Sharing a tarp? One tarp - Two Hammocks?

[laghang]

Thank you, everyone! It's helpful to hear from those more experienced and see pictures of your setups. We plan to avoid going out when there's a risk of anything other than light, sporadic rain (for now). I don't expect to stick to 1 tarp in a long term sense but it seemed like an okay idea as we figure out exactly what we want.

Maybe I want to go with a tarp with doors (I sleep cold) so I can cut down on wind? Maybe we want to save money and go with cheap and heavy tarps because we'll stick to car camping? Maybe we want to go with a lighter, smaller tarps for backpacking?

Do you think it's a good idea to try it out and see how what we think before investing in another tarp?

[alifeoutdoors]

Oh aye try it in a controlled environment where your bail out is simply your car. Then you'll have a better idea of your needs. Experience is always the best knowledge.

[sqidmark]

I also wanted to do separate tarps but there is no way I'm getting my wife to agree. If she has to be under a tarp by herself, she's not going. Neither of us can get any sleep in a tent so, one tarp it is. Now our granddaughters want to go and they're also of the 2-hammocks-one-tarp mindset. I'm just hoping that after I've had them all out a few times they'll see there is nothing to fear and change their outlook.

[Zilla]

The thing about sharing the most critical pice of gear is this.... In the event that the two of you should get separated only one of you has a shelter. For hammock campers the tarp is your protection from rain, wind, snow, and so on as well as being your best piece of gear to mark your location for a search party or your hiking partners should you get lost. So for my and my family, my kids and wife each have their own tarps and know how to set them up. For the kids we do blaze orange tarps. If for some reason we get separated and they are supposed to stop and set up their tarp where they are.

If we end up hanging next to each other to be close we can overlap the tarps and get creative in how to set up near by each other to be able to still talk and all but we then have enough shelter to go around, block rain and wind as needed but not be apart. Or if weather turns really bad then we can each batten down the hatches as needed to be fully protected. Sharing a cooking set up, a common bathroom kit, possibly water filtration and first aid supplies can be a little easier to overlap between 2 or 3 in a trip but shelters in my opinion should be individual.

Back in my retail days pimping tents out, when a couple wanted to split the weight of a shelter we recommended that one take the tent and one take the tent fly. The floor of the tent is waterproof as is the fly and in a separated situation the tent could be turned over and strung up like a tarp so again each person packed at least a moderate level of shelter.....better than nothing sort of deal.

Me and one of the boys set ups, the other was just to the right of his brother.

Very sound reasoning, great point about getting seperated, and don't think it cant happen no matter how careful you are.

[SilvrSurfr]

Thank you, everyone! It's helpful to hear from those more experienced and see pictures of your setups. We plan to avoid going out when there's a risk of anything other than light, sporadic rain (for now). I don't expect to stick to 1 tarp in a long term sense but it seemed like an okay idea as we figure out exactly what we want.

Maybe I want to go with a tarp with doors (I sleep cold) so I can cut down on wind? Maybe we want to save money and go with cheap and heavy tarps because we'll stick to car camping? Maybe we want to go with a lighter, smaller tarps for backpacking?

Do you think it's a good idea to try it out and see how what we think before investing in another tarp?

Wow, that's all over the place! I would try to minimize buying tarps for your present condition. Buy now for what you think your end state will be. If it's backpacking you want to do, and you want a 4-season tarp, then get a Superfly or similar. That will work for fair-weather two-hammock, one tarp for the time being. If you're looking for fair-weather tarps, then get two of them now.

Many of us have a closet full of tarps, because we tried to get by with skimpier tarps, or cheaper tarps. I have an HG Winter Palace, an HH Hex (good loaner), a DIY silnylon hex (good loaner), two GT Funky Forest tarps (can only be hung in a diamond), and two Guide Gear 12 x 12 tarps (leaks like a sieve). There are also couple of embarrassing attempts to re-utilize a couple of tent flies (didn't work), and a Tyvek tarp (too bulky for me).

So that's ten tarps in my gear closet, and honestly, the only one I usually take is the Winter Palace because I don't want to worry about the weather - I just want to be dry.

I don't personally have much use for fair-weather tarps. I have a friend who has the HH Hex, which is a pretty decent (though heavy) tarp. However, he's strictly a fair-weather camper, and he's backed out at the last minute on more trips than I care to remember because of the weather. Now, I don't even ask him to go camping/hiking anymore, because he and I aren't on the same page. I don't back out of a trip because of the weather (unless it's a hurricane; Irene made me cut a trip short). So a four-season tarp is what works best for me.

[laghang]

Wow, that's all over the place! I would try to minimize buying tarps for your present condition. Buy now for what you think your end state will be. If it's backpacking you want to do, and you want a 4-season tarp, then get a Superfly or similar. That will work for fair-weather two-hammock, one tarp for the time being. If you're looking for fair-weather tarps, then get two of them now.

Many of us have a closet full of tarps, because we tried to get by with skimpier tarps, or cheaper tarps. I have an HG Winter Palace, an HH Hex (good loaner), a DIY silnylon hex (good loaner), two GT Funky Forest tarps (can only be hung in a diamond), and two Guide Gear 12 x 12 tarps (leaks like a sieve). There are also couple of embarrassing attempts to re-utilize a couple of tent flies (didn't work), and a Tyvek tarp (too bulky for me).

So that's ten tarps in my gear closet, and honestly, the only one I usually take is the Winter Palace because I don't want to worry about the weather - I just want to be dry.

I don't personally have much use for fair-weather tarps. I have a friend who has the HH Hex, which is a pretty decent (though heavy) tarp. However, he's strictly a fair-weather camper, and he's backed out at the last minute on more trips than I care to remember because of the weather. Now, I don't even ask him to go camping/hiking anymore, because he and I aren't on the same page. I don't back out of a trip because of the weather (unless it's a hurricane; Irene made me cut a trip short). So a four-season tarp is what works best for me.

I know! I am all over the place. I want to start out car camping more often then go on short backpacking trips as we feel more confident. I love being outdoors and miss hiking and birding. I pushed us to try tent camping as an inexpensive way to get out but we slept terribly. I think hammocks will solve that.

Ideally, I would like to have a hammock setup that we can use backpacking in national parks to exploring our local forests. I don't want to waste money on gear that doesn't suit our needs but there's no way to know what we will enjoy and need until we start hanging. We may be backpacking and need 4-season tarps or just hanging out in fair weather. I know that being prepared makes all the difference in comfort and having a good time - I just want to be dry and warm!

[GreatBigDave]

... - I just want to be dry and warm!

I think that is your critical decision factor. Like SS said he always carries his 4 season tarp 'cause he feels the same way.

Two SuperFlys and a Dutch Double Whoopie Hook rig would give you side by side in good weather, hunker down in bad. For your first couple of car camp hangs (as a couple) you could get a big tarp from Home Depot and rig that while you decide if you're in for a Pound. If you buy a pair of SuperFlys and find you want to lighten your and pony up the cash for Cuben Fiber, the SFs sell real well in the For Sale forum here; I think one was snapped up in three minutes today.

[dickstarbuck]

I think a Kelty Noah's tarp 16x16 is perfect for two people hammocking.

Pros : pretty inexpensive, durable, tons of coverage, lots of tie outs.

Cons: probably too heavy if you want to backpack with it.

It's probably a good investment even if you just use it for car camping. You might even find you don't mind the weight between the 2 of you while backpacking.

[CamoDeafie82]

THe then-gf (now Fiancee) and I set up two hammocks off two trees, with about 2 feet of spreader bars between the two hammocks... and set up under a 9x12 hardware camo tarp in blowing coastal storms...we stayed dry. The tarp was pitched in A-frame shape, and had about a foot or so of space between ground and edge of tarp... hammocks were hung a little high, but with enough clearance for us. we stayed dry and warm that night.

a Noah's 12 could work pretty good, have you considered doing a bunk style hang? Wife above, you below, maybe on X shape of rigging?

[laghang]

The idea of bunking hammocks makes me nervous. I feel like I would be stuck up there (I'm the wife actually). Alternatively, if he was in the top bunk hammock, he could fall on top of me and be his own widow maker. These are probably unfounded fears given that people make hammock ladders. I didn't know this was a thing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7y_5fAd81c

Again, thank you all so much for your advice! I think we're leaning toward each of us getting a Warbonnet tarp now. We're considering between the Mamajamba (hexcut tarp) for him because he sleeps hot and doesn't want to spend more on a tarp. I'm going back and forth between the Superfly (4 season tarp) and the Mamajamba for me. I sleep cold and would be more open to fiddling with the tieouts of the doors in good weather.