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  1. #1
    Senior Member tygr's Avatar
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    Tarps: How low do you go?

    In rainy conditions, how low should your tarp to hang compared to your hammock?

    I recently bought the AHE Shangri La and in a quick setup in the backyard, I could see that my ENO DN hammock was hanging lower than the tarp. Would that be a problem?

    There was probably enough distance between the edge of the tarp and the hammock that the rain wouldn't get to me, but I just thought I'd ask the experts out there.

    Thanks!
    I'm out... | website

  2. #2
    Senior Member angrysparrow's Avatar
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    Unless there is a lot of wind-blown rain, it's usually not a problem.

    The trick isn't to get as low as possible, as much as to get the hammock ridgeline as close as possible to the tarp ridgeline. That way the tarp shelters you as much as possible.

    Play with hanging your tarp lines lower on the tree than your hammock suspension. It takes a bit of practice to get used to maximizing your tarp coverage.
    “I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy

  3. #3
    Senior Member
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    Not familiar with your tarp, nor am I an expert, but I would think that wind and ground conditions should be factors. I have hung my JRB up high with little pitch in order to have an area to stand up and walk around under during the rain, and then slept under it without issue in a downpour. With a steep pitch in a muddy area, I think splashing might be an issue unless the tarp is a good bit lower than the hammock in a hard rain.

  4. #4
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    +1 on what AS said. The closer the hammock(or it's RL) is to the tarp's RL( real or "virtual RL) the better your coverage will be, ESPECIALLY with non-rectangular (Hex or diamond shaped) tarps. Plus you have to remember that when you get in the hammock, it sags while your tarp- if tied to the trees- stays put. Which puts you even farther from the tarps coverage.

    That's why some folks ( think Sgt.Rock in a hurricane) had surprisingly good protection when using the HH with it's little diamond tarp connected to the HH suspension Prussicks. Now keeping the tarp tight and avoiding a noisy flapping in the wind is a different story and quite a challenge using the tarp that way, no doubt. However, the tarp was automatically very close to the hammock RL. And when the hammock sagged, so did the tarp, so you were still close to the tarp. So coverage ended up being surprisingly good.

    But unless your tarp is both large or rectangular ( and maybe even if it is) you don't want the tarp way up above the loaded hammock when the wind starts blowing the rain sideways. Get them pretty close.

    Quote Originally Posted by Chattooga View Post
    Not familiar with your tarp, nor am I an expert, but I would think that wind and ground conditions should be factors. I have hung my JRB up high with little pitch in order to have an area to stand up and walk around under during the rain, and then slept under it without issue in a downpour. With a steep pitch in a muddy area, I think splashing might be an issue unless the tarp is a good bit lower than the hammock in a hard rain.
    JRB is a good tarp, both fairly large AND rectangular.

  5. #5
    Senior Member RootCause's Avatar
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    +1 on the "it depends" answer.

    When the rain is falling straight down, I try to get the tarp edges as far out as I can so that the runoff is as far from the center of the tarp as possible. Height at the edge doesn't matter much then.

    When the wind is blowing, I lower the windward edge.

    But the key is: hang the hammock above the tarp ridgeline. Like AS said above, that maximizes your use of the tarp's coverage.

  6. #6
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    The beauty of the tarp is the versatilty. Cold or windy, close it down tight.
    Warm and nice, leave it up high and open.

    HYOT
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Dave41079's Avatar
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    I can tell you what I do, but I also say that everyone needs to figure out what works best for them. I always hang my hammock ridgeline as close to the tarp as possible, typically they're touching. On the windward side, I stake the tarp down to the ground, leaving around a 12-18" gap along the bottom. On the leeward side I pitch the tarp in porch mode, with my guylines going at pretty steep angles towards the ground. By doing this, if the rain starts blowing in, I can slightly loosen my guylines on the porch side, remove the hiking poles, and tighten my guylines back up. This essentially makes this side mirror the other, and I'm pretty well covered. My guylines are mason line whoopie slings with the tail towards the tarp, so I can adjust it without getting out in the rain. Pictures tell the story better than my words, so here you are. You can see where my tarp ridgeline is attached to the tree vs. my hammock suspension, and in the last picture I am laying in the hammock, so you can see how close my tarp is to the hammock with weight in it. Like I said, this is just what I like, and as always, HYOH.





    Visualize whirled peas.

  8. #8
    Senior Member pgibson's Avatar
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    I will pile on with the it depends camp. Wind during the rain storm is the major factor in how to pitch. During the ID hang last September we had a pretty constant drizzle most of one day and night. I left my tarp pitched with the porch out using my trekking poles, stayed plenty dry under the tarp. Just added a little slope to the pitch so it would drain and not pool on the tarp. If the wind had come up bad I would probably have dropped that side down for more protection.
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  9. #9
    Senior Member tygr's Avatar
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    Wow! Thanks for all of the good advice. I kind of figured that different conditions warranted different configurations.

    The descriptions and photo examples are great! Thanks!

    I'm also having struggles with the suspension lines angling upward and preventing the 11' tarp from hanging taut, but close to the hammock's ridgeline.

    Right now, I'm clipping the tarp to prussics on the whoopie slings. Should I change it to a crossover attachment to the trees ("north" side on one end, "south" side on the other)?

    I've seen the great illustration on the thread Rigging A Tarp For A Hammock. But with a ridgeline of 100" and a tarp at 132", I don't know how that works without disfiguring the shape of the tarp on the ends; or raising it quite a bit higher than the hammock ridgeline.

    Sorry if I seem a little confused.

    BTW: Dave41079, that's some heavy reading you've got going in that last photo. Maybe it's one of those "objects are much closer than they appear" shots.

    Thanks again!
    I'm out... | website

  10. #10
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Hey .....tarps are too much fun.
    I did some videos for Noobs ..... PART 5 starts with Tarps.
    Might help you out.
    http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=15516
    Enjoy the time here.
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

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