The Patrol Dining Fly

For the Troop, the dining fly is a basic piece of equipment, but an extremely important piece of equipment. During the warmer camping seasons, it provides a comfortable shaded area for the scouts to congregate under, and they usually place it right over their camp kitchen. It also provides us a place to take cover if it rains and protects the patrol’s kitchen equipment.

Commercial versus Home-Made

The Troop has used some commercially manufactured flies and “pop-up” canopies but have not been impressed with the strength of the tarp or poles they provide. It has been the troop’s experience that the commercial canopies, although costing $120 or more, will fail at the first heavy rain or gust of wind.

With a little effort and much less money, the troop can make its own dining fly that will be custom sized to its needs. A simple home-made dining fly with tarps, poles, ropes, and stakes that easily stores and transports only cost less than $60, and can last for years. Furthermore, a home-made setup is far stronger and sturdier than the pop-up shade tents that can be purchased for double the price.

Once you have properly prepared your equipment and practiced the set up a few times, you will be able to set up your own dining fly in less than 10 minutes. It should take you no more time than it does to set up your tent.

The Equipment List….What You’ll Need

• 1 – 10′ x 15′ tarp
• 4 – 6′ poles/staves
• 2 – 8′ poles/staves
• 6 – 3″or 4″ studs or long screws
• 100′ reflective paracord rope for guy-lines
  • 4 – 19′ length
  • 2 – 12′ lengths
• 10 – 12″ stakes
  • A small sledge or hammer to set the stakes

The Tarp

Camping tarps can be purchased cheaply at most hardware stores, including Home Depot, Lowe’s or Harbor Freight. Wal-Mart and Target also have them. The tarp size for this set up can be as large as 10’ by 20’, though a slightly smaller tarp may be more manageable (ex: 10′ x 15′). The tarp will need to have grommets at each corner and midway on the 2 long edges.

Most tarps are manufactured with the grommets already in place, however, you can also install your own with a simple grommet installation tool. If you are able to find a tarp with a cord sewn into the edge of the tarp, this is a better choice than one without as the cord adds strength where you need it most. Also tarps with re-enforced corner grommets are recommended.

Setting Up The Poles

The poles are typically made of pressure treated 2X2s with a 3” deck-screw, sunk 2″ into the top of each pole. The exposed screwhead is what passes through the grommet on the tarp and is where you tie the guy-lines.

The four 6′ poles are for the corners and allows most scouts to walk under any side of the fly with ease. The two longer 8′ poles are for the ridge-line and gives the fly a nice pitch for any rain to run off.

Staking It Down

Selecting stakes for your dining fly is one of the most important tasks you will have when designing your setup. Matching the stakes to the soil is very important. For example, metal 12″ galvanized nails work well in hard, rocky ground, while wide plastic stakes work best in soft, sandy soils

12” long galvanized nails can be purchased, typically for less then $1 each at a local hardware store.

Guy Lines Complete The Picture And Hold It Tight

The final element you need is the guy-line. A total of 100’ of rope is required, which can be purchased at most stores that sell hardware, or camping supplies. Each pole takes a single rope and each guy-line needs to be long enough to run from the top of the pole to the ground at about a 45-60° angle and be tied at both ends.

For the 8’ ridge-line poles, the 12’ rope is needed. Tying a permanent bowline loop on one end to secure to the pole’s stud and then extending the line perpendicular from the tarp’s edge to your ground stake.

For the 6’ corner poles, a 19’ rope will work, folded in half, connected to the pole’s stud with a Lark’s Head knot. You can then extend each of the 9′ working ends of your rope in two directions, paradelle with the tarp’s edges to your ground stakes.

All guy-lines will be connected to a ground stake using a Taut-line Hitch, pulled tight to keep your canopy taught, allowing it to shed rain.

You can use ¼” manila rope, however the troop prefers to use 550 paracord. While the natural fiber ropes will stretch less under strain, the synthetic paracord is stronger, more durable and resists mildew. Regardless of the type of rope used, the ends of the ropes need to be “whipped” or “fused” to prevent the rope from unraveling.