Wind Strategies

[Shane]

My camping buddy and I were hanging this weekend. We consider ourselves expert campers, doing close to fifteen trips a year together. Anticipating a strong storm front moving through, standing around the campfire, we discussed different ways to fortify a tarp for high winds. Then we called it a night doing none of the things we discussed. A few hours later my tarp blew off slinging the stakes into the woods and dark of night. Luckily, it wasn't raining any longer. In my underwear, I searched for a couple of big rocks to tie to and that worked for the rest of the night, though even they got dragged along and had to be reset several times. It's amazing how much force a 10x12 spinnaker can exert. I didn't get much sleep. My buddy said he had lost his tarp twice and ended up just tying his lines together under the hammock. Wasn't pretty, but it worked.

In retrospect, I could have found a better spot to hang in, one with more roots and saplings available to tie off on, less exposure to the wind, etc.

I'd be interested to hear some strategies for high wind tarp setting that some of you might use when you're expecting the worst.

Thanks!


S

[Shug]

Find where the wind ain't blowing ... stealth if you have to.
And if you expect that kinda blow .... put those rocks or logs on BEFORE you need to.
I learned this the hard way too .... in my undies looking for stakes and stuff.
Still fiun though... ain't it?
Shug of Soggy Skivvies

[ringtail-THFKAfood]

My problem is I know better than I do.

It is very tempting to hang next to a lake when you find the perfect trees. But the wind blows a fine mist across the water.

An exposed ridge might give you a great view with spectacular sunsets/sunrises, but the upslope wind blows up under the tarp. I know better, but sometimes can not resist the temptation.

The lee side of a hill high enough to avoid the swirling and below the ridge is the ideal location.

A vegetation wind break causes less swirling than a hard barrier such as a boulder.

Tarp ridgeline as low as you can get it and still enter and exit the hammock. The tarp lower edge is just a little below the weighted hammock. The tarp needs to be angled to shed the wind and not act as a sail.

Put your rocks or logs on the stakes before you need them. Yes, you will stumble over them when you water the plants.

A taut tarp sheds wind the best.

However, if you spend enough nights out there you eventually will become a member of the Royal Order of the Soggy Skivvies (ROSS).

[kayak karl]

my first day hammocking in a mountian, Hogs on Ice took me to his hammock site in a hollow on springer. he said to always know the wind direction for the day and put my headlamp around my neck by 4pm. other then the times i didn't heed his advice, i had a good night

[Albert Skye]

The stock Hennessy diamond tarp has always kept me dry, even in violent tropical storms, because I use natural wind break.

Hanging close to the ground helps too.

[riverkeeper]

I've put downed log-limb debris just upwind of the lowered windward edge of the tarp which seems to accomplish 2 things: keeps most of the wind from blowing UNDER the tarp and hammock = warmer AND this seems to direct most of the wind OVER the tarp which allow it to be more stable or IOW less spinnaker-like.

[DavidWa]

I would be curious to know if folks have any experience of being more storm worthy because/if they used a smaller tarp. = less sail area. Than a larger tarp = more sail area.

I read an article on the BPL website a few years ago which had the goal of convincing campers of that principle. Now there is a difference, they were specifically speaking of a tarp used by a ground dweller. Their view was that many folks mistakenly believe that a larger tarp is better in rain and high winds, because it offers extra distance around the edges to give extra protection from blown in rain.

They tried to persuade folks that it was better to have a smaller tarp , with less area to catch the wind, and have the smaller tarp pitched low and well staked to the ground. They also recommended keeping the windward side low and doubling up on the stakes on each side, or at least on the windward side. I guess their belief was that with a small tarp it stays over you all night and with a larger tarp you may end up wet looking for your pegs in the dark.

An example of their tie out strategy - if the edge of one side of the tarp has three tie outs - stake each tie out in the normal manner but also doubling up by running tie out lines from tie out 1 and tie out 2 to a 4th peg and lines from tie out 2 and tie out 3 to a 5th peg between the other points. Thus gaining two additional pegs on each side staked in between the other 3 pegs.

Or alternatively, attaching 2 tie out lines to each of the 3 tie out points, pegging them out at a v-angle from each tie out point, thus getting 6 pegs on that side vs the normal 3 peg on each side setup. Or is this a confusing description?

It could be that a tarp over a hammock is such a different setup from being on the ground that the smaller tarp principle of ground sleeping doesn't apply. Of course they also recommend the same principles mentioned before about using wind breaks from trees, boulders, lee side of a hill, etc.

I must confess that I dream of camping out more than I actually have time to go camping. When I do go camping its more often nice wx than foul wx . So I can't say I have first hand experience with small vs large tarp in high winds. But I do try to learn from those with time in the dark wearing wet skivvies.

What say you ? foul weather hangers.

[SkyDog]

Put your rocks or logs on the stakes before you need them. Yes, you will stumble over them when you water the plants.

A taut tarp sheds wind the best.

However, if you spend enough nights out there you eventually will become a member of the Royal Order of the Soggy Skivvies (ROSS).

ROFL - Thanks for the ROSS membership!

I began with a small 6X9 silnyl rectangular tarp which was "OK"; but, difficult to keep taut. Now have a Speer Winter tarp which is cut/shaped such that it is easier to keep taut, low to the ground, and it "spills" the wind off.

I always point my head or feet INTO any expected wind. May have learned that from small one man (and a SkyDog) tents. Warm temps I get better ventilation & less condensation. Colder temps - close the wind end up as tight as possible.

If it's blowing hard and/or expected, rocks & logs on top of stakes. Yes, they are there to remind you to water the plants NOT the tarp

Yes! Headlamp on neck at 4 PM

Real Estate Principle applies: Location - Location - Location

[myles to go]

I just got back from a weekend hammock trip on a island 20 km out off the coast of NewBrunswick and although the daytime weather was awesome when the sun was going down the wind was coming up. The site that we stopped for the night was cliff side with no other choice but to make the best of it. Not wanting to get wet or blown away I found the the only spot I could get tucked into after moving some dead stuff. A few rocks on top of my stakes on winward side just in case and pitched close to the ground to help with the wind under me. Even with this the wind was so stong that it pushed my Tarp against me making me rock most of the night ( not much sleep) . Nothing let go and I stayed dry but I was worried. Even with the wind I did better than my buddies trying not to slide out of there tents on the hillside. (a few pics in my gallery)

[TinaLouise]

I'd be interested to hear some strategies for high wind tarp setting that some of you might use when you're expecting the worst.

I have a large tarp, actually several, that I'll use when it's more or less great weather or a little rain. But if the forcast is awful, I actually want my much smaller Clark Tarp over me. I like my feet to be headed into the wind. My Clark tarp is made in such a way that the foot end is much smaller than the head end. Plus it's got velcro going down the sides. I'll velcro that end closed AND take the guylines coming from those two sides and criss-cross (make an "X" ) with them and stake to the ground. Sometimes I'll double stake, sometimes I'll hunt around for dead branches and stack on top of the stakes. I also hang as low to the ground as I can. I've found with my Clark that this tends to keep me dry in my hammock. If the wind is also coming in from the head side too, I'll close those sides. Not totally like I do the foot end but quite a bit. I've also added shock cord to the head end guylines, this helps keep the tarp taut after a full night of wind or rain. When setting up my tarp, I'll try to have the foot end into the wind but sometimes the trees just don't grow where you want them. At that point, if it's really bad weather, I'll set up with both ends closed down, criss-crossed guylines, branches piled around me. I've got middle guylines and these will be staked out away from me just so I can get inside my hammock taco!! I've had my tarp pushed right up onto me but never had anything "let go" during the night. I also still managed to sleep dry!!! I did shut my weathershield.

TinaLouise