We picked up the “big Daddy from the guys at wilderness Logic a little over a month or so ago. Along with the great price, the turnover time was fast, and it came in my favorite color, black!!! When it arrived in a tiny Priority mail envelope, I thought, “Man this package is to small to be a tarp”. But, there it was, a silnylon all black hex tarp folded in its own included stuff sack. And at a weight slightly less than advertised on their web site. I couldn't wait to test it out with my HH deluxe in the back yard.
While I have a standard diamond asym fly from HH in Sil, this was my first hex fly in Sil (I only have the old school heavy hex from HH). The quality of this fly is top notch. I personally think its better than my HH stuff, much, but couldn't compare it with other companies, as I do not own their tarps. While I love the coverage of the hex fly, I miss the ease of use and simple tie out points of my diamond shaped
This got me to thinking (sometimes a very poor idea). I started my project with my new fly and set to modding it. I like the Nite ize figure nines with reflective rope, and since the WL tarp didn't include lines, I planned to add them on. I also missed the pockets on the HH tarps for tucking in lines that aren't used or for packing, so I picked up a bit of 1.5 breathable ripstop from our local fabric store for my project. Next I decided to add a pocket and pull out line in the center of each leg of my tarp, then add a bungy strap and mitten clip to each end. This way the lazy man in me could keep the tarp in a diamond pattern and only fold out the hex sides when needed. For example: diamond fold on non zip side of my hammock and front porch unfolded on the other. My final mod was to add a plastic ring on each end of the tarp so my HH explorer deluxe could clip on when needed. Total of eight pockets and two new tie outs were added to the tarp. Which did increase my total weight with Nite Ize figure 9's, line, and plastic rings with mitten clips, to around 19oz.
After everything was sealed up with seam sealer, we headed out to Red River Gorge for a day hike. It ended up poring rain off and on throughout the day , so the tarp was tested in some heavy mess and winds. The guys at Wilderness logic make a great product! With my pocket and tie out mods, I couldn't be happier! The pictures show one side of the tarp set with hex sides open, and the other with center pulled and sides clipped underneath. The rain was heavy, so I didn't get a chance to retention the tarp after about an hour or so of taking a beating, thus the noticeable sag. After some pics, and lunch, we inspected the tarp and found the mods were definitely worth the added weight. At least good for us.
I'm sure this isn't the first time someone has tried this mod, and they may be all over the forum, but as a newby, I looked forward to posting my first Hammock project.
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