Evening Latte

The most common way to anchor a sideline pop shade is ground stakes, but there are some situations where stakes are either annoying to use or significantly less effective. This is a simple setup that allows me to use pretty much any heavy object to tie down a pop shade.

Items

• 4x Nite Ize CamJam cord tightener
• 4x Nite Ize G-Series dual chamber carabiner
  • Any moderately sturdy aluminum or steel carabiner will work, but I prefer dual-chamber.
  • For this model, I like size #3.
• 50ft or more of 4mm paracord
  • I prefer a more visible color like safety orange or day-glow green
• Good scissors
• A lighter

Instructions

1. Cut four lengths of paracord that are about 10ft long each
   
2. “Finish” all paracord length ends
   • Pull the sheath back and cut about 1/4″ off the center strands
   • Push the sheath back forward so it extends past the center strands
   • Use a lighter to carefully melt the sheath end, rotating the cord for even heating.
     
3. For each length of paracord
   • Tie one end to the carabiner (I use a round turn and two half hitches knot, but dealer’s choice)
   • Thread the other end through a CamJam, then put a half-hitch on the tip to prevent it from accidentally coming back through.
     
4. If you’re feeling confident, cinch all the knots, then very carefully pass a flame over them until the contact points of the sheaths fuse. If you do it correctly, this will nearly eliminate the risk of them untying, but if you introduce too much heat, you’ll burn holes in the sheath.

Attach the carabiner to anything heavy on the ground (gear bag, cooler, etc.), looping if needed. Then hook the CamJam to the frame of the pop shade in each corner, pulling the knot at the end of the paracord to get the appropriate tension. I’ve used this setup on a few shade brands, and the hook of the CamJam has been just wide enough to loop directly over their frames. But if the frame of your shade is too wide, just loop the cord.

I now prefer this to stakes for a few reasons:

• Its usefulness is not affected by play surface (very hard soil, very wet soil, artificial turf)
• I think pop shades seem more stable and less likely to break in higher winds when they’re:
  • Anchored on the upper frame as opposed to the bottoms of the legs
  • Anchored to points that “give” a little under pressure (like a bag/cooler shifting or being lifted slightly) as opposed to rigid points like stakes
• I don’t have to carry around a stake hammer (or find a substitute)
• People (including me) have a knack for tripping on stakes, regardless of how out of the way they are. People seem less likely to miss neon-colored paracord, especially when the anchor is directly under the frame connection point.

As of this writing, the CamJams, carabiners, and 100ft of quality paracord cost around $40.