Square Flat tarp with hammock

[alt.thomas]

I hope to eventually go to a few places here in Japan where hammocks are not feasible or not allowed -- Southern Alps and Oze.

At the same time, I've always wanted to see how feasible it would be to use one with a hammock but photos and comments were lacking....

The tarp is 8.5x8.5 and is a little over 12 feet on the diaganol.
Hammock is 10.5 feet long.


I don't see problems as long a I pitch the broadside of tarp into the wind.


Head end






No issue with internal space




Foot end



The only concern is what to do with the tip of the tarp when pitched low. I can peg it down or I'll flip it up and tie it down.

[WalksIn2Trees]

I hope to eventually go to a few places here in Japan where hammocks are not feasible or not allowed -- Southern Alps and Oze.

At the same time, I've always wanted to see how feasible it would be to use one with a hammock but photos and comments were lacking....

The tarp is 8.5x8.5 and is a little over 12 feet on the diaganol.
Hammock is 10.5 feet long.


I don't see problems as long a I pitch the broadside of tarp into the wind.


Head end






No issue with internal space




Foot end



The only concern is what to do with the tip of the tarp when pitched low. I can peg it down or I'll flip it up and tie it down.

the only reason most people don't use square tarps is because most commercial tarps are made rectangular, so the trick is always how to make a rectangular tarp work, because they don't have a square one. when people start making tarps, they want the ones with doors, and custom shapes, because if your making it, why not try to optimize your setup?

so yeah, square is fine.

I've found though if the wind picks up and you're in an unsheltered spot, staked out in sand, you need a lot of tiedowns, or those fabric buckets that you can fill with sand to substitute for stakes... remember a tarp is basically a sail tied to the ground

Sent from my SM-T827V using Tapatalk

[slbear]

I think this looks good. Is it an 11' hammock? According to my calculation, the ridgeline of the tarp should be 12' 2", which is a bit long compared to most hammock tarps, but it looks good for coverage.

I picked up a Yama 9x9 square tarp for this very purpose of using both for hammock and above treeline with a bivy. 9x9 might be too long for some setups, especially if you want to bring the tarp very close to the hammock for the weather coverage. In that case, I thought I could potentially move the ridgeline one tie-down to the side, creating a shorter ridgeline and an asymmetric tarp over the hammock. I'm not sure if the 8.5x8.5 will be big enough for that kind of setup, but you could experiment.

I haven't tried the 9x9 square tarp yet. I looked at 8x10' and other retangular flat tarps, various hammock tarps, and Dutchware Gear's Asym Wide tarp before buying it. The 8.5x8.5 square tarp in cuben was out of my budget compared to the used Yama silnylon I found on the forums. I think the square tarps are theoretically better than an 8x10 rectangle because they are more flexible and have a shorter corner to corner distance for hammocking. Flat tarps are theoretically better than the standard hammock tarps on the ground because they have lots of tie-out points along the edges and on the inside for use with a bivy or net tent.

My goal is to use my hammock as a net tent/bivy when I'm above treeline.

Good luck and look forward to hearing your experiences. I want to visit Japan in 2020 and would love to go backpacking.

-Slbear

[alt.thomas]

when people start making tarps, they want the ones with doors, and custom shapes, because if your making it, why not try to optimize your setup?

so yeah, square is fine.

I've found though if the wind picks up and you're in an unsheltered spot, staked out in sand, you need a lot of tiedowns, or those fabric buckets that you can fill with sand to substitute for stakes... remember a tarp is basically a sail tied to the ground

Sent from my SM-T827V using Tapatalk

Main use will be for wind protection and I imagine I'll place the ridgeline at 3/l4 position and have a small roof held up by poles.
I'll definitely bring my hammock tarp with doors if I know I can use my hammock and the weather might be bad.

[alt.thomas]

I think this looks good. Is it an 11' hammock? According to my calculation, the ridgeline of the tarp should be 12' 2", which is a bit long compared to most hammock tarps, but it looks good for coverage.

I picked up a Yama 9x9 square tarp for this very purpose of using both for hammock and above treeline with a bivy.

I think the square tarps are theoretically better than an 8x10 rectangle because they are more flexible and have a shorter corner to corner distance for hammocking. Flat tarps are theoretically better than the standard hammock tarps on the ground because they have lots of tie-out points along the edges and on the inside for use with a bivy or net tent.

My goal is to use my hammock as a net tent/bivy when I'm above treeline.

Good luck and look forward to hearing your experiences. I want to visit Japan in 2020 and would love to go backpacking.

-Slbear

I have the same exact thought. I have a Borah Gear UL bivy and the square tarp fits my need for maximum flexibility. I imagine I'll mostly use the diamond layout up above treeline.
Gen at Yama Mountain certainly make great gear and their tarp was on my shortlist.