The Cowboy Super Bat Tangle

[kitsapcowboy]

First there was the Batwing, a prodigious 12'x12' widebody winter tarp with vestibule doors, which I designed for maximum protection about a year ago.

Next came the Cat Tangle, a cat-cut rectangular 12'x10' all-season tarp made with standard-width fabric and corners that could close to form "doors" for full enclosure as well as provide coverage in vulnerable areas for bridge hammocks and tandem hangs; it was designed as "one tarp to do it all".

Soon thereafter, the Bat Tangle was hypothesized, and later a prototype was built: a 12'x12' square widebody version of the Cat Tangle -- because if 10 feet of width is good, wouldn't 12 feet be better? (Eventually, I explored this concept further and optimized the size to an 11'x11' tarp with special modifications for a wider variety of applications, called the Trail Boss (project report forthcoming).

Following the "bigger is better" theme I responded to an entreat from a fellow HF member to create the biggest, baddest tarp of them all -- greater wingspan than the Batwing, more width than the Cat Tangle, and more ridge line than the Bat Tangle.

The Super Bat Tangle: the biggest tarp I have ever built, and probably the biggest tarp I'll ever build.

Here was my result...




Type: All-season rectangular hammock tarp (hex mode, full enclosure mode, and compatible with single, double, and triple internal pole modification)
Materials: Wide Silpoly waterproof fabric, 300D pack cloth, 1.5", 1", and 5/8" poly grosgrain ribbon, Mara 70 thread, misc. hardware
Ridge Line Length: 168" (14 feet!)
Width: 140"
Enclosed Footprint ("doors" shut): 48 sq ft (8' x 6')
Weight: 26.8 oz (759 grams)

The SBT has a stretch version of the trademark Cat Tangle ground edge profile with five tie-outs per ground edge (two main, two corner, one auxiliary midpoint).






I think it turned out pretty awesome. We will have to see how it does in the field this summer. More to come...

Thanks for reading, as always...

[Cabmanhang]

That is a palatial masterpiece. The room created with the pole mods look soo big.

Love those cat cuts and the tieouts are very cool and might be an idea I'll have to borrow.

Honestly, do you find it any additional challenge to work with the extra two feet of width?

Also anxiously awaiting the unveiling of the Trail Boss!

[LTMillar]

168" is 14 feet.

LOVE the internal pole setup connecting to the same spot as the tie outs. So much versatility!

Thank you Kitsapcowboy

[kitsapcowboy]

This DIY project report was submitted to this forum for ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. Use any methods, ideas, or inspirations contained herein strictly AT YOUR OWN RISK. I accept no responsibility whatsoever for any injury or harm that befalls others owing to information presented here, and I accept no responsibility for any errors the post contains.

I do not in any way advocate that others should do anything I have presented here; this thread is strictly DOCUMENTATION OF FACT. Readers beware.

There is a lot of great information on Hammock Forums available from members with much more substantial experience, better ideas, and better methods than mine. SEEK IT OUT.

Thank you for your attention.

[kitsapcowboy]

That is a palatial masterpiece. The room created with the pole mods look soo big. Love those cat cuts and the tieouts are very cool and might be an idea I'll have to borrow.

Thank you so much. It's really nice underneath this tarp, which was designed for many applications including maximum shelter space for group camping and communal dining, hence the 14-foot ridge line length and rectangular shape. Tip of the hat to HF member Countrybois, who prompted me a while ago to rethink my original two-way tie-outs; I believe this tarp uses the fourth iteration in the development of my technique for this one small but critical detail. The no-fuss pole compatibility and extra versatility afforded by the Beastee Dees are fantastic in the field.

Honestly, do you find it any additional challenge to work with the extra two feet of width?

This tarp is great in deployment but hell to sew, simply because of the sheer bulk and heft of the thing as you move it around on your sewing machine bed. Everything weighs down and wants to pull away from the needle, so you need to sew slowly and with extra precision a little at a time. The super-long central cat-cut required me to tool up a brand new template, and it was also a critical area that required a lot of attention while sewing, especially since an auxiliary midpoint tie-out for the center pole was inset into each one.

Also anxiously awaiting the unveiling of the Trail Boss!

Coming soon!

168" is 14 feet.

LOVE the internal pole setup connecting to the same spot as the tie outs. So much versatility!

Thank you Kitsapcowboy

And thank you for working with me to make this project possible.

[jcksparow]

Tip of the hat to HF member Countrybois, who prompted me a while ago to rethink my original two-way tie-outs; I believe this tarp uses the fourth iteration in the development of my technique for this one small but critical detail. The no-fuss pole compatibility and extra versatility afforded by the Beastee Dees are fantastic in the field.

Could you elaborate a bit on how your tie-out technique has evolved? I think I used a similar approach on my last tarp build, but I'm curious if there's some additional nuanced ingenuity I'm missing.

[James Fowler]

For "full enclosure" mode, do you just bring the corners together (so the doors slant inwards) or do you fold some of the ridge line back over itself (so the doors can be perpendicular to the ground), or can you do either?

[kitsapcowboy]

Could you elaborate a bit on how your tie-out technique has evolved? I think I used a similar approach on my last tarp build, but I'm curious if there's some additional nuanced ingenuity I'm missing.

When I first tried two-way tie-outs, I put the LineLocs toward the underside, so that the folded out of the way for protection when staking directly to the ground using the Beastees.



Once pole compatability became the principal benefit, I started putting the LineLocs toward the outside of the tarp with the Beastees underneath (as Countrybois does); I have since played with a variety of minor alterations in how I mount two pieces of hardware on the same length of folded grosgrain -- none of which probably make any practical difference.



https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...Tie-Outs/page4

[kitsapcowboy]

For "full enclosure" mode, do you just bring the corners together (so the doors slant inwards) or do you fold some of the ridge line back over itself (so the doors can be perpendicular to the ground), or can you do either?

Yes, just fold the corners in to form an angled flat plane with the bottom corners colimear with the side tie-outs. As with the Cat Tangle, the tie-outs are placed to allow the right angle "door" corners to perform this function at a predetermined (72") tarp transverse stance.

[Tyroler Holzhacker]

All I can say is.....Got Tarp? That thing is Yeuge!