Connecting Tarp Directly to my Hammock Suspension

[Jimbo]

I have always connected my tarp directly to my hammock suspension. I have a HH with the diamond fly and have stayed dry through many storms because the tarp goes down with the hammock when you get in, maintaining coverage. Self-tensioning guidelines keep it tight when you get in. I modified the suspension by cutting it and adding a binder at the place where tarp connects to the suspension. Tarp clips to the binder for the perfect location every time. Whoopies from straps to binder adjust for varied tree distances. Oh, and hammock in silnylon snake skins keeps the hammock dry during setup & takedown in the rain. Wet tarp can be packed with hammock because snake skins keep hammock dry.


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[ChrisJHC]

Another benefit with keeping the tarp separate is that you can quickly throw up the tarp at times that you have no intention of erecting your hammock.
I often put my tarp up at lunchtime if it's either raining or threatening to rain. It provides protection against both rain and wind.
If I needed to also hang my hammock then I probably wouldn't bother. It would turn a 1-2 minute operation into a 5+ minute operation and I'd probably just suffer through.

[FireInMyBones]

Another benefit with keeping the tarp separate is that you can quickly throw up the tarp at times that you have no intention of erecting your hammock.
I often put my tarp up at lunchtime if it's either raining or threatening to rain. It provides protection against both rain and wind.
If I needed to also hang my hammock then I probably wouldn't bother. It would turn a 1-2 minute operation into a 5+ minute operation and I'd probably just suffer through.

I set up just my tarp without my hammock from time to time and still use the strap system in the video (except I now use whoopie hooks instead of biners).

[Foxpoop]

I set up just my tarp without my hammock from time to time and still use the strap system in the video (except I now use whoopie hooks instead of biners).

I use Bonefire deluxe suspension. It works every time. No hassle. If I am camping in the same spot for several days, I sometimes use a traditional tarp suspension to give me more head room to lounge around. If I am backpacking, I use the Bonefire suspension because I am usually exhausted and just want simple and guaranteed dry gear.

[ccolclou]

I use a whoopie setup, but I have a setup very similar to (and highly influenced by) Bonefire. I have a small Dutch hook larksheaded to my whoopie which attaches to a small piece of lash-it at the tarp ridgeline. Then my hammock attaches to a whoopie hook, on the same whoopie suspension.

I just had to do some trig to figure out how long to make my continuous loops for the hammock to have a 30 degree hang angle, but now that they're done, I simply wrap the suspension around the tree and drop the tarp line and hammock continuous loops into their respective hooks. It's not the utmost in taut, but it's close, and I've never had a problem. Love the setup.

[MikekiM]

I use a whoopie setup, but I have a setup very similar to (and highly influenced by) Bonefire. I have a small Dutch hook larksheaded to my whoopie which attaches to a small piece of lash-it at the tarp ridgeline. Then my hammock attaches to a whoopie hook, on the same whoopie suspension.

I just had to do some trig to figure out how long to make my continuous loops for the hammock to have a 30 degree hang angle, but now that they're done, I simply wrap the suspension around the tree and drop the tarp line and hammock continuous loops into their respective hooks. It's not the utmost in taut, but it's close, and I've never had a problem. Love the setup.

Could you post some pictures of how you have this rigged?

I have been exploring single line suspensions and would like to know more about how you're doing it...

I think your ideas are valid. Thus was my solution.

https://youtu.be/RGOS0-XvQgk

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I don't see anything on your website about the suspension.. how do I get more info?

[ccolclou]

I'll see what I can do when I get home today.

[<-Pointer]

Thanks all for the input. There are lots of good concepts here and this definitely gets my creative juices flowing.

I am concerned about setting up in bad weather and keeping the hammock dry, but I think that I can devise a system that still works. I should be able to set the marlin spike hitch reasonably accurately based on the tarp length and just connect the tarp over the top of the hitch with a mini-biner. I could then still set the fly up first and add the hammock later. As long as I use shock cord on the tie outs I think it will flex enough to adapt to the angle change when I add a hammock an sit in it (I may have to adjust it later to get the sides taught but the important bit is keeping the hammock dry.)

At one point I really liked the idea of being able to set up the tarp independently from the hammock as an impromptu shelter. In practice, I have found that I was actually never tempted to do this in the course of a hike. If I am out in extended bad weather I'm just going to get wet no matter what I do so it never felt like there was much of a point in setting up a temporary shelter. Maybe if I wasn't trying to get miles and I actually stopped when it rained this would be a more valuable capability to me

[ccolclou]

So here's mine: suspension 3.jpg suspension closeup2.jpg suspension closeup.jpg

I just let the whoopie hook and larksheaded dutch hook slide to the low point of the whoopie sling, so it preserves the whoopie sling adjustability, and attach the tarp and hammock on. In good weather, I don't attach the tarp; if I'm not sure, I attach but leave it in snakeskins above me, and in bad weather it's deployed in full!

Pics needed when you decide what you are doing!

[Carrico]

I just have a prusik knot on my hammock suspension line that I connect my tarp to, works great. If I want it close to the top of the hammock I will leave the Ridgeline a little looser and tighten the sides down. If I want it up high I tighten the Ridgeline tight before I pull the sides down. Since mine is connected to the suspension line I can hang the tarp without the hammock no problem.