Continuous Ridgeline

[Madrone]

What's the advantage of a continuous ridgeline?

[Jcavenagh]

1. A CRL can provide support over the entire length of the tarp. If strung under the tarp, then the fabric rests on the CRL all the way across. If strung above the tarp, then the support advantage is not fully realized. However, some tarps have a center loop which can add support to the central portion. for example, see http://www.zpacks.com/large_image.sh..._door_up_l.jpg

2. A CRL also allows for a greater and easier degree of side to side adjustment. One can slide the tarp toward one end or the other to ensure full coverage of the hammock. While this can be done with separate ridge loops at each end, it is far simpler to just slide the tarp along a CRL. This is true if one uses prussics at each end or if one uses the direct connection CRL as demonstrated by dejoha in the video here...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLupiOygs0s

3. The CRL can also act as a clothesline to allow drying/airing clothes overnight.

[pizza]

I have tried rigging my tarp a few different ways and have just gone back to the over the top continuous ridgeline. To me, I found it to be the easiest, fastest, and least hassle to set up. I like to use a small #1 metal S-Biner on one end of the line and loop the line around one tree and clip it off. On the other end of the line I use a Dutch Fly to tension the ridgeline. I use prussics to slide the tarp along the line for centering. For line it tends to be work best if you use a narrower diameter and/or more abrasive line for you prussics than your actual ridgeline. I use ZingIt for the ridgeline and Speer No Tangle for the prussics. The No Tangle line has a more abrasive sheath and seems to bite/hold a bit better.