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  1. #1

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    Asym vs Hex: If you could only have one...

    I currently have a Twisted Root Designs Tempest 90 rainfly which works well and provides a good amount of coverage, but it's heavy (about 23 oz.) Since I'm mostly car camping with my son's scout troop, it'll be fine most of the time. However, I'd really like to get my son into backpacking and looking for something lighter.

    I don't plan on doing any winter hammock camping (yet), so I've been looking at Dutchware tarps and can't decide between the Asym and Hex. Objectively, the Hex provides greater coverage at the cost of 6 or 7 ounces, while the Asym is lighter but a bit less versatile. For example, with the Hex, it's feasible to cover one open end (say, with a poncho or another small tarp) in the even of heavy weather. With the Asym, the best you could do is bring it closer, use the alternate (non-corner) ridgeline points and add a few extra tieouts to stabilize it. We'd mostly be camping in the Northeast (PA, NJ, maybe NY) where weather can be unpredictable and maybe having something more storm-worthy out of the gate would be a better choice?
    Last edited by CVKealey; 07-02-2018 at 10:21.

  2. #2
    TxAggie's Avatar
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    If you only want one tarp that is the most versatile, I personally say the hex. Especially for someone learning how to hang their tarp, the hex allows greater room for error. You can always get an asymmetric down the road once your skills and personal comfort level get to that point.

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  3. #3
    Senior Member Wanderlost's Avatar
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    As a disclaimer, I use both a hex and an asym and my asym is designed pretty much like Dutch's. An Asym is meant for minimal protection; it's great for that summer shower that pops up out of nowhere. It won't - even using the alternate RL option - give you all that great of protection if the rain is coming anywhere but straight down. It also has very little room for error in setting it up. Like TxAggie said, especially if you're just starting out, you're much better off going with a hex. Even a shorter sided hex (mine is 48" on each side ) offers more protection at roughly the same weight. My shortie hex (308g) - which happens to be my go-to tarp - is only 17g heavier than my asym (291g), both made out of Xenon 0.9. It's more than proven itself in nasty squalls with near sideways rain. I wouldn't even consider doing that with an asym.
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  4. #4
    Senior Member kitsapcowboy's Avatar
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    I daresay I am one of the biggest proponents on Hammock Forums of the virtues of asym tarps; however, if I were in the unenviable situation of having only one tarp -- and that would suck -- I would own a hex tarp over an asym -- not because a hex is "better" but because light weight and small pack size are not always the top priority, and those aspects are the asym's chief advantages. (Really, I would choose a rectangle tarp over both of those if I only had one tarp, but my choices were limited in the OP's hypothetical question.)

    That said, if you were going to replace a standard hex tarp with an asym tarp over a typical 11-foot gathered-end hammock, a widebody rectangular asym tarp like Dutch's or one of my K.I.S.S. tarps (particularly the Glasgow variant) is definitely the way to go. You absolutely can pitch it properly and batten down the hatches to stay high and dry in some pretty bad weather, but doing so is not as easy as it is with a hex tarp.


    Last edited by kitsapcowboy; 07-02-2018 at 13:17.
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  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by kitsapcowboy View Post
    I daresay I am one of the biggest proponents on Hammock Forums of the virtues of asym tarps; however, if I were in the unenviable situation of having only one tarp -- and that would suck -- I would own a hex tarp over an asym -- not because a hex is "better" but because light weight and small pack size are not always the top priority, and those aspects are the asym's chief advantages. (Really, I would choose a rectangle tarp over both of those if I only had one tarp, but my choices were limited in the OP's hypothetical question.)
    I wouldn't be opposed to a rectangular tarp (that's what I've used pretty much my entire camping life; just most of that time has been with a tent rather than a hammock), but it seems they're out of fashion and nobody makes them. I've also been looking at the tarp I have and wondering how much weight I could save by cutting it into a hex (just lopping off where the seams already exist, as shown below). It's still heavier weight material than Xenon, so I don't think I'd get anywhere close to the weight of a Xenon hex, and I'd be eliminating the possibility of using it in "tent"/A-frame mode.

    Tempest_90_-_Full_Setup_wt_Background_1024x1024.jpg

  6. #6
    dakotaross's Avatar
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    I started out with the asym as part of the HH setup and never had an issue. But I had a bottom entry hammock, so the asym was always setup right at the hammock RL. I can't imagine doing that with a top loading hammock. So, if the tarp has to be higher and you can only have one, its the hex.
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
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  7. #7
    Senior Member kitsapcowboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CVKealey View Post
    I wouldn't be opposed to a rectangular tarp (that's what I've used pretty much my entire camping life; just most of that time has been with a tent rather than a hammock), but it seems they're out of fashion and nobody makes them.
    You can make one yourself

    Properly proportioned and appointed, a well thought-out rectangle tarp can give you the full-enclosure protection of a winter tarp with packability and light weight that rivals a hex tarp, while still offering versatility for a variety of applications, including tandem hangs, weather protection over bridge hammocks, and ground pitches.

    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...at-Tangle-Tarp

    Advantages include the following:

    * It is built from 8 yards of standard-width fabric (only one yard more than a hex tarp), so it is extremely cost-effective for the area of coverage it provides.

    * It packs almost as small as a hex tarp and weighs under one pound (when built with relatively sturdy 1.1 oz fabric).

    * It provides full-enclosure with "doors" in fall and winter and has internal pole compatibility for double poles.

    * It provides superior wind-blocking with lots of options and a generous protected area from both sun and rain when pitched wide in warmer weather.

    * It has a great porch mode, including a "floating" option with internal poles.

    * It has a convenient "hex" mode ("doors" folded under) to provide weather protection with superior ventilation and views.

    * It allows for tandem hanging with two 11-foot hammocks side by side using a 36" spreader bar.

    * It works well with bridge hammocks.

    * It is relatively easy to cut and sew.

    If you're looking for "one tarp to do it all", a 12x10 rectangle tarp made from lightweight Dutchware Xenon like the Cat Tangle seems like a very good jack-of-all-trades option, IMHO...




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  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by kitsapcowboy View Post
    You can make one yourself

    Properly proportioned and appointed, a well thought-out rectangle tarp can give you the full-enclosure protection of a winter tarp with packability and light weight that rivals a hex tarp, while still offering versatility for a variety of applications, including tandem hangs, weather protection over bridge hammocks, and ground pitches.

    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...at-Tangle-Tarp

    Advantages include the following:

    * It is built from 8 yards of standard-width fabric (only one yard more than a hex tarp), so it is extremely cost-effective for the area of coverage it provides.

    * It packs almost as small as a hex tarp and weighs under one pound (when built with relatively sturdy 1.1 oz fabric).

    * It provides full-enclosure with "doors" in fall and winter and has internal pole compatibility for double poles.

    * It provides superior wind-blocking with lots of options and a generous protected area from both sun and rain when pitched wide in warmer weather.

    * It has a great porch mode, including a "floating" option with internal poles.

    * It has a convenient "hex" mode ("doors" folded under) to provide weather protection with superior ventilation and views.

    * It allows for tandem hanging with two 11-foot hammocks side by side using a 36" spreader bar.

    * It works well with bridge hammocks.

    * It is relatively easy to cut and sew.

    If you're looking for "one tarp to do it all", a 12x10 rectangle tarp made from lightweight Dutchware Xenon like the Cat Tangle seems like a very good jack-of-all-trades option, IMHO...
    That does look like it would be the ideal solution, but me & sewing don't exactly get along. I'm OK with a thread & needle (stitching popped seams or sewing on a patch or two), but mechanized sewing is well outside my comfort zone. I have this totally irrational fear of the needle going through a finger (because I saw it once in a movie).

    I have several "cheap blue poly" 8x10 foot tarps. Maybe, just to see how the shape and hang of an Asym works for me, I'll trim one of those down (or just fold over and duct tape) to 6x10' (which is about the dimensions of Dutch's, I think).

  9. #9
    Senior Member kitsapcowboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CVKealey View Post
    I have several "cheap blue poly" 8x10 foot tarps. Maybe, just to see how the shape and hang of an Asym works for me, I'll trim one of those down (or just fold over and duct tape) to 6x10' (which is about the dimensions of Dutch's, I think).
    Dutch's is 6' x 11', but that will give you a pretty good idea on the cheap.
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  10. #10
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CVKealey View Post
    I wouldn't be opposed to a rectangular tarp (that's what I've used pretty much my entire camping life; just most of that time has been with a tent rather than a hammock), but it seems they're out of fashion and nobody makes them.
    I like my cuben fiber HG Winter Palace with doors. It's 8.6 ounces and keeps me dry in all weather. I started with the tiny HH asym, but found that inadequate. While hex tarps have better coverage, I still didn't like the lack of doors.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

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