Hex Tarp Shape Considerations

[hikelite]

I've made a lot of tarps. I started out making rectangle tarps, then tried out some hex designs, with and without cat cuts. They all have their pros and cons. I'm about to make another tarp. It will be a hex shape with a very mild cat cut, maybe none at all.

My question is, what considerations do others make regarding the shape of a hex tarp? ie how big of a triangle to cut off the corners. I've made them where I wanted all 6 sides equal, but the others I just sort of eye balled what "felt right".

I'm wondering if there are some logical reasons to choose certain sizes or ratios. The first time I made all 6 sides equal length was so I could use the same pattern for the cat cut. It works well, but I think I want a little more coverage. My "go to" tarp for many year has still been one of my early rectangle ones. Mostly because it's the one that has my experimental net walls, but it's spoiled me with great coverage! I like the hex tarps though because they pitch tauter.

So I'd love to hear how others have decided on sizes of their hex designs. My ridge line will be around 12'. Maybe a tiny bit shorter, but I think 11' might be too short. My latest hammock body is 12' long and I usually adjust the structural ridge line a little longer than some folks, ~124-126". With a 12' tarp, that only leaves me ~9-10" covering each end. That's cutting it pretty close if I'm in a bad storm. If I went with an 11' ridge line, that would be reduced to ~3-4". That small amount makes me nervous. Especially since I'll be using this tarp to thru hike the PCT and expect to be rained on everyday for a couple weeks straight in WA. I've used rain gear and other items to affect a crude beak in bad weather situations. I can still do that, but I'll probably still make the tarp with a 12' ridge line.

So given all that, what size would you choose and why?

Thanks in advance for the feedback. I've put a lot of thought into this, but I know others will think of things I haven't.

[animalcontrol]

IMO, the size of the triangle is for 2 reasons...weight and protection

Cut a larger triangle to save weight, but reduce your protection.

In your situation as I understand it, knowing the weather will include 2 weeks of rain, I'd opt for more protection. The weight difference of a few ounces isn't as important as staying dry

PS-with your longer RL, keep it 12' for sure.

[packeagle]

I'm making my tarp 11x12' and having cutting a triangle with sides A-3' B-5.5' and C-(whatever the Hypotinus turns out to be) out of the corners. That should leave me with a 12 ft ridge line tapering down to 6' sides.

Reasoning: Easy math and it just "sounded right"

[hikelite]

IMO, the size of the triangle is for 2 reasons...weight and protection

Cut a larger triangle to save weight, but reduce your protection.

In your situation as I understand it, knowing the weather will include 2 weeks of rain, I'd opt for more protection. The weight difference of a few ounces isn't as important as staying dry

PS-with your longer RL, keep it 12' for sure.

Yep, that's exactly my thoughts. I'm gonna cut some off it though, just trying to see if anyone has any logical reason for one ratio or another.

I'm making my tarp 11x12' and having cutting a triangle with sides A-3' B-5.5' and C-(whatever the Hypotinus turns out to be) out of the corners. That should leave me with a 12 ft ridge line tapering down to 6' sides.

Reasoning: Easy math and it just "sounded right"

Your fabric is 66" wide? I think the first cat tarp I made was that size too. You may or may not be surprised when you discover a 72" side will make it an equilateral hexagon It's been awhile though, so may be remembering wrong. I just recall doing the math first, and thinking I must have done it wrong and being a little bothered when I came up with 72"

[MAD777]

I posted pictures of my hex in the gallery with a link to the accompaning thread. (I'm on a phone, so hard to post links).

Since my objective was a minimal tarp, measured the hammock it was to cover and made sure it extended a few inches past the edges. That gave me the relative lengths of the edges, not some symmetrical math formula. Since the hammock was a WBBB, coverage of the "wings" was critical.

Remember that the longer you make the ridgeline, the wider your tarp needs to be. That's because a long ridgeline will ride up on the suspension, lifting the tarp thereby exposing the sides to blowing rain.

A minimal ridgeline length will allow a narrow tarp, saving weight, but it must be nailed down right on the hammock to be effective.

It all depends on your goal. That's why I have more than one tarp!