How To – Richard Rathe's Reflections

DIY Neck Strap Phone Holder

I’ve used two-part “holster” cases for my phone over the past ten years. Now that phones are nominally waterproof I converted one into a neck strap phone holder for sailing, kayaking, canoeing, etc. This is a vast improvement over the “bag” cases which protect the device from water (not needed) but degrade the camera (not acceptable).

The first thing I did was cut off the belt clip with a hacksaw. The result is not pretty but nobody’s going to be looking at it! [Aside: I really don’t like belt clips. They are often uncomfortable and a good way to lose whatever you have clipped!]

My initial effort used light paracord as shown below. The rope was a bit uncomfortable on my neck. I added a bit of clear tubing as a guard but this did not help much. Note the Breakaway Knot (sometimes called an anti-garrote knot!). It is designed to fail with a stiff pull when the strap catches on something so I don’t get strangled!

My take on a breakaway knot is pretty simple. It’s just a Double Overhand Knot (a simple knot with an extra turn) with a loop from the other end tucked through it. I’m not sure I’ve seen exactly this configuration before, but every breakaway knot I’ve seen has some sort of “constrictor” knot on one end with an open loop passing through it. I like this design because it is easy to tie and lies flat.

I purchased some bulk polyester webbing and tried again. This was much more comfortable! One difference I found was the knot was easier to break. Just proves that knots behave differently depending on what material they’re tied in. I think it is adequate but time will tell?!

Then there’s the issue of attaching the phone securely when it is not around my neck. I reworked my design with a small sewn loop and two simple knots as show here. Turns out the little loop was unnecessary but I like the way it looks. Anything tied between the two knots would break the case material before it detached!

*Version 2.1 w/ Webbing and Secure Loop*

The phone hangs upside down so I can pick it up and view the screen right side up. The case is friction fit so I just slide the phone in our out. To take a photo or use the flashlight I just pop it up about 20%. You can reverse the phone and completely cover the screen if needed (blowing sand?) but this exposes the camera lens.

Two Thoughts: 1) There is very little written about breakaway knots, but they are clearly useful; & 2) Why, why, WHY don’t phone cases routinely cover the camera len(s)?! This particular case could have a little nub of plastic sticking down to cover the lens when the phone is fully engaged—but it doesn’t.

Marmot Tungsten 4p Tent Review

Here is my “unpacking the box” review of the 2023 Tungsten Four Person Tent from Marmot. Overall the materials and workmanship appear to be excellent.

Basics

This is a classic “dome tent” with a rectangular floor and several features of note…

Lightweight aluminum poles define the four corners and are connected by a hinge at the peak. The segment nearest the ground is “pre-bent” to keep the sidewalls near vertical. Two end sections are blue to help guide setup.

You can erect the basic structure with only the “footprint” (aka custom ground cloth). This is nice and not possible with many tents. It creates a stable clean surface to unfold the tent itself. It does not seem possible to put up the fly without the tent (if it’s raining or as a sun shelter).

The tent walls clip onto the frame easily, followed by the cross-poles. These pull out the door panels yielding near vertical sidewalls. I really like this design. Many similar tents have a single cross-pole, with less door clearance and stability.

At this point you have a reasonably strong free-standing tent that you can move around as needed. Note that no stakes were needed up to this point (on a non-windy day).

The large doors are identical. There are four traditional small gear pockets near the corners and two “headlamp defuser” pockets in the ceiling. There are also four attachment points around the peak so a gear loft would be possible (but not included).

The fly is a standard “staked-out vestibule” design. It takes four stakes (or rocks, tree roots, etc.) to fully shape the fly. Again note that the fly door is wide and crosses the midline. This would not be the case with a single cross-pole. There are two small pop-out vents in the fly, one next to each door. It remains to be seen if these are adequate when the doors are completely closed. It is not obvious if the doors can be rigged partially open.

This slightly distorted panorama should give you an idea of the interior size. When car or beach camping I bring lightweight cots as show here. For two people, each with their own door, this tent is palatial! It would be confortable for three, but very cramped for four adults.

Specifics

I discovered three things that were not obvious and not documented as far as I can tell.

First, if you look at the panorama above, notice the left sidewall is higher than the right. It is unclear to me why this is so?

Next, there is a second set of four grommets under the fly that should be positioned over the ends of the cross-poles (gold webbing in photo). These are very hard to find unless you know where to look!

The third is to engage the large black clips over both poles where they cross. This doesn’t affect the fly, but gives the entire tent structure more stability.

Oddments

With respect to ventilation and water intrusion, the non-door sides of the fly have small tabs for staking out. This is a very common design feature that is often ignored in the field.

My approach over the years is to tie short loops of bungee cord to these tabs. This makes it easier to stake out the sides and keep them taut. Water is forced away from the floor/sidewall and ventilation is greatly improved!

Here is the tent fully deployed with four stakes on the ends and two on the sides. With the addition of the side stakes this becomes a very stable structure and is likely to perform well under windy conditions.

Fully Staked-Out - Note Vent Left of Door — *Fully Staked-Out – Note Vent Left of Door*

The hardware that comes with the tent is minimal: eight stakes, four 6ft lengths of cord, and an emergency pole repair sleeve. Many online commentators have pointed out that there are not enough stakes to fully secure the tent (no stakes for the pole tie-outs and sides). This is less critical than it seems. First it is rarely necessary to stake down every possible point. Second, it is often necessary to augment the generic stakes with sand-screws or other specialized substitutes (like tying to a rock or tree root).

Treehugger Hitch

This is an idea I’ve been incubating for some time as a non-destructive “place anywhere” alternative to nails in trees or breaking branches to hang things on. Shown here is my first successful field test! It is tied using a short stick or similar object found locally.

The main flaws with this implementation are the stretch in the second reef knot and the tendency for the loops to converge allowing the hook to turn sideways.

After some experimentation I think I’ve improved on the initial design in Version 2. The main difference is making the loops around the stick more constrictive so they slip less. I also eliminated the need for the first reef knot.

Step 1

Find the middle of the rope and loop it loosely around the tree at least two times (three is best). Then tie it temporarily with a half surgeon’s knot. Note that the middle of the rope hangs down to attach to the bottom of the stick!

Step 2

Wrap the lower loop around the base of the stick at least twice. Adjust its position by sliding more or less rope through the surgeon’s knot.

Step 3

Untie the surgeon’s knot without disturbing what you’ve done so far. Wrap the stick about a quarter of the way from the top as follows: a) Take the first rope and wrap it twice below itself as shown here.

Step 4

b) Now wrap the second rope twice above itself. This will leave you with loose ends on opposite sides of the wraps. Tie these two ends together with a reef knot or your equivalent of choice.

Step 5

At this point you may adjust the “lay” of the hook buy twisting the stick and working the rope. This will be easier of you put a light load on it. Any excess rope will hang down out of the way.

Step 6

Once the hook is stable, you can load it up with gear and even packs!

Step 7

And you can hang your hat on it!

Summary of Steps

Wrap the tree from the front with the first loop (middle of the rope) slightly longer. Tie loosely with a half surgeon’s knot.

Wrap the longer (middle) loop around the bottom of the stick.

Untie the surgeon’s knot and wrap one rope below and the other above.

Tie the two ropes with a reef knot.

Note the minimal number of wraps are show above for visual simplicity. In practice I recommend wrapping the tree three times, and the upper stick twice with each rope (four turns total).