View Full Version : ILLUSTRATION - Rigging A Tarp With DutchWare Stingerz
New blog illustration on using the new DutchWare Stingerz™ (http://theultimatehang.com/2012/07/rigging-a-tarp-with-dutchware-stingerz/).
This is my current favorite of the DutchWare hardware line for tarp set-ups. I like that I can clip this to any tarp with ease. It's the big brother to the Tarp Flyz and wraps in a similar fashion.
http://theultimatehang.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dutch-Stingers.png (http://bit.ly/MPYISq)
rip waverly
07-03-2012, 18:52
nice work!@
what length of line are you using? being that it needs to double back on itself...15'?
Mine are only 108 in. (274 cm.) long on each side (9 ft./2.75 m.).
More and more, I'm hanging at around 12 ft (3.6 m) between anchor points. With a 11 ft (3.3 m) tarp ridge line and 9.5 ft (3 m) hammock, that's plenty of distance, and I don't need overly long straps, suspension, or ridge line. My Whoopie slings, when I use them, are short, maybe 3-4 ft (1-1.2 m) long.
oldgringo
07-03-2012, 19:44
What cordage works best with stingerz?
I'm with you on the 12' spacing, btw, and this rigging enables that.
rip waverly
07-04-2012, 01:31
i agree too,,, shorter the better. ~12' is premium.
i ask only because my curiosity leads me to some old growth firs that quickly eat up line--- regardless sometimes of distance.
85% of the time i can hike on to another site, but sometimes the group dynamic settles on a spot, and if i'm slow choosing trees, or the tenters
pick rules.... i work with what i have. sort of like choosing to carry hmmk suspension extenders. what can i say...i like being in camp with buddies.
I might be slow… or in a luddite mood, but I honestly don't see the point of this added thing?¿?
Just to save the 2 seconds it would take to make/remove a knot from the tarp D-ring?
nothermark
07-04-2012, 06:56
I might be slow… or in a luddite mood, but I honestly don't see the point of this added thing?¿?
Just to save the 2 seconds it would take to make/remove a knot from the tarp D-ring?
Some folks don't tie knots. ;-)
Two Tents
07-04-2012, 07:36
I might be slow… or in a luddite mood, but I honestly don't see the point of this added thing?¿?
Just to save the 2 seconds it would take to make/remove a knot from the tarp D-ring?
It is a gear thing. If you don't have a gear/gadget addiction then you will probably not understand. Plus the fear of knots, if you have that illness. Knot-a-phobia I think it's called. And being a gram weenie, I don't know what a couple of seconds weighs but I'm certain it's a few grams. You gotta cut down where ya can. Nice explanation of the Stinger use though!
Rockdawg69
07-04-2012, 08:10
The stingerz is about as simple as it gets for rigging a tarp. I'm using 6-foot lines since I run my ridgelines to the d-rings of the tree straps instead of around a tree.
I never remove my lines from the tarp. Guy outs are rolled up inside and ridgeline ends are wrapped on the outside of the tarp "skins".
Hardware gadgets like this and the niteize figure 9s not only make it stupid easy to tie off lines but the real benefit is that it allows you to get the line/tarp really tight without having to tie a knot while trying not to losing line tension.....makes the whole operation really easy.
i agree too,,, shorter the better. ~12' is premium.
i ask only because my curiosity leads me to some old growth firs that quickly eat up line--- regardless sometimes of distance.
85% of the time i can hike on to another site, but sometimes the group dynamic settles on a spot, and if i'm slow choosing trees, or the tenters
pick rules.... i work with what i have. sort of like choosing to carry hmmk suspension extenders. what can i say...i like being in camp with buddies.
I totally understand. Here in Flagstaff we have huge Ponderosa pine and sometimes my line won't reach around them. I usually carry several feet of line in my pack for emergencies. If I know I'm going to an area where typical tree diameter is large, I plan accordingly. Most of the time I can find a new spot, but just plan ahead and be prepared!
Hardware gadgets like this and the niteize figure 9s not only make it stupid easy to tie off lines but the real benefit is that it allows you to get the line/tarp really tight without having to tie a knot while trying not to losing line tension.....makes the whole operation really easy.
+1.5
I'm a knot guy, most of the time. I'm a Scoutmaster too, so I'm always teaching the Scouts about the Taut-line Hitch, etc. and it works pretty well, but I'll have to say that the 2:1 mechanical force and the ability to get something taut FAST and EASY is very, very nice.
Don't tell my scouts I said that; I'm a knot Nazi when we're at a camp :)
i'm not a knot guy yet, so this is very helpful. Thanks guys!
What cordage works best with stingerz?
Zing-it and Lash-it will both fit. I use braided mason line.
gordonfreeman
07-05-2012, 09:53
ARgh... yet another Dutch order sigh
What cordage works best with stingerz?
Zing-it and Lash-it will both fit. I use braided mason line.
I would think the speer no tangle line would work also.
When I first started, this is exactly how I used the NiteIze carabiner 9s. One on each end of my HH Hex tarp.
Now I just use the small plastic Fig 9s and leave them on my tarp ropes permanently.
Nice, simple, easy setup.
I like these solutions from Dutch the best of all "Dutchware" that I've seen so far. I may break down and order some.
toddhunter
07-05-2012, 12:20
I found some 1/8" Dacron line at West Marine that worked great with a tautline hitch and prusiks of slightly smaller diameter line. Slides when you want it to and holds when you don't. Looks like it won't fray. Cheap too. I've been trying fig nines and knot-bones, but they're both a little fussy when you want to move them. The tautline on the adjustable end is really easy so far. The fixed end may be a loop, or a biner. Now if I could just get the V worked out, or some other solution (or maybe there's none). So much depends on the anchor distances and the sizes of hammock and tarp. Maybe I'll try fixing the tarp rl above the hammock suspension and keep it loose. Don't know if I can reach that high.
Black Wolf
07-05-2012, 13:21
I'm using 1.75 .. I love this setup .. what I like most is the antenna is away from the stinger .. so it's really easy to use and keeps the retention area away from the working area .. it also doesn't try to invert on you .. next to the whoopie hooks .. these are my favorite Dutch item ..
>> Dejoha ... loving the illustration .. nicely done .. again .. <<
Hardware gadgets like this and the niteize figure 9s not only make it stupid easy to tie off lines but the real benefit is that it allows you to get the line/tarp really tight without having to tie a knot while trying not to losing line tension.....makes the whole operation really easy.
+1 Priller
:cool:
More and more, I'm hanging at around 12 ft (3.6 m) between anchor points. .
What cordage works best with stingerz?
I'm with you on the 12' spacing, btw, and this rigging enables that.
i agree too,,, shorter the better. ~12' is premium.
i ask only because my curiosity leads me to some old growth firs that quickly eat up line--- regardless sometimes of distance.
I have a blackbird and I find the best distance to hang it is 15' to 18'. Hamhocker has a JRB Bridge Hammock and hangs it at 15'. With a tarp that is 11 and now 12' I can't see how you hang in 12' between the trees
Ewker, I will concede that each personal set-up will have its "optimal" hang distance. Hammock and tarp size are factors so I should have clarified what I mean for my set-up.
I often use the GoLite Poncho as my shelter. The GoLite Poncho Tarp has a ridgeline of almost 10 ft (3 m). This past week I also used the Hennessy Cat Cape tarp that has an 11 ft (3.4 m) ridge line. I only need anchors that clear the tarp plus a foot or two on each side for rigging.
As you noted, many tarps have a ridge line of 11 ft (3.4 m), so a distance of 12-13 ft (3.5-4 m) works just fine, as long as you have your rigging optimized for this distance. For example, traditional Whoopie slings with a minimum collapsed distance of 18 in (46 cm), don't often work. This is one reason I use a continuous loop at each end of my hammock and can connect directly to my strap instead of using a Whoopie + strap. This reduces my pack weight a little, shaving grams off of my straps and suspension, although I often bring a pair of short Whoopies (3-4 ft/1-1.2 m) for "just-in-case" scenarios.
The DutchWare Stingerz also help with these close-in pitches because I can rig it up right at the end of the tarp with ease.
Montalaskan
07-31-2012, 14:59
Very much enjoy your illustrations. As such, I bought the Ultimate Hang on iTunes just now. :)
Manchego
07-31-2012, 18:03
Some folks don't tie knots. ;-)
True, some make whoopies.....
bab5freak
07-31-2012, 18:19
I have a modification that would make it slightly more flexible.
1. Instead of tying your line to the Stingerz eye, you could put a small loop
2. Put a Dutch Hook on the end of your cord
Then you have an option: If the tree diameter and distance to the tarp is short enough, you can do the full V formation and attache your cord to the loop on the eye with the Dutch hook. If not, you can just wrap the line around the tree and hook the Dutch hook to it. You lose the V formation, but you do not have to use an extension to get it set up.
Sorry, I am not nearly as gifted as Dejoha with illustrations. If there was a way to do it with ASCII art, I might have a chance.
I need to order some more Dutch Hooks... and might as well order some Stingerz as well.
Manchego
07-31-2012, 18:27
After reading the rest of the thread....my $0.02.
Loving that 1.75mm Zing it. As for knots, a rolling hitch with four on the support side and two on the load side (Call it a "doubled rolling hitch" if you want") will hold with Zing it under load and allows you to tie then tighten. it also allows for easy adjustment without unwrapping. It will not hold with the "book version" of the rolling hitch (tautline hitch also is a name for it) without the extra wraps due to line slickness, at least as I have found. Also, if you don't tie the knot just right, same issue. Paracord and reflective 3M cord is forgiving in that regard.
That said, the hardware is nice if you are a hardware lash kind of person rather than a knot person or a whoopie person. Personally, my ridgeline for my Cooke Tundra Tarp is a 30' length of zing it with whoopies on either end that are connected to mini biners. Gives me a ridgeline for the tarp, it's a 10x14 tarp, so I have 10 under the tarp, 3 to a tree either side, and 3 back to the tarp, and 3 to go round the tree figuring 18". The whoopies are 10' loops allowing me to choke it all the way down to tarp width. It's a heavier system obviously, one I use for canoe camping where the water carries the load for the majority of the journey, but it's very nice.
Hammock I use primarily is a Clark with the new attachment, so I'm not stringing a separate tarp line as their system just works and I don't feel inclined to try to tune it in any particular fashion.
That said, being more a knot guy, the advantage of this type of connection shown here, to me, lies in the take down. I an make something structurally similar with knots that's not much more effort. Takedown would be far more involved than this, though. It's easier as to get an adjustable knot to hold you have to make it tight enough to be a pain to get back out. You don't have to use Prusiks, though that's also an option, and it allows the additional force to tighten when you're not using a continuous ridgeline as I am doing.