parallelogram tarp?

[nickelanddime]

Looks like this weekend I'll have a whole day to myself so I figured I'd make a tarp. A bunch of random ideas went through my head besides just a hex cat tarp, but I figured I'd bounce them off some minds with experience before cutting anything.

The first was a tarp that had 3 sides on one half of the ridgeline and 2 sides on the other with the 2 sided half being drawn out in size to provide a bigger porch, but to also include extra tie outs on that side so it can be done up like a full hex tarp.

The other was to cut the tarp like a giant parallelogram with three tieouts per side so that the extra triangle of fabric on each side could be wrapped across to the other side like a door making a big sealed off hex tarp.

Hadn't put too much thought into either just yet.

Have a great day.

[NCPatrick]

How about a circular tarp... a "dome" tarp... Just kidding. I know, I'm not helping...

[angrysparrow]

How about a circular tarp... a "dome" tarp... Just kidding. I know, I'm not helping...

A hammock tipi perhaps?

[Preacha Man]

A hammock tipi perhaps?

Why not, Grizz made his Quonset hut, and it looks AWESOME

[nickelanddime]

How about a circular tarp... a "dome" tarp...

visions of an inflatable silnylon bubble fill my head

I do like the tipi, if I were going to sleep on the ground I'd go with something like this

[slowhike]

visions of an inflatable silnylon bubble fill my head

I do like the tipi, if I were going to sleep on the ground I'd go with something like this

last trail days (07) i talked to Brawny, the writer of that article about hammocks.
she was working out of the AntiGravity booth, a few doors down from Speer Hammocks.
she was skeptical that she could keep the simplicity & weight down as w/ her ground shelters, but not long ago she said in an email that she was experimenting again w/ hammocks.
i need to drop her a line & see how that's going.

[Coffee]

Brawny's book to is a good read and told a lot about her past. Well worth the read.

How about a non-parallelogram tarp. Basically one where the sides are longer than the ends. On my hex tarp I think there is a lot of wasted room on the ends. I think if I would have made the sides 2 feet longer it would have gave me a lot more coverage on the ends. I didn't have any problems. But I had to center the hammock more than I like to.

[nickelanddime]

Yeah, those articles are great, a lot of good stuff for people just starting out but when I first found it I think it was one of those sites that unless you are real specific in your searches it is hardly ever at the top.

HE - I get real hung up on language trying to visualize things sometimes, do you mean a hex tarp that is two feet longer from ridgeline to ground or a hex tarp that more closely approximates a rectangle by using those two extra feet to pull the bottom corners out? Or do you just mean make the entire tarp two feet longer along the ridgeline?

Sorry to overcomplicate...

[Coffee]

Ahh yes the visualizing thing.

I made mine 12' long. I made all 6 sides the same. Then I added the cat cuts. Taking the cat cuts out of the equation. I would still make it 12' long along the ridgeline. I forget the exact length each side came to, something around 78" sounds fimilar. If I were to do it again I would make the sides parallel to the ground around 100" or so and then made the sides leading up to the ridgeline a lot shorter, whatever that would come to be.

It would basically mean there is more material on the ends to protect the head and foot end to blowing rain. I am thinking that is more important than width. My last one was 10' wide, I think my next is going to be 8' wide.

Incert all of the disclaimers here. This is just what I am going to be.

[nickelanddime]

I "see" now, thank you for the useful experience.

I think I'm wanting too much and need to just stick to the idea of having something small, simple, and light for when it is just me. I can always use my sg tarp when group camping warrants it.