Couple of newbie questions for the experienced

**waddy** · 02-25-2010, 18:59

#1: Regarding tarp stowage. It seems like a bad idea to stow the tarp wrapped up in the hammock and stuff sack when it is wet, although it is a really handy way to make one small package. I have been thinking of using snakeskins (possibly made of net?) and stowing it separately. Then, set up the tarp and have a dry place to set up the hammock.
#1b: On the Clark 200 tarp, is there a preference for two piece ridgeline, or single ridgeline? It seems to me that the one piece ridgeline would take a lot of strain off the tarp itself.

#2: I keep hearing about the advantages of using a hammock ridgeline to get the same hang every time. Is it possible with the Clark, needed, desireable, another gimmic?

I would value your experience tremendously. Thanks in advance.

**lonetracker** · 02-25-2010, 19:47

1.i have nothing to share.seperate storage is a must if you are backpacking,and its raining.i think your thinking on this is golden.i would go thjat route myself if i was a backpacker.

1b.i have the clark na.i just started useing a one piece ridgeline with it.used it two trips.like it better so far.less fiddleing.can adjust so centered over the hammock easily.can hang it higher above hammock.adds strength to tarp for snow load.

2 http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...lark+ridgeline heres a link written by raw,to a very good thread on the subject.i just did mine.like it so far.

**Bleemus** · 02-25-2010, 20:01

Hammock goes in a Bishop bag and tarp in snakeskins.

Hammock goes in main compartment of pack and tarp goes in stretchy pocket on outside of pack until deployed again.

That is the way I do it. Many ways really. You will find your groove.

Groove on!

**freefall** · 02-25-2010, 20:07

Yep, it would be nice but for quick deployment and to keep you the driest, pack the rain fly separately in a place that is quickly accessible. Get the rain fly hung, set up hammock then adjust as needed.

Since I use a Platy hydration system, I pack my rain fly in one of the sides of my pack usually used for a water bottle.

**BillyBob58** · 02-25-2010, 21:44

Originally Posted by waddy

#1: Regarding tarp stowage. It seems like a bad idea to stow the tarp wrapped up in the hammock and stuff sack when it is wet, although it is a really handy way to make one small package. I have been thinking of using snakeskins (possibly made of net?) and stowing it separately. Then, set up the tarp and have a dry place to set up the hammock..........

That is how I have done it many times. It is particularly handy in the rain/snow when the wind is howling. Then, once the tarp- still in skins- is hung and centered between trees, I partially pull the tarp out of the skins on one end only. Then I am able to get one or two guy lines either staked down or attached either to trees,bushes or roots. THEN, with things partially stabilized, I pull the rest out of the skins and guy out. Some lines might not be tied out exactly as I would like, while I was concentrating on getting every line tied to something to keep the wind from causing tarp craziness. Now, I can go back- if needed- and get each line tied down and tightened perfectly, more or less. Works good for me.

Then if it's really pouring, I might just get under the tarp and catch my breath, take the pack off, put on a warm jacket, and finally hook up the hammock.

Having said that, the original HH snake skin design used one set of skins for tarp and hammock, the diamond tarp with just 1 stake per side- and no tieing to the tree. So, once you hung the hammock to the tree, and pulled everything out of the skins and hooked the tarp to 2 stakes, you were done. It worked really cool, but I never really tried it in really rainy conditions. But the HH people swore it was an excellent technique for wet weather. I worried about 2 things. 1: condensation on the underside of the tarp getting the hammock wet and 2: trying to set up by yourself in wind driven rain, getting the tarp staked out and keeping the hammock dry.

**wickedwayz** · 02-26-2010, 09:15

I know with my NX250 I would not be able to stow the tarp in the same pocket as it is pretty tight. I have the RX250 tarp and I bought the 2 piece ridgeline from Arrowhead Equipment, and couldn't be happier. I also bought adjustable bungees for tying down to stakes or up to trees. This is my experience.