OES Micro Vs. WB Diamond Asym

I'm ordering a WBBB 1.0 Double layer hammock and using a Leighs summer under quilt to replace my Hennessey and Thermarest combo. Now I have camped in Thailands jungles for a couple years using the HH tarp and it is smal,l however I was able to make it work:).

http://withgusto.smugmug.com/Travel/...38_zm4b2-M.jpg

As weight and packability are things that are of interest to me I'm looking at either of the OES Micro or the WB Diamond Asym to be my tarp. What are peoples opinions of these two tarps?? I have to weather the monsoon season but luckily the jungle keeps the rains from coming in too sideways hence my desire to stay with a smaller tarp. Plus during the warmer months the smaller tarp for added breeze and ventilation is a benefit.

Looking at the one picture on the OES site of the Micro it looked huge. Here's the pic from the OES site: http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier....duct-micro.jpg

Does anybody know if this is indeed the Micro tarp and not the Standard?? It simply looks quite large for such a minimal tarp and wondering if Brian made a mistake on labeling the pics.

Now here is a long shot.......................does anyone have pics of these two tarps to compare the coverage?? I have only seen this one pic of the Micro, can anyone direct me to other pics of the Micro with a hammock underneath?

Since I'm relatively new to this hammocking stuff if I'm overlooking another tarp option please let me know. Also if you have anything to add regarding my thought processes on choosing tarps don't be bashful:D.

Thanks in advance.

One thing to consider is that one of the reasons a minimalist tarp works well with the hennessey is because you enter through the bottom of the hammock, so you can keep the tarp VERY close to the hammock's ridgeline. In the warbonnet, where you enter from the top, you will potentially be hitting your back on the tarp, getting it wet, when you climb into the hammock. Just something to keep in mind.

i think cannibal has both

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Originally Posted by warbonnetguy

i think cannibal has both

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What kind of idiot needs both of these tarps? Oh yeah, this one. :blush:

Hard to tell for sure because you never know what the camera's angles are doing to the picture, but that sure looks like a Standard sized tarp in the picture. I've had the WB Diamond for a couple of months now, probably had it up a dozen times. The MacCat Micro (in Spinn BABY!) just came into my possession last week. I've set it up a few times, but only slept under it once and it was a night that no tarp was really needed.

If it's only coverage that is driving your decision, I'd have to tip to the WB Diamond. I haven't endured any storms, or even rain, with either tarp, but the WB seems to provide more coverage just eyeballin it. It really shouldn't be compared to the HH diaper because it is longer and the points seem to offer a much bigger footprint. I keep meaning to lay out the WB Diamond and put one of my HH tarps over top of it to actually see the difference; just haven't done it yet. There is actually a lot of coverage out of that Diamond tarp, surprisingly so.

However, my issue with the WB Diamond is the lack of a ridge seam. I don't care for using a ridgeline with my tarps, but without one the Diamond gets a little floppy. The MacCat Micro takes the show in this regard. I can pitch that thing tight enough that Neil Pert would enjoy camping with me. Neil, if you're reading this PLEEEEEEASE come camp with me. :lol: The Micro is a fantastic tarp for a hiker that wants to be light and quick and I'm sure it will keep me dry this summer, but it will probably take more concentration during set-up than the WB Diamond because the margin for error is going to be very small.

Coverage - WB Diamond
Tight pitch w/out ridgeline - MacCat Micro

I may be making a tarp this Spring to fix my issue with the WB Diamond. Thinking about a cuben tarp using the same pattern, but using two pieces so that I can create a ridge seam. Should be magnificently lightweight and pitch perfectly....that's what I'm telling myself, anyway. :D

Thanks heaps for the detailed reply Hannibal, it really shines some light on the coverage issue that I am trying to address. Also thanks for the the insight regarding tarps for the WBBB mustardman.

anyone have pics of the OES Micro over a WBBB ..... i would love to see how well it covers it

The OP might be right about this picture not being a micro. I thought the micro didn't have a sewn ridgeline and the one in the picture does.

yeah i figured that.... but i would love to see how one looks over a WBBB

i'm still in the air Dutch on what i'm going to do for a tarp in nice weather

i'm either going to get a WB Diamond Asym , OES Micro ... or DIY

i like the micro and the WBDA ... i kinda like the Micro more... but i want to see how it looks over the WBBB

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Originally Posted by greenlespaul

i'm still in the air Dutch on what i'm going to do for a tarp in nice weather

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I'm telling you GLP, I love my Spinn Standard:thumbup:

This page on the OES website shows the Micro, Standard and Deluxe together for a size comparison:

http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier....cat-tarps.html

I made my own hex tarp a bit smaller than the micro and it covers my Blackbird. However, it does have to be pitched only a few inches above the nettng.

It's the tarp I take on trips when I DON'T expect rain, but might get some anyway.

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Originally Posted by MAD777

I made my own hex tarp a bit smaller than the micro and it covers my Blackbird. However, it does have to be pitched only a few inches above the nettng.

It's the tarp I take on trips when I DON'T expect rain, but might get some anyway.

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yeah thats what i want a small tarp for.... if i know thweather is going to be bad i can always take my big tarp...

i just want something for the nice weather in case of a quick rain storm

I can pitch that thing tight enough that Neil Pert would enjoy camping with me. Neil, if you're reading this PLEEEEEEASE come camp with me. :lol:

What does Neil Pert, the world's greatest drummer, other than Charlie Watts, have to do with hammock tarps?:)

Thats a good looking hammock in the first picture :)

i know someone out there has to have pics :D

I'm fairly new to hammock land, and just got my WBBB 1.1 dbl and the Asym-Diamond in tonight. I was very impressed with the WBBB, but absolutely hate the diamond already. Its dark out side making the setup harder (especially for my first time out), but the fabric not a diamond shape, but more of a jacked up rectangle (staggered for diagonal sleeping maybe?). I've emailed WB about this already, but mine sure looks nothing like the pics i've seen on their web site, and on the forums here. I'll be returning mine for a refund if this is some new design. Did I get a lemon?

Look at the description - it's right there in the name. Asymmetrical diamond - that basically means it's a parallelogram, which is what you got.

you have the same tarp as in the picture

did you actually set it up or are you just looking at it on the ground? (is a square or rectangle turned on point not also a diamond?) if you look at the way it's setup in the pictures (both on this thread and on my site), i think "diamond" is a fair description.

it is somewhat rectangular, but when turned on point, so 2 corners face the trees and 2 face the ground, it should be exactly like you see in the pics. there are 2 different ways to set it up as well. the two diagonals are not the same length, so depending on how you set it up, you could set it so it's slightly longer or slightly wider. (so it could appear setup correctly, but you might get better side coverage if you turn it 90 deg for instance).

it's a minimal tarp, and may not big enough for some. it's not going to provide full side coverage from wind. in order to cover all the way from the ridgeline of your hammock down past your butt, you'll need a min of a 9 foot wide hex or rectangle tarp, but there are alot of people who are fine with the coverage it gives and the weight they save by using it.

you can return it if you want, just let me know



Brandon

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Originally Posted by a753951

I'm fairly new to hammock land, and just got my WBBB 1.1 dbl and the Asym-Diamond in tonight. I was very impressed with the WBBB, but absolutely hate the diamond already. Its dark out side making the setup harder (especially for my first time out), but the fabric not a diamond shape, but more of a jacked up rectangle (staggered for diagonal sleeping maybe?). I've emailed WB about this already, but mine sure looks nothing like the pics i've seen on their web site, and on the forums here. I'll be returning mine for a refund if this is some new design. Did I get a lemon?

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it probly didn't help that it was dark outside too ;)

i would try setting it up in the day light and you will see how it works better ;)

Since I wasn't around to watch the first tarps get hung over hammocks I wasn't aware that Asym-Diamond ment Asymmetrical diamond. I took a crash course on hammocks, so I've had to get all the data that I could in the last couple of weeks and try to hash out what rig and tarp that would fit my needs (this was a b-day present and the clock was ticking). This consisted of a wealth of videos and finally ending up here reading up on hammocks, suspensions, and tarps (probably data overload). The WBBB caught my eye at every turn, and Brandon was great to answer my questions. I thought the tarp issue was a no brainer... ooppss.. I'll wait till this weekend when its light and I can give it a truly fair test (rigging it up over the hammock and checking the coverage in daylight). If it doesn't work for me, then I'll probably take you up on returning it Brandon. Sorry for being a newbie to all of this, but we can't learn if we don't try.

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Originally Posted by a753951

Since I wasn't around to watch the first tarps get hung over hammocks I wasn't aware that Asym-Diamond ment Asymmetrical diamond. I took a crash course on hammocks, so I've had to get all the data that I could in the last couple of weeks and try to hash out what rig and tarp that would fit my needs (this was a b-day present and the clock was ticking). This consisted of a wealth of videos and finally ending up here reading up on hammocks, suspensions, and tarps (probably data overload). The WBBB caught my eye at every turn, and Brandon was great to answer my questions. I thought the tarp issue was a no brainer... ooppss.. I'll wait till this weekend when its light and I can give it a truly fair test (rigging it up over the hammock and checking the coverage in daylight). If it doesn't work for me, then I'll probably take you up on returning it Brandon. Sorry for being a newbie to all of this, but we can't learn if we don't try.

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Please let us know how it went for you ;)

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Originally Posted by Cannibal

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If it's only coverage that is driving your decision, I'd have to tip to the WB Diamond. I haven't endured any storms, or even rain, with either tarp, but the WB seems to provide more coverage just eyeballin it. It really shouldn't be compared to the HH diaper because it is longer and the points seem to offer a much bigger footprint. I keep meaning to lay out the WB Diamond and put one of my HH tarps over top of it to actually see the difference; just haven't done it yet. There is actually a lot of coverage out of that Diamond tarp, surprisingly so.

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Coverage - WB Diamond
Tight pitch w/out ridgeline - MacCat Micro

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At the WB site, the specs for the "diamond" are 132 x 117. Is that the semi-rectangular measurement? Meaning the RL from point to point would be significantly longer? Reason I'm asking that is because my HH "napkin" ( thought the longer napkin for the Explorer) measures about 148".

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Originally Posted by a753951

Since I wasn't around to watch the first tarps get hung over hammocks I wasn't aware that Asym-Diamond ment Asymmetrical diamond. I took a crash course on hammocks, so I've had to get all the data that I could in the last couple of weeks and try to hash out what rig and tarp that would fit my needs (this was a b-day present and the clock was ticking). This consisted of a wealth of videos and finally ending up here reading up on hammocks, suspensions, and tarps (probably data overload). The WBBB caught my eye at every turn, and Brandon was great to answer my questions. I thought the tarp issue was a no brainer... ooppss.. I'll wait till this weekend when its light and I can give it a truly fair test (rigging it up over the hammock and checking the coverage in daylight). If it doesn't work for me, then I'll probably take you up on returning it Brandon. Sorry for being a newbie to all of this, but we can't learn if we don't try.

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No worries, a75! Most of us have had to go through the learning curve! Join the crowd! The advantage to the so called "diamond" is only 2 stakes, and maybe weight. The advantage for coverage usually goes with the rectangular tarps or hex hung in some version of "A" frame.

dims of the diamond fly are similar to the other tarp measurements

132" is along the redgeline, 100" is the width (so from the ridgeline down to the ground corner is 50")

it's going to be closer to the hyperlight size than to the explorer