Is it Guy Lines or Guylines?
Whichever way you spell them, they are important when you are tent camping. Guy lines are important for a few reasons. They keep the rainfly away from your tent body, and this prevents rain leakage. They also add stability to your tent in windy conditions.
Keep your tent dry
Condensation collects on the inside of the rainfly in cool and wet weather. If your rainfly rests against your tent body, that condensation will work its way inside your tent. Use guy lines at the bottom of the rainfly to keep the edges away from the body of the tent. This will keep the rainfly away from the tent body and hopefully decrease the opportunity for leakage. Tent fabrics tend to sag as they get cool or wet. Make sure you check your guy lines before you hit the hay to make sure the lines are taut.
Keep your tent standing
Properly placed guy lines increases your tent’s structural stability. Attach the guy lines to the loops halfway up the rainfly. Check underneath your rainfly and see if there are Velcro loops. These loops should attach to your tent’s poles. This just adds extra stability when using guy lines for stability.
Set up each guy line so it is close to a 90 degree angle as possible. Put your stakes far enough from your tent to accomplish this. Drive your stakes into the ground at an angle to prevent them from coming out of the ground in high winds. Be careful; however; long guy lines become tripping hazards. Keep an eye out when it is dark to prevent trips, falls, and equipment damage.
Secure your guy lines
The first time I took my tent out there was rain in the forecast. I got the body up and threw over the rainfly. I have the guy lines in my hand, and I have no idea how to tie them to my tent. I could tie them with a standard knot, but it would have taken hours to get the knots out. I devised a pretty simple temporary solution, but it was not ideal. I really wish I would have watched this video before heading out.
How to tie a tent guy line
(Disclaimer: the footage is very jumpy and shaky. I tried to find a different video, but this one was the shortest with still having only the necessary information.)