How to set one up
- 1Lay out the tarp over the area you want to keep dry.
- 2Attach a guyline to each corner with two half hitches or a bowline.
- 3Pound in stakes about 5 feet away, at ~45° from each corner.
- 4Tie taut-line hitches between the stakes and the tarp's corner grommets (these let you re-tension later).
- 5Build the uprights — join two Scout staves with round lashings for each pole (or use trees).
- 6Rig the ridge line — secure it to the poles with half hitches, run it over the tarp's center, and stake the ends.
- 7Raise the tarp and tension all the guylines so the fly is taut and pitched to shed rain — no sags where water can pool.
- 8Tree option: tie guylines to nearby trees instead, but pad the trunk so the rope doesn't damage the bark.
When to use it
- Rain shelter over the cooking and eating area — the classic patrol dining fly.
- Sun shade in hot weather and a dry hub to organize camp around.
- Tarp shelters for sleeping (lean-to, A-frame) in ultralight and survival setups.
Common mistakes & safety
- Pitch it taut and angled so water runs off. A sagging tarp pools water that gets heavy, drips, and can collapse the fly.
- Stake and guy for the wind. A loose tarp is a sail — a poorly staked fly can pull out, whip around, and hurt someone or wreck the tarp.
- Watch head height and trip lines. Set the fly high enough not to walk into, and guylines where people won't trip (flag them if needed).
- No open flame right under a tarp. A stove flare under a synthetic tarp is a burn/melt hazard, and enclosing a stove risks carbon monoxide.
- Protect the trees. Pad any trunk you tie to so the rope doesn't girdle the bark — a Leave No Trace rule that keeps the tree healthy.
- Mind lightning. A tarp is not lightning protection — in a storm, the campsite and lightning rules still apply.
Going deeper
- Angle beats flat. Even a "flat" dining fly should be pitched with a slight slope so rain sheds instead of pooling — a pooled tarp holds shocking amounts of water.
- A tarp is a whole shelter system. The same tarp-and-guyline skills make lean-to and A-frame sleeping shelters for lightweight camping.
- Trucker's hitch for tension. Many campers finish a ridge or guyline with a trucker's hitch for extra mechanical tension; the taut-line hitch is the adjustable standard.
Official source
How to set up a dining fly at camp — Scout Life →A knot workout: two half hitches or a bowline on the corners, taut-line hitches to the stakes, round lashings for the poles.