4 Season Cuben Tarp

**Bannerstone** · 12-25-2011, 06:55

You know Wisenber, I've been noodling that idea for a while and at first I thought it was a bit high on the fiddle factor for a winter solution with cold hands and extra pieces, sealing up gaps, wind resitance, shedding water, etc., etc. But it still seemed like an idea worth pursuing. One variation that I wanted to toy around with is a one sided skirt that I imagine used in a low porch mode sort of pitch away from the wind that would function a bit like a vestibule. Then I thought why not just make it from sil nylon in order to develop the idea from less expensive materials. Then get the bugs worked out and when I'm satisfied (and have the extra cash) see if Stormcrow would use it as a pattern to mock one up out of cuben.

Peace gentlemen and ladies. And a Merry Christmas,

David

**wisenber** · 12-25-2011, 10:48

Originally Posted by Bannerstone

You know Wisenber, I've been noodling that idea for a while and at first I thought it was a bit high on the fiddle factor for a winter solution with cold hands and extra pieces, sealing up gaps, wind resitance, shedding water, etc., etc.

That's just it. I don't think that the skirt would really need to shed water. The actual tarp does that. The skirt would really just be to block the drafts that go under the tarp sides. It probably does not need to stop ALL wind either. It would just need to be a windblock to reduce most of the wind and draft. That would be enough to keep the spindrift out and also keep the breeze from moving the air under your hammock as much.
If your dog sleeps in there with you under the hammock, it would also reduce the drafts there.

I still think using a "Grizzbeak" approach by leveraging the existing lines and materials to hold the skirt in place would be the best route. I may try to play with some scrap Wally World ripstop just to see how it attaches and its impact on the rest of the dynamics.

**motorapido** · 12-25-2011, 16:58

Originally Posted by Sidewinder

For those who own one of these, have you ever pitched it really close to the ground? Was there enough room and height to hang your hammock? For winter use, I tend to pitch my Superfly really close to the ground to minimize drafts. I still have plenty of room to move about and height enough so my quilts don't bottom out and touch the ground. Any comments on how the Hammock gear 4 season cuben tarp would do if pitched like I described?

Thanks,

S

OK, I have the zpacks cuben hammock tarp with doors. Ridgeline 11 feet, 12.2 feet length measured at doors, 8.5 foot width. So mine is a little bigger than what you're working with. I'm hanging a Grand Trunk Nano 7, so a smallish hammock. To pitch tight to the ground while maximizing interior space, there are a couple things you should do. First, if the trees are close together and your total suspension length is rather short due to the trees being close together, the hammock suspension --whoopies in my case--are probably exiting the underside of the tarp too high to allow a pitch with the tarp edges touching the ground. I was left with a couple inches of breezeway around the bottom perimeter of my tarp edges and doors. I encountered this a few weeks ago on a 12 degree F night when I wanted to block out all breeze. So, grudgingly, I picked another pair of trees farther apart -- about 18 or 19 feet. Since I use a structural ridgeline, I was able to hang the suspension at only about shoulder height on the two trees, and the structural ridge line allowed me to get the proper sag. Without the structural ridgeline I would have had to hang the suspension higher than head height, which might have resulted in problems in pulling the tarp down low enough so the edges would touch the ground.

So, by choosing two trees on the far-apart-end of the spectrum and using a structural ridgeline, I was able to get my hammock suspension low enough to allow me to pitch the tarp ridgeline so the sides could touch the ground. I have tie-outs, two, on each of the two side, and I used a hiking pole on one tieout on each side, closest to the head end of where I would be sleeping, with the tarp setup so the tieouts were inside the living space. This allowed me to adjust the hiking poles from the weather-protected inside. The hiking poles pushed the sides out enough to give me plenty of room for my evening Kindle reading by headlamp. It was a cozy night all alone on that cold mountain top.

So that's my recipe. Trees kinda far apart. Structural ridgeline to allow a low suspension wrap on the trees. Hiking poles on tieouts to push the sides out a bit. Go forth into the wilderness and enjoy in peace.

**Sidewinder** · 12-25-2011, 18:01

Originally Posted by lvnv1212

I loved my super fly dimensions, and Joe from zpacks did a custom order for me - cuben tarp with same footprint as the SF. Love it!

Now that's what I'm talking about! Superfly size cuben! Got any pics you care to share?

S

**Sidewinder** · 12-25-2011, 18:11

Originally Posted by motorapido

OK, I have the zpacks cuben hammock tarp with doors. Ridgeline 11 feet, 12.2 feet length measured at doors, 8.5 foot width. So mine is a little bigger than what you're working with. I'm hanging a Grand Trunk Nano 7, so a smallish hammock. To pitch tight to the ground while maximizing interior space, there are a couple things you should do. First, if the trees are close together and your total suspension length is rather short due to the trees being close together, the hammock suspension --whoopies in my case--are probably exiting the underside of the tarp too high to allow a pitch with the tarp edges touching the ground. I was left with a couple inches of breezeway around the bottom perimeter of my tarp edges and doors. I encountered this a few weeks ago on a 12 degree F night when I wanted to block out all breeze. So, grudgingly, I picked another pair of trees farther apart -- about 18 or 19 feet. Since I use a structural ridgeline, I was able to hang the suspension at only about shoulder height on the two trees, and the structural ridge line allowed me to get the proper sag. Without the structural ridgeline I would have had to hang the suspension higher than head height, which might have resulted in problems in pulling the tarp down low enough so the edges would touch the ground.

So, by choosing two trees on the far-apart-end of the spectrum and using a structural ridgeline, I was able to get my hammock suspension low enough to allow me to pitch the tarp ridgeline so the sides could touch the ground. I have tie-outs, two, on each of the two side, and I used a hiking pole on one tieout on each side, closest to the head end of where I would be sleeping, with the tarp setup so the tieouts were inside the living space. This allowed me to adjust the hiking poles from the weather-protected inside. The hiking poles pushed the sides out enough to give me plenty of room for my evening Kindle reading by headlamp. It was a cozy night all alone on that cold mountain top.

So that's my recipe. Trees kinda far apart. Structural ridgeline to allow a low suspension wrap on the trees. Hiking poles on tieouts to push the sides out a bit. Go forth into the wilderness and enjoy in peace.

Wow thanks for that tip! I guess I've done that by trial and error but never really thought about why it works that way. Your articulation just solidified an important concept for me. Thank you again!

The perpetual student of all things hammock,

S

**Sidewinder** · 12-25-2011, 18:14

Originally Posted by wisenber

That's just it. I don't think that the skirt would really need to shed water. The actual tarp does that. The skirt would really just be to block the drafts that go under the tarp sides. It probably does not need to stop ALL wind either. It would just need to be a windblock to reduce most of the wind and draft. That would be enough to keep the spindrift out and also keep the breeze from moving the air under your hammock as much.
If your dog sleeps in there with you under the hammock, it would also reduce the drafts there.

I still think using a "Grizzbeak" approach by leveraging the existing lines and materials to hold the skirt in place would be the best route. I may try to play with some scrap Wally World ripstop just to see how it attaches and its impact on the rest of the dynamics.

I think this would be really cool if it could work. Not sure how the tarp skirt would attach without being all floppy. Please let us follow your progress if you decide to do this.

S

**motorapido** · 12-25-2011, 18:21

Originally Posted by Sidewinder

Wow thanks for that tip! I guess I've done that by trial and error but never really thought about why it works that way. Your articulation just solidified an important concept for me. Thank you again!

The perpetual student of all things hammock,

S

It's good to give back a little knowledge to those on this site who have given so much to me. I'm planning and scheming and dreaming of a March adventure in West Virginia's Dolly Sods wilderness, and I'm hoping for tons of snow (a snowshoe trip) and COLD air. So tarp-to-the-ground will be the order of the day and I've been practicing my cold hanging here in Central PA when the nights are cold. I've also been stocking up on cold weather goodies. Down mittens with waterproof BREATHABLE!!! Cuben overmitts from Evan at Blackrock. Blackrock down hat. NEOS overboots. VBL socks. A Cuben VBL (zpacks!) for inside my down bag, which I use like a peapod. Bring on the cold!!

**Sidewinder** · 12-25-2011, 18:28

Originally Posted by motorapido

It's good to give back a little knowledge to those on this site who have given so much to me. I'm planning and scheming and dreaming of a March adventure in West Virginia's Dolly Sods wilderness, and I'm hoping for tons of snow (a snowshoe trip) and COLD air. So tarp-to-the-ground will be the order of the day and I've been practicing my cold hanging here in Central PA when the nights are cold. I've also been stocking up on cold weather goodies. Down mittens with waterproof BREATHABLE!!! Cuben overmitts from Evan at Blackrock. Blackrock down hat. NEOS overboots. VBL socks. A Cuben VBL (zpacks!) for inside my down bag, which I use like a peapod. Bring on the cold!!

Awesome! I'm doing the same. Waiting on some hammock gear quilts then off to the cold I can go! No real snow around these parts though! Good luck on your winter adventures!

S

**wisenber** · 12-25-2011, 21:04

Originally Posted by Sidewinder

Awesome! I'm doing the same. Waiting on some hammock gear quilts then off to the cold I can go! No real snow around these parts though! Good luck on your winter adventures!

S

If the snow is deep enough, you're problem is solved. Just trench out the snow beneath your hammock, and the snow becomes the skirt I was talking about.

Darby had his trenched out when the photo was taken at the Roan Winter Hang.
The snow on the sides will block the wind, and the hammock actually stays warmer from the insulation from the snow.

**Sidewinder** · 01-05-2012, 00:32

Originally Posted by lvnv1212

I loved my super fly dimensions, and Joe from zpacks did a custom order for me - cuben tarp with same footprint as the SF. Love it!

I ended up going this route. Hammock Gear stopped making the larger version of their trap so I asked Joe to supersize one of his. I'm going with specs pretty close to the Superfly. Will post pics once I get it.

S