Tarping a portable hammock stand

[SpitballJedi]

I've been looking through the forums and elsewhere trying to find a good design for a portable hammock stand that I can also use my tarps with.

I occasionally see people ask the same question, but I'm not finding solid answers and I can't seem to find any pictures of how people are using tarps with portable stands.

I weigh almost 300#, so the stand needs to be solid. My tarp has a 12' ridge. I live in an apartment, so I can't just dig in some posts, but there is a spot where I can hang for testing new gear and that's where I will use it most.

Anyone have any ideas, suggestions, or links?

[howlinmadman]

I have a turtledog stand and I string my tarp up to an eyebolt on each end of the ridgepole. My tarp goes over top of the ridgepole and with the eyebolts sticking up an inch or so the tarp doesn't even touch the ridgepole if I string it tight enough. For a 12' tarp you will have to make a longer ridgepole to accommodate it, maybe three 4 1/2 to 5' sections!

[IrishSitter]

Like howlinmadman, I also have eye hooks at the peak of my turtledog stand (simply screwed into the top end of one of the 2x2s).

I have also simply draped the tarp over the ridge pole, but this is less effective when using my bridge. I did add a 3 foot extension to my ridge pole to give me 13 feet to accommodate some larger hammocks and tarps. I used some duct tape to cover any part of the ridge pole that might abrade the tarp.

[jamaulwall]

I have a turtle dog stand as well but I typically run my tarp underneath the top rail. I have end caps on the top rail that have hole running through them. They work well to hang my Superfly from. It does make it a little snug for space underneath but that's a tradeoff for using a stand. I will note that I tried a 3 section top rail and it bent on me (no issues with a 2 piece top rail). I weigh 195 lbs so you'd need a stout top rail to handle your weight is it's going to be long enough to accommodate your tarp.

[SMJerry]

You don't have to watch the whole video. but toward the beginning I show you how my stand works..

[jamaulwall]

You don't have to watch the whole video. but toward the beginning I show you how my stand works..

This video shows what I was trying to describe on my setup. I do it the same way, only I use a continuous ridgeline.