All wet under a winter tarp

[vicar7]

Haven't been able to get out in any of the gear I went nuts buying last year, but finally set up in the backyard yesterday using a Tensa4 with tarp extenders and a Dutch winter xenon tarp. Seam sealed the side pull outs last evening. Boy, the extenders are fiddly!

ANYWAY, didn't spend the whole night out in my Sparrow, which is good because the rain moved in. Went out today to lounge in said rain to find wetness in the hammock. Panel pulls are sealed nicely. This is coming in from the top/peak.

9FAD63D9-A141-4975-BCFF-291C7FCA2405.jpg
4544055F-D797-4F17-B2B9-99BD626188F7.jpg
DA66262D-001D-46E9-ABF9-CEB47BB2C9B2.jpg

Here's my question: was I supposed to seam seal the center/top seam? Thought it was sewed in a way to make that unnecessary. Or is it the tarp hang? The very top panels were touching this morning as they sagged. Could've tightened it up but seemed just fine yesterday. Shouldn't matter with a waterproof fabric though?

Thoughts? Glad this happened in the backyard and not the wilderness.

[vicar7]

Love how the photos were rotated for uploading.

[TrailSlug]

Some say it's not needed but I say seal everything. If you are seeing leaks then it seems required. Are you sure it's not condensation?

[TallPaul]

I don’t have that tarp but the one time I had water come through my tarp ridgeline was when water pooled along the seam because a pole mod created a valley for it to collect.

[TrailSlug]

Love how the photos were rotated for uploading.

Yea, that's a special benefit of using this message board. I always load the images on my laptop and rotate them and save them prior to loading.

[wbJohn]

Haven't been able to get out in any of the gear I went nuts buying last year, but finally set up in the backyard yesterday using a Tensa4 with tarp extenders and a Dutch winter xenon tarp. Seam sealed the side pull outs last evening. Boy, the extenders are fiddly!

ANYWAY, didn't spend the whole night out in my Sparrow, which is good because the rain moved in. Went out today to lounge in said rain to find wetness in the hammock. Panel pulls are sealed nicely. This is coming in from the top/peak.

9FAD63D9-A141-4975-BCFF-291C7FCA2405.jpg
4544055F-D797-4F17-B2B9-99BD626188F7.jpg
DA66262D-001D-46E9-ABF9-CEB47BB2C9B2.jpg

Here's my question: was I supposed to seam seal the center/top seam? Thought it was sewed in a way to make that unnecessary. Or is it the tarp hang? The very top panels were touching this morning as they sagged. Could've tightened it up but seemed just fine yesterday. Shouldn't matter with a waterproof fabric though?

Thoughts? Glad this happened in the backyard and not the wilderness.

Just a general comment regarding the setup. From the angle of the tarp extension in the first picture, I would suggest shortening the ridge line of the stand until the extension poles are angled away from the stand. You will, of course, need to shorten the suspension of the hammock. I wrap the CLs around the stand ends to make them fit. I just got a Winter Haven
tarp from Cedar Ridge Outdoors and used it during the remnants of hurricane Dorian with my stand and was completely dry.

[vicar7]

Some say it's not needed but I say seal everything. If you are seeing leaks then it seems required. Are you sure it's not condensation?

Hmm. Good question. I don't see condensation elsewhere on the walls so I think not, but it's a thought. Maybe it's subtle but was able to collect and drop where the inner peaks were touching?

Can't hurt to seal it. This is true!

[cmoulder]

Ambient conditions cool and foggy?

Almost everything is going to get soaked in those conditions... by far the most challenging in all the great outdoors.

[vicar7]

I don’t have that tarp but the one time I had water come through my tarp ridgeline was when water pooled along the seam because a pole mod created a valley for it to collect.

I almost used the pole mods and *definitely* would have had that flat section. Know what you mean!

[vicar7]

Just a general comment regarding the setup. From the angle of the tarp extension in the first picture, I would suggest shortening the ridge line of the stand until the extension poles are angled away from the stand. You will, of course, need to shorten the suspension of the hammock. I wrap the CLs around the stand ends to make them fit. I just got a Winter Haven
tarp from Cedar Ridge Outdoors and used it during the remnants of hurricane Dorian with my stand and was completely dry.

I'll have to play with it more. Getting the extensions to stay vertical, let alone leaning away from the stand, was difficult. Nothing holding the extender except the small strap device at the very bottom (until the tarp is in place which adds pull back towards the center). It would fall over with little provocation until the tarp was attached. But if I can get the angles correct...

I also need more practice with the stand alone. Had just a couple inches of suspension outside the CLs for this set up. maybe I'll go direct from stand to CLs next time.

Impressive about staying dry in a hurricane!