Smallest possible tarp for WBBB?

**BearChaser** · 10-09-2012, 09:59

If your talking about the wing tie outs of the Blackbird, No. They where not staked out. I just let them flop straight down to prevent them from even possibly getting wet. I hate a wet hammock. Before I contacted Joe about making this tarp for me I already had these provisions in mind. I knew the coverage was going to be minimal, so I had to figure out a way to increase that coverage with stuff I already carried. Doing that made the smaller lighter weight of the tarp justifiable. If I would have had to carry additional items to make it work, I would have never ordered it & just used my larger tarp without worries.

I will tell ya this about it. When your setup in a windy rainy situation, you are pretty much confined to the hammock. Unless you leave the hammock in your pack and use the tarp for coverage to do things like cooking, etc. Then setup your hammock before going to bed. The newer tarp design Joe has is a little wider I believe than this one. But I would still venture to say your coverage is just enough to keep you dry. One other thing I noticed was that when I was leaning out of the hammock to fix coffee from it, I got a little wetness on the shelf side of the hammock. When I leaned over, the hammock would swing out just enough from under the tarp to get a few drops of H2O on the opposite side. So be aware of that.

[Another Edit] Here is a pic of it spread eagle in good conditions. Makes for some great views out of the hammock.

**Wilemuse** · 10-09-2012, 10:04

Originally Posted by BearChaser

What I did with my small ZPacks Diamond Asym this past week. The rain was blowing in toward the foot end so I strung up my rain skirt to block most of it, then used my pack cover, the blue shown in the pic, over the very end of the hammock. Last I zipped up my rain jacket around the head end of my hammock. Completely covered and kept me dry, even in light/heavy blowing rain. Best part is I used stuff that I already carry making my tarp setup stay at 3.4 oz.

[Edit] By the way, that is a Warbonnet Blackbird under all that.

Well done sir!

**jnelson871** · 10-10-2012, 01:20

Thanks Bear. I am working on similar logic to you in that I am trying to multipurpose my existing rain gear. I pretty much hike until I sleep so not to concerned about being hammock bound but thanks for the thought, will definitely effect my morning coffee routine.