First tarp advice....

[Pompompaihn]

Howdy again everyone,

With my first hammock (11' Dangerbird) currently "In Progress"....pretty exciting in it's own right....I need to really buckle down and figure out my tarp situation. Me and a friend got absolutely killed by thunderstorms this past weekend backpacking in Wildcat Hollow so the idea of weather protection is strong in my mind! Now, I'm completely new to everything hammock....but I'm looking for the best overlap of cost and weather protection. I've had the Superfly in mind, but from reading a few snippets here and there on the forums it may not be the best solution for me getting an 11' hammock d/t it's 11't ridgeline. Also looking at the OES 4-season tarp because it offers a 12' ridgeline. Basically anything you can give me is good information, as I have yet to actually -hang- a true hammock (outside of a ENO, and even then not correctly....) I may be just overthinking this process. I really like the idea of something with "doors", though, because I may camp with my dog from time to time and I think this will be similar to him sleeping in a tent vestibule. Plus, the obvious weather protection factor. Think that's it....thanks ahead of time!

[Trail Runner]

Your DangerBird will have a 110" (9'2") ridgeline leaving you 10-11" of space on either end with an 11' tarp. An 11' tarp with doors like the Superfly provides plenty of coverage and would've almost certainly kept you high and dry during your recent Wildcat Hollow experience. Several of the vendors here on HF sell quality tarps and there are some who sell add-on door kits for their tarps.

Good luck and welcome to forums!

[mattyoc20]

I use a superfly with my 11' roaming gnome and it works just fine. I;ve had a couple different tarps but like the superfly the best. Plenty of coverage and works great in the winter time. Worse case you buy it and if you dont like it, just sell it on here when you get up to 50 posts. They go pretty quick without losing much value.

[SilvrSurfr]

Better research OES customer service before considering a purchase from them. An 11 ft. ridgeline is plenty for an 11 ft. hammock, unless you just want to carry more weight. I think the Superfly is the best silnylon tarp you can get for four-season camping, unless you wanna mortgage the house for an HG Winter Palace (I did).

[Pompompaihn]

Your DangerBird will have a 110" (9'2") ridgeline leaving you 10-11" of space on either end with an 11' tarp. An 11' tarp with doors like the Superfly provides plenty of coverage and would've almost certainly kept you high and dry during your recent Wildcat Hollow experience.

That's the info I was looking for! Knock on wood, I stayed out of the rain pretty well. My Mountain Hardwear tent is pretty bomb proof, but hotter than heck when all buttoned up for storm duty. Plus my sleeping pad sprung a leak so after sleeping essentially on the ground in a humid tent trying to dry out my socks a foot from my face...yeah...I'm pretty excited to be hanging on my next trip!

[ntxkayakr]

Sounds like you are a backpacker and weight is a significant issue but you were not specific.
Something like WB Silnylon Superfly should work but if you need to go lighter consider Cuben Fiber. If car camping only then something heavier and cheaper than Silnylon may work. Personally I would not use Silnylon in some coastal areas due to the strong winds well over 40 mph.
Length should be just fine.

[DeRozea]

I have 11' dream hammocks (thunderbird and darien) and will not use an 11' tarp. I have the Edge tarp and love it for my 10' switchback hammock but when placed over the longer hammock it did not cover my whoopee hooks or cinch buckles. with no coverage there, water can soak into the hammock itself. not worth the risk. Sure I can keep the tarp lower, but then I may as well crawl into a tent. tarp right above ridgeline offered no extra protection even after I switched to a shorter continuous loop through the end channel. stick to 12' ridgeline. wilderness logics makes them, UGQ makes them and a few others I have no experience with. I did email Marty at warbonnet but they are not making custom 12' at this time.

[Pompompaihn]

I would say 60% backpacking and 40% "car camping". My backpacking adventures aren't anything crazy or adventurous though, just leisurely strolls 5-6 miles at a time, so while less weight is good, I can't even imagine spending $$ on cuben fiber tarps at this point. My MH tent weighs in at almost 7 pounds so just switching to the hammock is going to save me a ton of weight over what I'm used to. Can anyone point me in the direction of why I should avoid the OES tarps? Their 4-season has a 12' ridgeline and comes in a fair amount cheaper than the UGQ or Wilderness Logics winter/door tents. Side note, would I be better off getting something like the Wilderness Logics Big Daddy or Tadpole and upgrading to the door kits down the road?

[SilvrSurfr]

I have 11' dream hammocks (thunderbird and darien) and will not use an 11' tarp.I have the Edge tarp and love it for my 10' switchback hammock but when placed over the longer hammock it did not cover my whoopee hooks or cinch buckles.

Sounds like your suspension is too long, which is more a fault of your suspension than your tarp. All my hammocks are 11 ft. long and I've had zero issues keeping my Dutch whoopie hooks under the tarp, with five or six inches to spare. I personally don't want the extra weight of a 12' ridgeline, plus it also affects the hangle (30%) and you might end up with a flatter angle, putting more stress on the suspension, just to avoid having the suspension interfere with the tarp.

[gnar]

I would say 60% backpacking and 40% "car camping". My backpacking adventures aren't anything crazy or adventurous though, just leisurely strolls 5-6 miles at a time, so while less weight is good, I can't even imagine spending $$ on cuben fiber tarps at this point. My MH tent weighs in at almost 7 pounds so just switching to the hammock is going to save me a ton of weight over what I'm used to. Can anyone point me in the direction of why I should avoid the OES tarps? Their 4-season has a 12' ridgeline and comes in a fair amount cheaper than the UGQ or Wilderness Logics winter/door tents. Side note, would I be better off getting something like the Wilderness Logics Big Daddy or Tadpole and upgrading to the door kits down the road?

one of the best tarps for the money IMHO would be a HH hex fly, 12ft ridgeline 10ft wide....... wish I never sold mine. they are readily available on amazon for around $65-70. but they are on the heavy side and their stuff sack is something to change right away