Asymmetrical Hex Tarp?

[JMando]

I'm in the middle of getting my DIY hammock setup together. I've already made an asymmetric hammock with footbox out of 1.9oz ripstop, using TZBrown's instructions: http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ammock+footbox

Now I am looking towards making myself a silnylon tarp and the consensus here on the forums seems to be that hex tarps are the way to go. Last weekend I used an Eno fly that I had lying around, but because of my diagonal lay, my feet weren't covered well.

So I got thinking about making an asymmetric hex tarp. I've been playing around with designs, and even made an excel template to visualize the different parameters, because I am a hopeless nerd. You can adjust the pitch angle and the interior angle of the hex at the diagonal, as well as the width and length of the tarp.

What do y'all think about the idea? Do you think it will better cover the hammock on a diagonal lay? If so, what would you guess would be the best dimensions for a 9' hammock?

The numbers I have in the spreadsheet (8'x11') look reasonable to me.

Thanks!

[heyyou]

For a low tech 3D model, cut paper and fold it on the ridgeline. One inch equals one foot is an easy scale.

[nothermark]

You need to understand how you want to use your setup. If all you want to do is fair weather camping all you need is a minimal covering like the diamond Hennessy ships as their base. Needs scale up from there depending on what kind of weather you plan on operating in. Hex tarps provide room to protect more gear or sit on your stool in porch mode looking at the rain. Rectangles give you protection when the rain starts coming sideways or you have a lot of wind. Griz beaks essentially make Hex tarps into rectangles for weather protection. Then there is the gram weenie question.

To me that says short trips where the weather can be avoided says Hex tarps save weight while giving a more comfortable camp.

For long trips in places and/or where wet and windy is common rectangles or Hex and Griz beak as a second choice.

For cold big rectangles.

Where do you camp? ;-)

[JMando]

For a low tech 3D model, cut paper and fold it on the ridgeline. One inch equals one foot is an easy scale.

Great idea! I'll probably try to do this soon and see if it helps with visualization.

[JMando]

You need to understand how you want to use your setup. If all you want to do is fair weather camping all you need is a minimal covering like the diamond Hennessy ships as their base. Needs scale up from there depending on what kind of weather you plan on operating in. Hex tarps provide room to protect more gear or sit on your stool in porch mode looking at the rain. Rectangles give you protection when the rain starts coming sideways or you have a lot of wind. Griz beaks essentially make Hex tarps into rectangles for weather protection. Then there is the gram weenie question.

To me that says short trips where the weather can be avoided says Hex tarps save weight while giving a more comfortable camp.

For long trips in places and/or where wet and windy is common rectangles or Hex and Griz beak as a second choice.

For cold big rectangles.

Where do you camp? ;-)

I am looking for something that will protect me in pretty nasty weather, thunderstorms etc. I'm mostly doing 3 season camping in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast.

I guess I should specifically ask whether the asym hex tarp would add a bit more protection for an asym hammock without going all the way to a bigger/heavier rectangle tarp.

[pgibson]

We offered something along those lines for a while....The Alpine.


The Idea for it originally started in this thread with the design credit going to Topplestack. They do offer good coverage and a bit of weight savings, ours was 11 ounces in the stuff sack versus our standard hex is 14.

[JMando]

Thanks for the link! Good to know this has been tried. What kind of feedback did you get about the asym tarp?

How important is the cat cut? I'm not sure I have the capabilities to pull that off right now.

[dblhmmck]

I think the asym hex is a GREAT idea!

I'm surprised to hear of the "Alpine" design by Arrowhead Equipment being spoken of in past tense. I recently had a chance to see the tight pitch and nice cat cuts of an Arrowhead Toxaway hex tarp. It looked very impressively taut. I wonder if it is much harder to get a taut pitch when the sides are asym? Or if perhaps longer guy lines would be needed to pull the tarp at the best angle? Obviously, you can forget about pulling the edges down to the ground, but I rarely have done that anyway.

Go for it, JMando. It will be unique.

[Topplestack]

We offered something along those lines for a while....The Alpine.


The Idea for it originally started in this thread with the design credit going to Topplestack. They do offer good coverage and a bit of weight savings, ours was 11 ounces in the stuff sack versus our standard hex is 14.

I had forgotten about that design. It took a bit of adjustment to get mine to hang right. Been so busy with school that I haven't had any time to post anything about it. Happy to see someone put the concept to good use.