4 season fly for tents, why not hammock tarps

[sliver]

Warning: The following question is probably very naive since I'm a Noob.

4 season tents have flys that go all the way to the ground to prevent snow from blowing up into the space btwn the fly and the tent. How come hammock tarps aren't designed that way?

I've seen all sort of mitigation strategies on youtube like putting your backpack under your hammock with the rain fly on and/or packing up snow walls or adding a rain proof protector to keep your UQ dry. I keep thinking... you wouldn't have to do that if your fly went all the way to the ground.

Am I missing something here?

I bought a WBRR w/Superfly and Spindrift sock. But, I don't think I'm going to be able to rig that tarp close to the ground with the spreader bar. Anybody get this to work?

Thx all of you big hang-dogs.

[Brute1100]

If your not in a bridge hammock you can easily pitch down to the ground... Or close enough to get the same effect... With the spreader bars I don't know what you would do other than live in a sock... I have a Superfly and WWM and I have pitched to the ground once or twice to test... But haven't been in a bad enough storm to really need it that tight though...

[Floridahanger]

You can put all large(in width) tarps to the ground or snow if needed. Just stake at the pullout loop instead of using your guyline.

Now, comes the bad part. You are limiting your headroom, a big problem if your tall and not so much the shorter you are. It's a personal choice to the positives and negatives of the pitch depending on the weather conditions.

Then comes the questions of weight penalty versus intended use. It works for some and not for others. Most folks like the, less fabric/lighter tarp of a smaller hammock tarp, but you have to use what most fits your needs. You could always have multiple tarps for different types of weather expected

[MAD777]

As was mentioned, a large enough tarp will reach the ground. As to it's weight and lack of headroom, well that sounds like a tent to me

We have what's called a hammock sock that somewhat serves the purpose of all around weather protection, although through a different means.

[SilvrSurfr]

Your setup sounds fine. As others have said, you're going to have a severe weight penalty trying to apply the concepts of four-season tents to hammocking. I would think a Superfly with doors would suffice for most weather conditions in hammocking (though I prefer my HG Winter Palace - same basic dimensions as the Superfly but 10.5 oz lighter).

Of course, you could get someone to make you a monster tarp, but your back might not like it while you're carrying it.

[sliver]

Thanks for all of your comments. Hmmm... I was thinking of the superfly w/another 6-12 inches width on each side. An increase of 6in per side only adds 1.7oz. Adding 12in per side would be 3.4 oz according to my calculations.

It turns out there's another problem, though. The width of the material is 120in so you'd have added weight and cost for the seam and seam sealing methods.

I guess the thing to do is get out there and see what's what. Thanks again, guys.

[sliver]

10 oz lighter but twice as expensive. That's actually kind of tempting. What about durability? Is cuban fiber less durable than sil-nylon or roughly the same?

[nothermark]

10 oz lighter but twice as expensive. That's actually kind of tempting. What about durability? Is cuban fiber less durable than sil-nylon or roughly the same?

reports are "better". Silnylon has been reported to mist under heavy rain. You might want to pack a small chamois type cloth to wipe down either one when packing.

[DivaB]

Big tarp, fold in ends, BAM = 4 season baby Extra, Extra big tarp, camp stove with proper pipe, BAM = another version of 4 season. You can run a zipper if you want to mess with that, but why make it harder than it needs to be? Lots of possibilities and most have been done, just with individual style differences. Look up hot tenting with your hammock here on the forum.

[SilvrSurfr]

10 oz lighter but twice as expensive. That's actually kind of tempting. What about durability? Is cuben fiber less durable than sil-nylon or roughly the same?

I've never owned a silnylon tarp, but I can tell you that cuben fiber has virtually no stretch (unlike silnylon) and has been pretty much bomb proof in my experience. I slept through a dime-sized hail storm with no damage. Mind you, a fallen limb is liable to puncture CF, but it's a heckuva lot easier to repair than silnylon.

Once you go cuben, you'll never go back.