NOOB question

[stringbean]

Hey y'all. I got a noobie question for ya. I am going on a camping trip this weekend. I dont think its gonna rain, but i dont wanna test it. All i can get my hands on right now are your average blue industrial tarps. Is there a way i can rig these up to make a tarp for my hammock untill i can get a dedicated hammock tarp?

[exup]

Hey Stringbean, I'm a noob myself so I really don't know a whole lot but I can tell you my first hammock backpacking trip I took I used a simple blue tarp and it worked fine.

I borrowed my friend ENO and all he had was a blue tarp. I had no time to set up the system before heading out. I knew it called for heavy thunder storms the night of my trip but wouldn't let it hold me back seeing how it was the first time I got 2 days off in a row in over a year and with a new child I knew that chance wouldn't come anytime soon again.

How I did it was very simple, again I had never pitched a tarp or even hammock before until I came to the camp site. I hung my hammock then used 550 paracord to make a ridge line for the blue tarp (8' x 10') to pitch it A frame style. The tarp did not even have grommets for the ridge line so I didn't even have that, just the ridge line. Wrapped from to to tree and back twice. Then I simply staked and tied the 4 corner lines of the tarp(like any other tarp). I deffiently pitched it too high but it still kept me completely dry the whole night and morning through tunderstorn windblown rain and crazy lightning. It was petrifying being all alone and inexperienced.

The one problen I had was a lot of sag. For that I just put a stick(or trekking pole) in the middle of the edge. This helped to keep the tarp away from the hammock. If I had to do it again I would have punched holes and put in grommets on the ridge ends of the tarp on top of having the ridgeline(mainly because they can be a tad heavy and sag a lot) and pitch it closer to the hammock.

Hope this helped. You may want to check out the chinook tarp as I believe its a little lighter than the blue tarps and still pretty cheap. Maybe even hennessy hammocks poly hex tarp for $60 if ya got it. 25oz I believe.

[Ekul]

Wally World blue tarp works.

[stringbean]

thanks for the input guys....im thinking of buying some silnylon from wally world and making my own....i just have no idea what shape or size to make it! I tried to set up my cheapie blue tarp today but it was to small.

[dejoha]

The big tarps will work fine and are a good, cheap way to practice pitching techniques. Here is a tarp primer...

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=16945

[stringbean]

haha thanks again dejoha

[exup]

Check out the instructings on the black cat tarp. Really good and well written.

[PuckerFactor]

A trick for tarps with grommets, especially the heavy blue ones, is to run a rope between the trees (a continuous ridgeline under the tarp) and simply pop a bight (a loop) up through the grommet in the tarp, and stick a toggle/stick in to hold it. That way the weight is borne by the rope, not the grommets.
bigbluetoggle.jpg

PF

[dejoha]

Nicely done acer. That is exactly how I was taught to do it at a scout training. Very simple and effective.

[stringbean]

A trick for tarps with grommets, especially the heavy blue ones, is to run a rope between the trees (a continuous ridgeline under the tarp) and simply pop a bight (a loop) up through the grommet in the tarp, and stick a toggle/stick in to hold it. That way the weight is borne by the rope, not the grommets.
bigbluetoggle.jpg

PF

wow thats nice thanks for the idea! im still thinkin on the stuff dejoha showed me with the v in the rope. Im gonna get a new tarp and try some stuff tomorrow. ill have to post pictures of a vid, because i am terrible with knots, so its bound to be funny