This weekend I finally was able to bid adieu to my old trusty tent in favor of my new ENO DN and tarp setup.

I really wanted to convince my skeptical girlfriend and hiking partner that the loss of a full enclosure was more than balanced out by greater space so I pitched the tarp high enough that we could stand under it fully erect. Since Irene was surely bringing rain I ended up suspending the hammock pretty close to the tarp to protect us from any possible sideways precipitation but this left the hammock pretty high off the ground. Next time I think I will try a wider and lower approach for both tarp and hammock but I wanted to see how the more experienced folks here do it.

So, fully understanding that this is rather dependent on the situation:
How high do you typically suspend your hammock from the ground?
How high do you typically suspend your tarp from both ground and at what distance from your hammock?


We stayed dry even in the heavy rain and the girlfriend is now fully supportive of the hammock and tarp system.

I also learned I need to make some snakeskins for the tarp. Breaking down, folding and trying to get the wet shelter to fit in its stuff sack was a pain in the rain.