Tarp over or under the ridgeline?

[jlara]

On the topic of tarp hanging, and with great newbie fear, I have a question

I use one of Opie's wonderful single line tarp ridgelines...I like the easy adjustability of the prussik knots to adjust the location and tightness of the tarp on the ridgeline.

So here's the question: when would you want to hang your tarp UNDER the ridgeline and when would you want the tarp OVER the ridgeline?

Thanks for your thoughts on this!
John

[Hawk-eye]

For me ... line over the tarp for sure ... no wicking of water down the line and onto the old Hawk-eye's ... eyes!

[Bat]

ridgeline under the tarp if you want to use the line as a place to hang clothing to let it dry.

[opie]

This is like asking " ford or chevy"

either works. I roll with my tarp over the RL. Just had it up over the weekend during some rain storms and didn't have any water makes it's way under my tarp from the RL.

[dejoha]

During extreme weather (snow, heavy rainfall) having a line under your tarp will provide additional support and structure.

[cooldays]

Hawkeye...have you noticed wicking with the under the ridgleline setup? I havent bt haven't been in a real storm that way either yet.

I did get frustrated last weekend when I put my ridgline under the tarp because it was a windy mountain ridge where we were camping.., and I used the line to hang my days hiking clothes to dry under the tarp ......but...... it was so humid that even in porch mode the condensation wicked down my clothes and they were actually wetter in the am than the night before....

[doheir]

I opted to have my ridgeline over the tarp, with the tarp hanging from very small carabiners on each end (tensioned by prusik knots) and a small carabiner in the center. It hangs taut that way, and I'm saving my tarp from (probably imagined) wear on the coating from the ridgeline against the fabric.

[Bush]

I prefer to eliminate as many possible negative outcomes myself so I prefer over the top or end to end. You will find that this is an evolutionary process however. What you prefer today may soon change as you experiment and gain experience. I have seen many elaborate setups here in the forums and to each his own but I like to keep things simple and eliminate as many points of failure as possible.JMHO

[SmokeBait]

Tarp over the ridgeline in snow or hard winds for me. Under the ridgeline in rainy times. I've never had rain water follow the ridgeline in when under the tarp but it just makes me feel better. Good choice on Opie's ridgeline, top notch.

Smokebait

[jlara]

You all are great...what a wonderful place HF is to learn about something new and then go try it out!

So the consensus seems to be over the top of the ridgeline, but perhaps not in heavy rain. Still, it seems a couple of drip lines would solve any water seepage and still take advantage of having the more structured lay over the ridgeline. And for what it's worth, heavy rain seems to be usually accompanied by high winds, so the over the top configuration seems like it would be the winner.

So thanks everyone...and a shout-out to Opie for the fine products, service and workmanship.

I'm off Sunday to Tuesday for my first hammock only trip with my new OES Deluxe in NH. Can't wait!

Best regards to all,
John