well in photos unless you are trying to show it specifically.

The ridgelines used by Woodlore are about 6mm, their reasoning was that if something fell off the tree that hefty ridgeline cord would offer some protection. Not entirely convinced myself. Anyway, I have been using regular paracord, so that isn't much help.

Having not experimented much with not having a ridgeline I couldn't say what the pros and cons might be, but would be interested in hearing them.
 

leon-1

Full Member
I have a tendency to use shock cord on the loops of my basha, this gives me a good tention pretty much all the time. Not everybody gets on with it, but it's an option.

It works tree - cord and then cord to shock/bungee cord, hope this helps :)
 

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