Ridgeline for tarp? Or not?

[K0m4]

Wouldn't it work to have two end lines of some length set up with prussik's too? That the endlines are longer than needed to allow for adjustability and thicker trees, the tarp loops attached with prussiks, and the excess of the lines is hanging down from the tarp? I have so far only used a rl running above the tarp, through the loops on top. But this is a waste of rope as when tensioned hte tarp doesn't use the middle for support. It allows for another rope underneath to hang stuff from - one rope, one job as I recall from sailing.

Running it under the tarp would not work well for me (in theory): if it's used to support the tarp, you kind of lose the point if you hang stuff from it and it starts drooping, no? Also I worry about chafing when the wind picks up - is that not a concern?

[DuctTape]

Interesting those who use a RL like to adjust the tarp over the hammock. I have never used a RL, I adjust the hammock under the tarp (the little it needs). Maybe I have just been doing the same way for so long, I don't need to adjust much.

[Old Man]

I have tried them all, but always go back to Dutchware's Tarp Flyz with spliced Zing it line. easy to adjust and great to tension.

[JDBaughman]

I think the whole adjusting the tarp over the hammock is really just about being picky about neatness. I do it too, and I have noticed that its mostly because I have to have everything nice, organized, and uniform...

[packeagle]

Interesting those who use a RL like to adjust the tarp over the hammock. I have never used a RL, I adjust the hammock under the tarp (the little it needs). Maybe I have just been doing the same way for so long, I don't need to adjust much.

I like my hammock set up in a particular way that provides the most comfort for me. Normally that position is centered between the trees with feet end higher.

I like to get my tarp line with tarp still in skins tensioned, paying little attention to where the tarp falls between trees. Then adjust the tarp to center and stake out.

[FLRider]

I like having a CRL, for convenience of centering the tarp. It's not that much quicker than having two adjustables, but it's a convenience thing.

Same here. The only thing I might change is the material my prusiks are made from. I watched a vid (Shug) of prusiks made from shock cord. That seems as though it would do well for keeping tension on the ridgeline even if the temps change and the tarp wants to slack up. My only concern is the strength of shock cord. Is it strong enough to hold up under a heavy snow? I dont plan on being in 5ft of snow, but its worth considering for those who do get into the really nasty stuff.

Per this page, it's 100 lbs. I figure that's probably a good guesstimate (considering that different manufacturers probably have different specs), and more than enough for my purposes. I'd rather have the line break in the field than have the tarp rip in the field; it's a lot easier to repair.

[SwinginIt]

Wouldn't it work to have two end lines of some length set up with prussik's too? That the endlines are longer than needed to allow for adjustability and thicker trees, the tarp loops attached with prussiks, and the excess of the lines is hanging down from the tarp?

This is the method I just switched to. I've only tried it set up in the yard but it seems to work well so far even without the V for hammock suspension to go through, although I did add a second prussik on the line as an afterthought to clip the biner into so I can create the V if I want to. I also use prussiks like that on all of my guylines which is awesome. It lets me adjust tension from under my tarp and I get to use the full length of my guylines instead of them being doubled over.

[Mustardman]

I always just go two-line, tarp-to-trees.

Or sometimes even three-line. The thing is, MrsMustardman and I hang under the same tarp very frequently, using three trees, so we often use our large OES winter tarp connected to all three trees to make a very spacious room under the tarp. it works quite well, and by skipping the continuous ridgeline, we have more flexibility in pitching options, whether we end up being under the same tarp or not.

[Rem_700]

I've got a full ridgeline that I run under the tarp. Attached with a prusik at each end, one with an extra loop of bungee cord to maintain tension in the tarp overnight.

The same as previously mentioned, when the prusiks are tensioned the mid section of the ridgeline slackens off.

I'm using a 2mm (don't know fractions, 0.078 in)cord, with dyneema in it, 120kg (250lb) breaking strength. Weighs in at 3 grams/metre (~0.1oz/yard) so I'm happy carrying a few extra metres of it. It goes in the same stuff sack as the tarp, with the prusiks still attached.

[WV]

My situation may be unique, but my much-worn (abused) cuben tarp works great with a ridgeline under the tarp, but I once hung it with the ridgeline over the tarp, and in a heavy rain it formed a pool in a depression along the ridgeline, and water dripped through very slowly, but enough to get the sleeper under it wet by morning. I felt bad, because I wasn't the occupant. I had lent the "good" tarp to my hiking companion, while I stayed dry under a smaller, ratty (seriously abused) silnylon tarp. Go figure. It looked as if the ridge of the tarp had stretched and the area 6 inches either side of it had not, allowing it to form a concavity where the water collected. This is strange, because the 1" wide bonded seam runs along the ridge, so it's theoretically twice as strong. The water dripping through may have been because of pinholes caused by rough use or simply by the fact that nothing is perfectly "waterproof". Given enough hydrostatic pressure, water molecules will slip between tarp molecules. (I think I just invented "tarp molecules", but I like the sound of it.) This tarp performs flawlessly, even in a downpour, when I put the ridgeline under the tarp. It's enough to keep that ridge hollow from forming. By the way, I don't believe the cuben actually stretched anywhere; its shape in that rainstorm remains a topological anomaly.