11' or 12' Tarp Ridge Line??

[SnrMoment]

I'm waiting to see too. Have a 12 x 10 footer with the ridge line sewn and the rest of it ready to hem/carve.

[Brancher]

I'm waiting to see too. Have a 12 x 10 footer with the ridge line sewn and the rest of it ready to hem/carve.

Looks like we're gonna break 50F today with sun and not too much wind - a unique combination for these parts this time of year. Gonna try to get out and play with this thing. I'll have pics tonight if I can.

[MAD777]

I have two tarps, one with a 12 foot ridgeline, the other with 11 foot. There have been some beautiful hanging spots that I had to pass up with a 12 foot ridgeline. My 11 foot tarp has doors and I feel this is the perfect solution for my 11 foot hammock. I get 6 inches of overhang beyond my 10 foot hammock ridgeline, which allows me to set the tarp low for good protection on the sides. Closing the doors protects the ends of the hammock.

[2Questions]

I have two tarps, one with a 12 foot ridgeline, the other with 11 foot. There have been some beautiful hanging spots that I had to pass up with a 12 foot ridgeline. My 11 foot tarp has doors and I feel this is the perfect solution for my 11 foot hammock. I get 6 inches of overhang beyond my 10 foot hammock ridgeline, which allows me to set the tarp low for good protection on the sides. Closing the doors protects the ends of the hammock.

For a 10 foot hammock, a 10 foot RL tarp with "vestibule style" doors will give more protection that a 12 footer without them.

[Brancher]

Okay, I went out today and got some pictures. AFter playing around with this thing, I found some interesting stuff. Keep in mind, I only have ridge line dee rings installed for this 12-footer - the rest of the tarp was hung using tarp clips.....plus, I did not tieout the middle of the tarp, just the corners. And last, I dod not cat-cut anything yet - final length determines length and depth of cuts as you guys know.

I used an 11-foot hammock with a 9-ish foot ridge line for the work done.

What I discovered was the following:

1. This tarp is LONG - especially with 4-ft-wide sides coupled with the 12-ft length. Looks inordinately long, in fact. Plenty of room on the ends, but - it is needed?
8x12 tarp.jpg

2. In order to get the hammock to fit well under the 12-footer, I really do need to hang the hammock at less than the 30* or so that is the norm. But when I get in, of course, the hammock sags more so it is not really mixing with the tarp suspension. The bed I used today had a whoopie suspension, which allows for more 'sinkage' than just a cinch/tree hugger arrangement.
8x12 tarp 8.jpg

3 Okay given that, I ended up hangintg the tarp about 4-5 inches above my head (I'm 6' tall) and hangint the hammock very close, with a less-than-20* angle, so it would be just under the tarp.

4. Coverage. Of course, when I did that, I got plenty of vertical coverage for the bed - no issues whatsoever - so I thin the 8-ft-wide part is fine. It's just a matter of do you want to tuck this thing so close up to the top of the tarp at such a low angle in order to get that coverage.
8x12 tarp 6.jpg

5. So the last thing is - Can I get enough end coverage with an 11-ft length. If I can, then that would allow me to regain my optimal hang angle and not have to fret so much about it. Disclaimer: I did fret about it today, but I m sure if I retained that 12-ft-ridge, it'd be second nature within a day or two, just like everything we do more than once or twice..

So check the pictures out. I think, after considering everything, I think I'm gonna chop off a foot or so and go with an 11' ridge. I think in my case, that'll give me the coverage I need while allowing me not to have to fiddle too much or too high.

[JP_dog]

Consider keeping the sides long and making small doors. You will have to angle in the sides but not as much as with a rectangle. Draw a line from your desired Ridgeline to the corners for your doors

[Brancher]

Consider keeping the sides long and making small doors. You will have to angle in the sides but not as much as with a rectangle. Draw a line from your desired Ridgeline to the corners for your doors

Actually, I had thought of it as well - in fact, I think the HG st cuben tarp has that arrangement (I think it's them). Problem is, I need 11', and splitting the extra foot will only give me 6" on each end....not enough for adequte doors and probably more trouble than it's worth. If I had kept the tarp at, say, 13 ft, then it would be quite viable. I may just try it anyway since the sewing....ahem, thread injector is already out and working. I'll look up the HG page and see what the difference in length is.

On my 11X10, I had a rectangle but put tabs about 22" in from the corners on the bottom edge - that allowed for doors with the ridgeline being the LONG side and bottom edges being the SHORT sides - in this case 11' less 44". Like the Superfly, Winter Palace, eetc.

Thanks.

[JP_dog]

You also might consider doors on only one side.

[Brancher]

You also might consider doors on only one side.

Or I could go with one door, and attach the 'door hinge' ties farther back than just 12 inches - I go back 18" to establish a 36" door.....hmmm I should probably do some cipherin'.

later.

[Hammonkey]

I have a 12' x 10' hex, and in my opinion 12 is too long for my ENO. because of the long width I am unable to really snug the tarp down over my hammock due to the distance it needs to cover and what the suspension lines can accommodate. The longer tarp you go, the higher you have to hang the tarp above your hammock.

Personally my next tarp is going to be 11'x8' rectangle (instead of hex) that will have 2 middle tie outs so I can close the corners in like doors when it's really bad out. I'll be prototyping with tyvek first though so I can really dial in the specs I want before I got spending money and precious time sewing expensive sil.