Grip Clips... Experiences?

[theBrooke]

Anyone use these?

http://www.shelter-systems.com/gripclips/blowngrom.html

I'm hoping to use some of these on my shade cloth this year, I'm sick of grommets they just break out there.

Hoping to hear playa experiences if you've got em, they are $5 a piece for the heavy duty ones so they aren't cheap...

Sweet [/url]

[robotland]

You can create low-stress anchors for tarps by wrapping the corner or edge (corners are easier) around a tennis ball and then tying a line around the "neck" of the "ball package". Okay. Get it out of your system. What do you WANT me to call it?
You can also use zipstrips, and then tie the line to them. And using small, flat stones (like lakeshore rocks) gives you a little weight to boot. And unless you're profoundly gullible, they're FREE. (Zipstrips are about ten bucks a THOUSAND at good flea markets and discount outlets, but pay a little more and get fewer, so you'll get some that will actually hold.)
Another approach is to glue PVC pipe to the tarp hems, supplementing with zipstrips. This gives you rigidity and strength, but also has a few obvious limitations.

[phil]

I haven't used that brand. I have used another gripper that was flexible enough that the wind would pull them loose by bending one or the other pieces, letting the other piece pop out. I can't comment on these, so my suggestion is to order a pair and see for yourself before springing big bucks for a whole set that fails under stress.

If your grommets aren't holding, you may not have enough fabric around them. Either fold your material a few times or sew extra material where you're going to put the grommet, then punch through the several layers.

See also
http://www.homaxproducts.com/products/t ... index.html
another picture at
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl ... er=269-022
http://hihog.com/feeders_panels/page4.html

[capjbadger]

Add more grommets. This will spread the load out over more points and thus there will be less force per grommet. Most cheap-ish tarps come with too few grommets for the winds out there.

$10 buys you a lot of grommets and a set kit.

[Dork]

Duct tape works well for reinforcing grommeted areas on tarps. Depending on what type of cloth you have you might be able to sew, glue, or tape extra fabric around the area for some extra strength.

And whenever possible, attach tarps using bungee cords or ball bungees. It gives you a little extra give during wind gusts.

[photon]

yes, i have a bag of the heavy duty grip clips by sheltersystems that i bring to save our camp from the brink of destruction every year. they have paid for themselves over and over again. i typically use aluminet for our main shade cloth but everyone else in our camp usually bring tarps and the grip clips are always there when all the grommets start ripping out. they work on aluminet also but mainly when the big winds hit they are worth twice what you paid for them back in the default world. perhaps one of the most valuable items you can bring, just make sure whatever you tie them to is solid because it will certainly fail before the gripclip lets go.

have fun!

[Isotopia]

The grip clips are pretty tough. Keep in mind that they're only as tough as the material you'll be attaching them to.

Grommets on blue tarp are generally a waste of time and if the winds get pretty high on the playa this year I imagine the clips will fail at some point.

Consider thicker material such as the more expensive silver tarp that's probably available at the same place you get the blue stuff.

[unjonharley]

Bi-mart or a store that sells Standfort stuff. It's a plastic clip with a rubber knob. They will take 70 mph winds.