Hanging a hammock tarp. - solutions

[litetrek]

I've been hammocking for a couple of years now and it still takes me forever to hang my tarp. I think its because I only get to go out hiking once or twice each year so each time is a learning curve. I sure could use some suggestions on easy ways to hang the tarp. I use a separate line to drape the tarp over and I like doing it that way, but it causes problems with finding a place to tie the tarp ridge line to especially with large trees. This past weekend the trees at the site I was camping at were huge and I spent nearly an hour fiddling with my tarp. I have resisted gizmos and hardware for the tarp ridgeline in the past because I didn't want one more thing to keep track of. But now I'm rethinking that.

Its the ridge line on the tarp that causes me the problem. I use a tautline hitch on the other goy lines and it works fine. I have a clark TX-250 with a vertex tarp. I use straps to hang the hammock but I'm thinking of switching to whoopies with dutch hooks for the same reason...easy and quick to set up and adjust.

[WalksIn2Trees]

I use a separate RL for the tarp as well. I use two sets of straps... one set for the tarp and one set for the hammock. I set it up by placing the first strap on the low end of the slope if there is one, because that's where I'll have to reach the highest, and I place it up just over head height (my hammock suspension strap goes as high as i can reach on this end). I hang the other strap level with the first. My RL goes from the grommet, through the loop on the strap, under my tarp, through the other strap, to the other grommet. On the starting end I knot a loop using a figure 8 knot, leaving a long tail to lock the loop into the grommet.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...?usp=drive_web

On the other end I use a double-half-hitch to tie it off after I pull it all tight and get the tarp lined up with my hammock, because it holds tight and is easy to release.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_half-hitches

Oh, but, I do the double half with the loop, rather than pull the end all the way through everything, makes adjusting easier.

Sorry I had to go back and edit this a lot, there's a lot of details that I take for granted, I guess
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[Floridahanger]

I can't help you with large trees, but I can tell you how my tarp is hung.

1) I have a Dutch Hook on one end of my Lash-it CRL. I hook this first.
2) Go to the other side and undo my Dutch Flyz(2 simple wraps around the Flyz) to adjust to needed length of CRL. Connect the line to the Flyz and tighten and lock down.
2a)If I need to move my tarp to connect to the trees, the tarp is attached to the CRL via a prussic and I can easily slide it toward the center for more line.

That's it. The tarp is hung. After that, it's just centering the tarp by sliding the tarp left or right by pushing the related prussic tieout.

Hope this helps.

[WalksIn2Trees]

Some people hang their tarp RL over the tarp, but i never saw the point of that: if you don't want it supporting/touching the tarp, just use two short lines, why go over the tarp at all? Save yourself 12' of rope, right?

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[sanglin]

This may help you with large trees:

Use a Marlin Spike Hitch with a carabiner through it on your tree straps and tie your Tarp ridgeline to the Carabiner. The trees will have to be far enough apart but their size will be taken completely out of the equation. That is how I tie mine if trees are too large or if bad weather is expected and I need it to be low and tight.

In terms of Hardware:
Dutch hooks at the end of your ridgline ties are amazing in combo with linelocs right on your tarp. Makes for real no nonsense, easily adjustable setup.

hope that's helpful.

[Shug]

I made some Tarp Tutorials that may give some insight.....https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...r4JzQgQ_iyB2RU
Hope they help some.
Shug

[Trail Runner]

why go over the tarp at all?

If the tarp ridge has a catenary cut, hanging the CRL under the tarp isn't going to work all that well. I don't personally use a CRL but some folks like them. Something about ease of centering over hammock I suppose.

[Betweentwotrees]

I use Dutch's continueous RL, it has made setting up a breeze.

[AdventureMyk]

Vertex tarp, no ridgeline nite-ize cam jam and/or nite-ize figure 9. I use trekking poles and mini-ground hog aluminum stakes. Never had a problem, super adjustable, quick set-up.
The vertex tarp seems plenty strong without a ridgeline.

[sqidmark]

CRL above helps keep pole mods from rubbing on the tarp. I use what's basically a dutchware crl, but instead of prusik's I use mini-ucr's at each end of the tarp.