PenTarp

[Coffee]

Coffee,

I have used catenary darts on basically rectangular taps to take that slack out of them. The Speer WinterTarp uses them but when I was prototyping I used them on several different tie out configurations with success, even the basic 3 tieouts on each side. Basically the darts pull the loose material tight on the bias along a line between the side guy outs and the ridgeline guy outs. That is one way to handle in on large silnylon tarps. I'll attach a few photos from a 10x10 prototype I made, I assume you have seen how taut the WinterTarp sets up. You need the right size darts, if they are too little they obviously don't take out the slack but it they are too much they cause ripples in the corners or the tarp.

Thanks Youngblood. I have some sil sitting closeby that is going to be made into a tarp similar to yours before the weather gets cold. Now I am trying to make things now to take some weight out of the pack for summer.

I can see from the finished products, that look great, that you made a lot of prototypes to get everything right. I setup my 5'x11' tarp again today. I think it will work for now. The slack I was seeing was it being so long between tieouts. I think I am going to let it stretch out some first. I am really seeing the advantages to a cat cut though.

I remember Risk had a tarp where he used 2 stakes for 4 tieouts. He would stake out the corner, pull the guyline from the corner around the stake, and to another tieout. I am thinking that or a 3rd tieout will work. I'm just trying to get the whole thing under 10oz, so I don't want to get too crazy.

[Graybeard]

6 feet over: YES! you got the idea. Clearly, it would be heavier than a minimalist tarp but lighter than one that offered awning capabilities on both sides, which seems to be the only commercially available option. Knowing that I came to this with zero experience, I was looking for potential drawbacks to the asymmetrical shape that those with more experience might foresee. For more pleasant windbound days the awning could be held up with sticks as you suggest, or with canoe paddles, or guyed to other trees. I've even thought of an arrangement where the lower edge of the awning ran along the bottom of the inverted canoe.

bob

[Coffee]

Take a look at all the comerical tarps setup, that should give you a good idea. The gallery here is full of them.

A couple links, OES that T-Back listed, www.jacksrbetter.com, www.speerhammocks.com (same one linked in Youngblood's posts). Always great resources for ideas in DIY.

[warbonnetguy]

i say just go big, it's not that heavy as long as it's made of sil. a problem i see with your idea is weather protection. the stock hh shape is small and provides very minimal coverage. when the weather is bad, you want good coverage on both sides, not just on the one the weather happened to be comming from when you set your tarp up. wind can shift and the mere confidence you will have with a bigger tarp is worth it, it's no fun wondering if you will stay warm and dry, it's better to know. even a 10x12 rectangle shouldn't be more than a pound.

[Graybeard]

i say just go big, it's not that heavy as long as it's made of sil. a problem i see with your idea is weather protection. the stock hh shape is small and provides very minimal coverage. when the weather is bad, you want good coverage on both sides, not just on the one the weather happened to be comming from when you set your tarp up. wind can shift and the mere confidence you will have with a bigger tarp is worth it, it's no fun wondering if you will stay warm and dry, it's better to know. even a 10x12 rectangle shouldn't be more than a pound.

Warbonnetguy; I agree, as long as you don't mean stupidly big, which I'm sure you don't. My main concern was whether the lack of symmetry would be a problem, and so far I haven't heard anybody say it would be. The actual dimensions needed for good weather protection in weather typical where I canoe is the next issue. I'm now looking at "adequate for good weather protection" on one side and "adequate for cooking under" on the other side. On the actual weight issue, the canoe I built this past winter weighs under 17 lbs. I'll build a second generation of the same basic design next winter and fully expect it to weigh closer to 13 lbs., a savings of 4 lbs. The switch from my current tent to a HH will save 3 lbs. at most and quibbling about ounces won't change that very much. I'll do the tarp big enough to keep me well in weather that I could encounter but probably won't. There's light and there's stupidly light. Being a devout practicing coward I'm wary of the latter.

[Coffee]

If you are refering to the asym shape of the hh vs the tarp shape, than no it will not make a difference.

I have a hex tarp that is close to 12'x10' before cat cuts and stuff. Crazy big to cook or whatever under. Using gross gain ribbin for a border on the tarp, with guy lines, tensioners, and snake skins it comes to about 22oz. I little heavy, but I have been through a lot with it.

I am thinking my next big tarp is going to be 11'x8' with very small cat cuts. Something similar to the Speer winter tarp where I can close off the ends.

Go out and buy some $1 walmart whatever fabric. Do a quick mockup and see what dimensions will work for you.

[Graybeard]

If you are refering to the asym shape of the hh vs the tarp shape, than no it will not make a difference.

I was referring to the asymmetry of the tarp itself, i.e. one side of the ridge being big enough to function as an awning to cook under and relax under on a windbound day but the other side of the ridge only big enough to provide good weather protection when tied down fairly closely.

[Coffee]

I was referring to the asymmetry of the tarp itself, i.e. one side of the ridge being big enough to function as an awning to cook under and relax under on a windbound day but the other side of the ridge only big enough to provide good weather protection when tied down fairly closely.

I toyed around with that idea for awhile. In the end I went with a tarp the same size on both sides. I haven't seen one like that yet. Might be worth looking into. Ease wise though, it's similar to go with 1 size on both.

Some people are using a square tarp setup in a C shape that is similar to what you are talking about.

[fin]

Side note: has anyone made or modified a tarp with extra tie outs so an ‘addition’ tarp could be added on one side, up underneath the main hammock tarp (like shingles on a roof) that could be attached and give the awning effect for longer stays, etc?

6

Why do these ideas all seem to come up at the same time to multiple people? I'm working on just that with my Clark XL tarp extenders. I'll post pics when it's done, but the main problem I'm running into is the "attached when needed" part, and making it taut enough without too much penalty. I also want to make it so that anyone can do the mod with any tarp with parts that can be found easily and be done easily. I've had some PM's with cavediver over the idea. I'm starting with a scale model and testing different fastening ideas first, just like I did with my "tube sock" because my sewing s***s, and I don't want to waste material and time, and I want to test the ideas before I go through the hassle. It's a simple project, yet a very large one for me, and time consuming.

Graybeard, I love your idea and don't see why it wouldn't work. Knowing which side you want to pitch your "porch" would be the toughest thing, as winds switch in the middle of a storm, and all of a sudden you find your porch has become a sail. And all your guy lines have ripped the grosgrain tieouts off the tarp edge. But short of being in a wind storm, it would be great to have something like that - one side larger than the other.

[Youngblood]

I was referring to the asymmetry of the tarp itself, i.e. one side of the ridge being big enough to function as an awning to cook under and relax under on a windbound day but the other side of the ridge only big enough to provide good weather protection when tied down fairly closely.

You don't have to alter the symmetry of a tarp to do what I think you are wanting. All you have to do is pitch one side differently from the other-- with one side down and one side up. There are some pictures of using the Speer WinterTarp like that under my gallery. With that tarp you can tie the corners on the overhang side to get more of a view. With the JBR 10x11 tarp you can shift the ridgeline to exaggerate the backside coverage versus the overhang. I think existing tarp designs do what you are looking for.