Questions on tarps & how to go about it all

[ShortTripHome]

Hello fellow hangers! I have recently been converted from the ground, and am new to this amazing forum.
I'm kind of overwhelmed by all the info available here, and the great videos, but I'm having a hard time figuring this one out on my own.

So I've ordered my WBBB within the last 24 hours, and now I am deciding on a tarp--on a budget, and was seriously considering the Hex Tarp HH offers.

I have a two part question:
a) Is this a legit tarp that will give good coverage & performance for three season use?

b) does this tarp need it's own strapping system to the trees or can it clip onto the suspension lines for the hammock?

And one more thing. No matter how much i read and watch videos of, I still do not understand WHOOPIE SLINGS

Thanks everyone for all the help I've received thus far! And I now completely understand all the anticipation threads.

[mattyg]

I have the hh hex it's not a bad tarp, mine came with tie out lines. I switched out the stock lines for some of Lawson's glow wire added figure 9's. I made me a continuous ridge line so it has it's own suspension. When it comes on a hennessy I believe it attaches to the suspension lines. If your wbbb has the line suspension it should be as easy as adding some prussic or klehmist knots to the suspension lines. If you got the adjustable webbing it may be easier to do a ridge line of some sort. Hope that helps a little.

[Bubba]

The HH hex tarp will do for you. The down side to the PU coated polyester is the weight. If you are at all weight conscious, silnylon is lighter but of course more expensive.

Whoopie sling are simply a way to reduce weight and bulk for hammock suspension. The are made with a hollow braided line, typically amsteel and are made by splicing to preserve breaking strength since knots can significantly decrease breaking strength. Until you try one in hand it can be difficult to see the concept. Have you seen Grizz's and Shug's videos on suspension?

[AaronAlso]

My $0.02 on tarps...

You don't need as big a tarp as you might think generally 10-12' ridgeline is enough, 8-10' width is enough. For me, 10.5'x8.5 is the perfect compromise between coverage & weight savings.

If you can't afford a fancy tarp right now, then go uber cheap and save your money for a nice tarp. You'll be much happier with a high quality, light weight tarp, more so than a poorly made overly, priced tarp, heavy & bulky tarp. In my experience the PU coated polyester doesn't pack down as nicely as sil nylon.


DIY isn't that hard. If you can manage to become familiar with a thread injector you can make your own tarp for a reasonable price.

All this comes from someone who has bought the largest, smallest, cheapest, and most expensive tarps in search of perfection. Right now I really like the Hammock Gear 4S Cuben, but I understand that not for everyone. It's overkill honestly, I'll admit it. If I had to do it again I probably would only after failing to find a similar tarp in SpinnUL, but a cheap PU coated tarp from walmart will keep you dry and that's what matters.

[R00K]

The JRB silnylon Hex also looks pretty nice for the price.

[MAD777]

I agree that if you ever backpack, you do not want a heavy, bulky PU coated tarp. That being said, if funds are tight because your amassing other gear now too, by the cheapest Walmart, Kelty, etc. tarp to just get you out in the woods now. You can use it for a kitchen tarp while car camping in the future or donate it to some scouts.

Then save your money for a 1.1 oz/sy silicon impregnated nylon (Silnylon, finished weight about 1.4 oz/sy) tarp. You will be happy with the silnylon tarp.

If you ever win a lottery or a long lost rich uncle leaves you money, go for a cuben one then.

[Detail Man]

When you say on a budget, I'm assuming your looking at the PU coated HH Hex. The Warbonnet Mambajamba is a little less than the HH silnylon hex. Wilderness Logics in NC has their Big Daddy and Tad Pole that are definitely worth a look. Keep an eye on the For Sale forum for used tarps. Their are often some good deals to be had there.

Don't underestimate the friendliness of having a lighter weight tarp. How many times might you say, "Man I wished I had paid $ more for a lighter tarp." If you really have to go cheap, then use a blue poly tarp until you can afford to buy or make a nice sil tarp. Just my $0.02.

Yes, all tarps I know of pitch independantly of the hammock. There are some integral tarp/hammock combinations like a Clark, but those are a different creature.

Don't worry about whoopies slings. Get to a group hang this year and check out how everyone else does it. The Warbonnet straps and buckles are about as user-friendly as you can get.

[Pendule]

I have the standard PU HH Hex, it is my first tarp, and I kind of like it, I think it is a very nice tarp for this price. The silnylon Hex is 100gr lighter and almost twice the cost… for me it wasn't a big enough weight difference to justify the silnylon price.
I plan to go lighter, but I'll switch for cuben ;-)

Coverage with the HH Hex is great, the size allow you to pitch very low and block the wind on one side and have a nice porch with a big cooking/whatever area on the other side.

I used to clip it on the hammock suspension "à la Hennessy", it works well, but I finally switched to a separate ridge line with prussiks, mainly to be able to have more space between the hammock and the tarp. Snakeskins are fantastic for the tarp.

Only negative thing I have to say: it doesn't seem to like winter… I don't know if it is a PU problem, but I noticed after 2-3 very cold winter trips, the tarp seems to be more "brittle", some folds are whitish, and the corners seems to have "aged" quite a bit.

Sorry for my english, hope all this makes sense :-)

[MedicineMan]

On whoopie sling understanding, order one (two really); once you get it in your hands and start playing with it you'll soon understand.
While waiting for it to arrive look up a vid or pics of a 'larks head' knot.

When you are looking at a whoopie sling you'll notice it has ostensibly 3 parts at a glance.
The fixed eye.
The 'body' of the whoopie, which you'll see is slightly swollen-this is the 'bury', the place where amsteel (or dynaglide) is inside of amsteel (or dynaglide)...this is also the operation are of the sling. When weight is applied to either end the outer amsteel compressed onto/around the inner amsteel and locks into place ---without a knot---
The third part at a glance is the loop. The loop can vary in size depending on how much of it you pull through the bury toward the fixed eye.
By varying the size of this loop you increase or decrease the overall length of the
whoopie sling and by so doing vary the 'hang'.
The fixed eye is often used (but not always) to larks head around the gathered end of
the hammock.
Once in your hands and in two minutes or less of fiddling you'll be onto it

[Sidewinder]

All this comes from someone who has bought the largest, smallest, cheapest, and most expensive tarps in search of perfection. Right now I really like the Hammock Gear 4S Cuben, but I understand that not for everyone. It's overkill honestly, I'll admit it. If I had to do it again I probably would only after failing to find a similar tarp in SpinnUL, but a cheap PU coated tarp from walmart will keep you dry and that's what matters.

This is pretty much my experience with tarps, except I never went the cheap route.

I found that if you keep your eyes open on the for sale boards, you can get great deals on tarps. Also it greatly depends on your expected weather, seasons and the length of the hammocks you use. Believe it or not it also depends on the spacing of the trees you have available. If I know I'm going to a place where the trees are tightly spaced I will usually bring a shorter hammock/tarp. Even then you can get Beaks to help extend coverage. Lots of possibilities.

S