Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18
  1. #1
    Senior Member Singingcrowsings's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Montreal, QC, Canada
    Hammock
    Mayan / Freebird
    Tarp
    SLD Custom
    Insulation
    UGQ 30*F / 0*F
    Suspension
    Whoopie / fleaz
    Posts
    730

    Weight load vs. Tarp width

    Hello,

    I'm finalizing my tarp decision hopefully soon, but something that has come to mind is:

    How much does the weight of the hanger in the hammock affect how low it hangs if there is a determined ridgeline? And if there is a significant difference, at what point would one consider getting a wider tarp to compensate for that difference?

    I'm more of a thru-hiker and carrying a house for a tarp does not appeal to me whatsoever. I don't need a home away from home. Just the idea of taking up that much space while camping does not appeal to me. I also understand the difference location makes as far as wind an rain, so I don't plant myself out in the open hoping to see the sunrise if it's a stormy night.

    So, in trying to understand the above, I am looking at how the HH's tarps work, where people claim they stay dry vs. something like a superfly or a tadpole. I keep reading "tarps have gotten larger" for hammocks over the years, is it because they got lighter as well?

    Maybe people have asked this before, I'm sure they have, but much of what I've read is from the luxury car owner's point of view, who like to lounge, and I'm wanting the not so loungy point of view.

    Anyway, blah, blah, blah.... Would a lighter person need a tarp that is less wide in order to help from getting splashed from underneath?

  2. #2
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Jersey Shore, NJ
    Hammock
    Dutch PolyD
    Tarp
    HG Winter Palace
    Insulation
    HG 0, 20, 40
    Suspension
    Dutch Whoopie Hook
    Posts
    14,715
    Images
    3
    I assume by "determined ridgeline" you mean no ridgeline at all, like with Hennessey Hammocks where the tarp connects to the suspension? My first hammock was a Hennessy and almost immediately, I got a continuous ridgeline and hung the tarp independent from the hammock. No way I could put up with the sagging tarp when I got into the hammock. The weight of the hanger would seem to have nothing to do with the sagging; it's just a weakness of the design (one that no other hammock/tarp manufacturer even tries, to my knowledge).

    The weight of the hanger also has nothing to do with tarp width, in my opinion. Sounds like you're pretty set on a postage stamp tarp, in which case you'll probably soon join the Hammock Church of Site Selection, whose acolytes fervently believe that wind and blowing precipitation can be entirely mitigated by proper site selection. However, in my hanging experience the campsites are often selected by the authorities, and the places you can hang aren't necessarily crawling with landscaping features that will shield you and your hammock/tarp from the elements. While there are some areas of the world where prevailing winds come from the same direction up to 70% of the time, I don't hang in areas like that. Shifting winds are what I expect, not predictable winds.

    My experiences with blowing precipitation led me to buy a larger tarp with doors, the HG Cuben Fiber Winter Palace. It's a whopping 8.5 ounces, so it doesn't strike me as a house. If I couldn't afford cuben fiber, I would still get something like the Superfly (19 oz. in silnylon) because nothing can ruin a trip like getting wet or freezing from winds howling under your butt. The tarp is the single-most important piece of equipment in hammock camping; it's not a place to skimp.

    That doesn't mean that others share my views: some folks supplement their tarp with a poncho at one end (again assuming that winds won't shift), UQ protectors or weather shields underneath them, etc. Minimalist tarps hold no interest for me, but it does interest others.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Singingcrowsings's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Montreal, QC, Canada
    Hammock
    Mayan / Freebird
    Tarp
    SLD Custom
    Insulation
    UGQ 30*F / 0*F
    Suspension
    Whoopie / fleaz
    Posts
    730
    Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

    By 'determined ridgeline' I actually meant 'fixed', I just couldn't think of the word at that moment. Ha ha! I've bought a DH Freebird and it has a fixed ridgeline of 100".

    I'm not necessarily set on a postage stamp, I'm just not interested in taking large real estate either, so I'm trying to find the middle ground. I don't need the whole lemonade on the porch affect a lot of people seem to enjoy here, I'm very much a minimalist and am used to a one person tent I can't even sit up in, but I do like the idea of doors when needed. As for the wind, I know know the 180˚ shift in wind well, so I think I'm realistic on that front.

    Currently I'm considering a tarp that's kind of a postage stamp, but has 14" tall beaks on either end, but is only 70" wide. I do know width is more important when it comes to rain splashing under. I thought I could add to it when needed. But that's why I was asking about a hanger's sag, I was wondering how much my bottom would hang down past the tarp compared to a 200+lb man, and if I'm being realistic. I've never even seen a hammock tent hung up other than in pictures, so this is not an easy decision, and no we don't have hangs around here to check things out.

    I don't know, maybe I should just get a Tadpole and some doors and be done with it.


  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Victoria, BC
    Hammock
    Exped Ergo
    Tarp
    Exped Combi
    Insulation
    Sleeping bag+pad
    Suspension
    Eyelet line+ biner
    Posts
    1,468
    To answer your question:
    IMO, with good non-stretch hammock suspension, you will not see much difference in hammock 'sag' between yourself and a 200# person.

    Your new hammock is on its way to you?
    Can you set up your hammock/tarp in the back yard or inside your house/basement/garage?
    You can easily do some experiments with some plastic sheet (vapour barrier from Rona/HD) or a cheap blue plastic tarp to see how small you can make your tarp, since that seems to be one of your goals.
    If you can set up in the back yard, turn on the lawn sprinkler and see how your equipment works in the wet.

    Personally, I absolutely agree with SilvrSurfr that a tarp that will protect from the weather is the most important part of the hammock set-up. I think a 70" tarp is much too narrow when used over a hammock, though it might be OK for a 'bivouac' on the ground (in an emergency).

    Don't forget - you will probably be lying somewhat diagonally in your hammock, and if you even touch the inside of your tarp you will probably get wet from condensation or frost.

    Saving a few hundred grams from my pack would not be very rewarding if I ended up wet and cold as a result - and it could be dangerous, depending on where I camped.

    I don't understand the enthusiasm for being cold, wet and cramped that I see nowadays, when relative 'luxury' is only a few pounds/kg more.
    The outdoors can still 'cause problems' even for the well-equipped; there's no point in pushing the limits by using inadequate gear, IMO.

  5. #5
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Jersey Shore, NJ
    Hammock
    Dutch PolyD
    Tarp
    HG Winter Palace
    Insulation
    HG 0, 20, 40
    Suspension
    Dutch Whoopie Hook
    Posts
    14,715
    Images
    3
    Sag, as you describe it, is really just "how far off the ground do I want to be?" Doesn't matter if you're 150 lbs. or 400 lbs. - you set your suspension for how high off the ground you want to be. I like 18 inches. If you stick with poly straps or Amsteel whoopies there is no stretch in the suspension, so you can dial it in to exactly the height you want.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Singingcrowsings's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Montreal, QC, Canada
    Hammock
    Mayan / Freebird
    Tarp
    SLD Custom
    Insulation
    UGQ 30*F / 0*F
    Suspension
    Whoopie / fleaz
    Posts
    730
    Thanks, both of you.

    VictoriaGuy, I think that might be a good idea to get a more realistic idea of what I'm dealing with here. I guess I'm feeling pressure to have it all figured out, because my hammock was supposed to be here already, but USPS messed up. I'll take your advice, and try a few different configurations to see what s comfortable for me, although I don't have a yard, so can't exactly do the sprinkler thing. BUT it does rain here a lot this time of year, so I'll take it to the river's edge and try it out there. Hopefully the cops won't tell me to take it down before I have it worked out!

    And yes, SilvtSurfr, I'll have whoppies and the proper webbing provided by Dream Hammock, so I guess all is good in the sag department.

    Again, thank you!!!

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Maryville,TN
    Hammock
    HH Explorer Delux w/2QZQ Mo, WB XLC
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    HH SS, HG UQ
    Suspension
    DIY Desending Ring
    Posts
    712
    I have a HH hex tarp and been using it for 5 years. When I set up my hammock I place the tarp about 5 to 10 inches above the tarp ridge line and then angle the sides down. I have been in some major wind blowing rains and have not gotten wet yet. If hung seperate you can always lower it if need be as well.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Chammocks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    North Central Montana
    Hammock
    JRB Bridge and WB Traveller
    Tarp
    Tadpole
    Insulation
    Leighlo and Incb.
    Suspension
    WS
    Posts
    100

    Wind

    I have found that a smaller tarp is better most of the time. I use a tadpole, which is a very good tarp size. It is easier to set up, and most importantly to me it's quieter. It's always windy around here. I hate waking up because of a noisy flapping, snapping tarp.

  9. #9
    Senior Member tri-pod bob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Somewhere in the wilds of Western Mass.
    Hammock
    HH Explorer/BIAS Weight Weenie
    Tarp
    HH Asym/HH Hex
    Insulation
    HHSS/0* Incubator
    Suspension
    HH stock/UCRs
    Posts
    240
    I upgraded from a stock HH tarp on my Explorer to the Hex & glad I did! The extra coverage/comfort during rainy, windy or snowy weather more than makes up for the extra cpl of oz.
    Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.
    Chief Seattle

  10. #10
    Senior Member Fish<><'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Yigo, Guam
    Hammock
    DL1.1XLC/ BIAS WWM/ DIY
    Tarp
    HG Cuben/ DIY
    Insulation
    N/A
    Suspension
    depends...
    Posts
    1,140
    I think it would only make a few milimeters difference in sag of the hammock, but I don't think tarp sag would change from one user to the next. Hang a separate RL for your tarp and get a ctf3 one big enough to cover you and your hammock, like a diamond 8x8 or so, and you will be just as pleased as everyone else for about 2oz less than a big ole honkin ctf3 tarp like the winter palace. Hope this helps. I do reccomend Cuben for a thru hiker.
    "We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it."- G. W. Sears

    My forum name is Fish<><; I'm in the navy; and I hate sleeping on the ground. If I didn't need ground to walk on or measure resistance to, I think I could happily give it up.

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Tarp carabiner non load bearing concern:p
      By Armor Like Fire in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 39
      Last Post: 10-27-2013, 09:28
    2. Cuben tarp width
      By Akers07300ex in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 5
      Last Post: 04-05-2011, 13:53
    3. How much snow load will your tarp handle?
      By SmokeHouse in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 16
      Last Post: 02-10-2010, 15:28
    4. Weight Load Bridge vs. Gathered End
      By BrianWillan in forum Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
      Replies: 6
      Last Post: 09-02-2009, 20:50
    5. How to get more width for a tarp....
      By Rapt in forum Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
      Replies: 32
      Last Post: 10-04-2007, 01:29

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •