how low / high do you hang

[cinnamon]

This last weekend spent three nights on the SHT on MN north shore and had rain two of those nights. Stayed dry but had a few issues hanging my tarp. how close to the ridge line should the tarp be hung when expecting rain? I figured the closer / lower the tarp was hung the better. The problem I ran into was that my hammock suspension was hitting the end of the tarp when I hung it real close but when the tarp was high enough to clear the suspension it seemed like the tarp sides where too high and I didn't feel like it provided enough coverage on the sides.
tarp used- maccat deluxe
hammock- GT single

thoughts? comments? if you could direct me to pics of a pitched hammock and tarp setup for heavy rain it would be great.

thanks

[Wags]

you'll want your tarp ridgeline actually underneath the hammock suspension around the tree. this will keep your tarp "just" above the hammock ridgeline.

[cinnamon]

it was, the issue was that where the suspension angles up to the tree it was hitting the end of the tarp because the tarp ridge line is longer than the ridge line on my hammock. when i moved the tarp up to clear the suspension it was close to a foot above the hammock RL and felt like it was too high.

[flatline]

i set up my tarp (RL under tarp) so that the peak is 3"-4" above where the (foot end) hammock suspension exits from beneath the tarp (unless it's really hot).
i lower the sides of the tarp to about 12"-18" off the ground and use the pull outs for extra room and support.
spend some time browsing thru the HF photo gallery and check out other peeps methods.
i learned a lot doing that and had fun too.

[BillyBob58]

it was, the issue was that where the suspension angles up to the tree it was hitting the end of the tarp because the tarp ridge line is longer than the ridge line on my hammock. when i moved the tarp up to clear the suspension it was close to a foot above the hammock RL and felt like it was too high.

I have had trouble with that in the past, especially when using a small tarp- like the HH diamond tarp- where having it VERY close to the RL is pretty critical.

If attaching an HH diamond tarp to the HH suspension Prussiks, the tarp stays very close to the RL ( after you get in and the hammock sags) and gives optimal cover. However, you most likely will now have a very loose floppy tarp because it will sag with the hammock. There are various tricks to minimize this effect.

If attaching the diamond tarp from the trees, it will now stay as tight as possible. But exposure will increase after the hammock sags away from the tarp. So attaching the hammock higher than the tarp on the tree becomes very important, attempting to keep the tarp RL as close to the tarp as possible. But then you often run into the problem you mention. One thing that has worked for me is to have my tarp line go from the tarp and all the way around the tree and back to the tarp. This has the tarp line going out towards/on each side of the tree and forms an opening in between the right and left side of the tarp line. An opening through which your hammock suspension can pass on it's straight down the middle path to the tree. This pretty much gets rid of the problem you mentioned, at least for me.

Of course, if the hammock line is hitting the actual tarp and not just the tarp suspension, the above might not help much.

But, with a big rectangular tarp like the JRB, I seldom feel the need to hang the tarp all that low and mostly don't bother.

[jraffini]

If I understand your problem correctly, the problem is that your tarp ridge line is a good bit longer than your hammock, so the angle of your suspension forces you to hang your tarp higher than you'd like to avoid the suspension hitting your actual tarp, not your tarp suspension. The grand trunk ultra light is fairly short, while the maccat deluxe has a fairly long ridge line. If you don't already have a structural ridge line on your hammock, it might help to use one, and that would allow you to get your desired sag while having the ability to use less angle on your hammock suspension. That's at least what I've experienced. Your mileage may vary. Good luck!!

[Knotty]

It's interesting how if you use a long tarp to get more coverage the benefit isn't always as much as you'd think because you end up with more vertical space between the hammock and tarp due to interference. Only work around I know of is the one offered by jraffini, hang the hammock tighter so the suspension is at a shallower angle.

[cinnamon]

If you don't already have a structural ridge line on your hammock, it might help to use one, and that would allow you to get your desired sag while having the ability to use less angle on your hammock suspension. That's at least what I've experienced. Your mileage may vary. Good luck!!

i do have a SRL on the hammock and your right having less of an angle on the hammock suspension does allow me to hang the tarp lower / closer, the only thing is that when hung in such a manner the SRL becomes guitar string tight. is it possible to hang the suspension at too low an angle generating to much force on the suspension lines?

[Catavarie]

Have you tried offsetting your hammock and tarp? Have hammock come off one side of the tree and the tarp come off the other? This should give you some more space to bring the tarp ridgeline down a bit further so that you can get the sides lower as well.

[ciphoto]

Are you using a v for you tarp where the crl goes around the tree and back and the hammock suspension goes up through the v?

I would think with the Maccat deluxe that you'd have enough coverage. You said you felt like you didn't have enough, but did the wind blow the rain in or did you have any actual ill effects.

I used the HH stock tarp in heavy ran with no problem, and have a deluxe waiting for me at home to use in WA when I go out there in couple weeks.

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