Newbie wants full hammock setup.

[Owl]

I think that tarp ridgelines are a matter of personal preference. Most folks love 'em. I tried it, it was alright, but I found it pretty much just as easy for me to just tie off either "end" of the tarp directly to the tree, using Fig 9s to tension and adjust them as needed.

There are a bunch of great ways to accomplish the same thing...you just need to figure out what you like the best.

[FLRider]

Do you find the tarps ridge line stays nice and uniform/ straight/ rigid? Thats my only concern towards not getting one large piece of ridgeline from tree to tree?

If you attach your tarp via tension knots (Prusik or Klemheist) to the CRL, it won't matter whether the line in the middle is taut or not. The ends going to the trees will be, which is what matters.

I find a CRL very useful and easy to set up. It allows me to keep my tarp wrapped up in the Velcro straps I use on it, ready to go above me if the sky drops out. It takes me about thirty seconds to a minute, total, to get from clear sky "watch the stars" set up to monsoon protection. Most of that is actually setting the stakes--so I usually do that beforehand. Easy-peasy.

[Thumper]

Do you find the tarps ridge line stays nice and uniform/ straight/ rigid? Thats my only concern towards not getting one large piece of ridgeline from tree to tree?

The ridgeline stays nice and straight. I use 2 prusik knots to attach my tarp and just pull the snake skins over all. By doing this you can easily adjust your tarp to center over your hammock. Also you can quickly store the tarp in the snake skins and gaze at the stars.

[mattmacman]

Hey guys im still having trouble deciding what tarp i want for the hammock setup, I have decided on;
WBBB DBL 1.1
Dutch buckles + Whoopies
Jacks R Better ridge line
I want a tarp in a hex or similar shape that will give me cover for cooking on the ground and will protect from rain, however looking at tarps such as the WB Mamajamba it seems a bit overkill for my circumstances, im looking at the MacCat Standard or Deluxe but I cant decide as all the pictures show a different view of the size of it (im just very confused). Any suggestions for a tarp are appreciated.

My other question is what should I use for guylines and where can I source this and strong shock cord for tarp tensioners?

[Catavarie]

As for the tarp, I think you'll be happy with either the Standard or the Deluxe MacCat (the deluxe is about half a meter wider and about 10cm longer) as for the lines JacksRBetter sell self tensioning guy lines that help to keep the tarp taught through the night.


Many people (myself inculded) like Zing-It/Fling for tarp ridgelines. It's light weight and more than strong enough to hold up to a storm. Check Amazon for the price of a spool in Australia. Also a lot of people seem to like having a reflective line for tieouts so that they don't trip over them at night.

[mattmacman]

Cheers Catavarie, i think i will go with the Deluxe just to offer a bit more shelter, as for the cord, i actually dont intend to use it for the ridgeline rather for tieouts, but i will look into the zing it/ fling, i would like something reflective so i can see it at night. I would also like to buy shock cord as i would like to make some of my own tensioners.

[kobold]

Hey guys im still having trouble deciding what tarp i want for the hammock setup, I have decided on;
WBBB DBL 1.1
Dutch buckles + Whoopies
Jacks R Better ridge line
I want a tarp in a hex or similar shape that will give me cover for cooking on the ground and will protect from rain, however looking at tarps such as the WB Mamajamba it seems a bit overkill for my circumstances, im looking at the MacCat Standard or Deluxe but I cant decide as all the pictures show a different view of the size of it (im just very confused). Any suggestions for a tarp are appreciated.

My other question is what should I use for guylines and where can I source this and strong shock cord for tarp tensioners?

would this help?

http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier....ccat_tarps.php

for guylines go either with mason line, zing-it (i use it on my ogee) or z-line (from zpacks, i use it on my cuben tarp). bunnings stocks shock cord, but i got better quality from a vendor on this forum, maybe ahe iirc. welcome to hf!

[mattmacman]

Thanks for the input kobold, good to see some more Aussies =)
Im settled on the MacCat deluxe.
one other thing i havent considered was a top quilt, i like the look of the ones on hammockgear.com, specifically the 20 degree burrow. Id like something with a nice big footbox to keep my size 12's nice and snug, but more so to keep my whole body nice and secure in the quilt so I dont wake up cold.
Any suggestions on the quilts is appreciated =)

[kobold]

:-) yep. the maccat is a superb choice, you'll love it.

for my top quilts i bought the jrb shenandoah and hudson river. they can be used as underquilts too.

whenever i get cold at night it's almost always from below, so a good underquilt is more important... i really like and use the most the jrb mount washington convertible and i have a hammockgear winter incubator too. just in case

my quilts - minus the shenandoah - are with an ounce or two of overfill and in long versions if offered (i am 185cm). oh and imho the higher fp is not necessarily worth it, but that's just me nitpicking.

[mattmacman]

Thanks again Kobold =) As for the quilt situation, I would most likely get around 36 degree Fahrenheit nights where i hike, with the lowest realistic being 25 degrees Fahrenheit, would I be best starting with an under quilt and then get a top quilt if i need one?