Campout at the beach! And need some tarp help!

[Roadrunnr72]

First, I am having trouble loading pics, tonight. So pics will be later. Last weekend I took a group of Scouts out to Mobjack bay. We do this trip every year, the first weekend after Labor day, weather providing. The last two years, we had to cancel because of the weather. But this year, it was great. We camp right on the beach, with no trees nearby. This is the trip that I originally built my Turtledog stand for. I set up the stand and tarp only, to start with. So I would have plenty of room and shade for the day, while relaxing in my chair, or eating meals. When it started getting dark I set up the hammock, my DIY with integrated bugnet. Everything was great, a nice breeze all day, helps keep the flying bugs at bay. I laid down to sleep around 9:30 and about 10 the wind kicked up. I kept waking up to the sound of my tarp blowing in the wind. Wake up and then dooze off, repeat. Finally, about 1:00am, the wind got really bad. Not sure how high, but some guessed around 30 to 40 MPH gust. I was worried about my tarp being shredded. I had my SF, and kept waiting for one of the guy tieouts to pull off, or the shock cord to break. They held, but I couldn't take it anymore, and didn't want to ruin a great tarp. The wind was blowing sand so much, it filled my Crocs in just a few minutes. So I didn't want to chance sleeping with out the tarp, in just the hammock.

I often have wondered at what point someone would abandon a hammock and head for the ground, and this was mine. There was an old blue tarp that was covering the fire wood, and just a few pieces of wood left that were holding it down. I grabbed the tarp, folded it, so that the wind was blowing towards the back, laid my dry bags and chair on it, to hold it in place, grabbed my hammock PLUQ and PLTQ, threw them in between the layers of the blue tarp, and took down my SF. Crawled inside, and went to sleep, sort of.

I looked out, about 30 mins after laying down, to see one of my assistants messing with his t**t, I asked if he was OK, and he was. The next morning, I found out that a big gust had blown him over and he had gotten out to try and stake it back down. He buried his cooler in the sand, and tied a strap from in to the top of his t**t to hold it in place.

Any suggestions as to how to handle this any better? There was not much shelter from the wind, no hills to block it. I have a Handy Hammock, and didn't bring it, because I didn't have the longer sand stakes. It may have done a better job, being lower to the ground, but I just don't know. The rest of the night was pretty bad, sleeping on the ground. But at least I still have my tarp in one piece..........RR

[chapmage]

Sorry I don't have any suggestions to help, but I got a kick out of seeing t**t... it is a 4 letter word after all... =]

[gargoyle]

Make a few stuff sacks. Use them, filled with sand as your guy out anchors. Possibly filled and buried, depending on conditions?
Cheap, light(when empty), and easy.

[DAdamEich]

I agree, sand bags would be the easiest way to go. You can buy USGI sand bags in canvas, polyester, nylon, burlap, etc. I would get some nylon bags so that they're lightweight and easy to get the sand off of so they can go back in your pack as clean as possible.

http://www.militarysupplyhouse.com/sandbags_1.htm

[Floridahanger]

My suggestion would be the same as if you were in a blizzard.

Lower the windward side of the tarp to the ground. Can you hang the tarp under the pole to help reach the ground?

After you put the edge to the ground, make a small sand wall to keep the wind over the tarp and not get under it. Using the sandbag stakes will help also.

Use your side pull outs on the windward side only to keep the leeward side from stretching the tarp ridge too much.

Good luck.

[Roadrunnr72]

Thanks for the responses. I didn't have a problem with my stakes pulling out. I was worried about my tarp ripping. The wind was blowing the side in pretty hard. I was thinking that a lower set up, tarp and hammock, would keep it from catching as much wind. Gus I'll have to figure out something, and try again next year. .....RR

[DeRozea]

I would think minimizing the surface area of the tarp to wind would be the only way. hard to experiment and play without losing tarps. maybe try to cocoon your hammock with the tarp on the wind ward side instead of staking to the ground, wrap in under your hammock and tie it upward. more like a wind sock I suppose(never seen one up close). I haven't been in a hammock on a beach in the wind. tents yes. that was fun.

[nothermark]

I don't want to sound too crass but if my tarp won't stand a 40 mph wind when staked into a more or less wind shedding stance it is time for a new tarp. My tarp is my house and it has to be strong enough to do the job of protecting me from wind blown rain and whatever small stuff is included.

[Floridahanger]

Thanks for the responses. I didn't have a problem with my stakes pulling out. I was worried about my tarp ripping. The wind was blowing the side in pretty hard. I was thinking that a lower set up, tarp and hammock, would keep it from catching as much wind. Gus I'll have to figure out something, and try again next year. .....RR

Also, with the SF and TDS combo, you're mobile and can put the foot end into the wind and set the doors closed outward in a knife edge configuration. That would put a lot less tarp into the wind like the side tarp config, also would put less stress on the tarp overall like a "flying diamond". Still put the sides down into a little sand wall.

[Roadrunnr72]

Also, with the SF and TDS combo, you're mobile and can put the foot end into the wind and set the doors closed outward in a knife edge configuration. That would put a lot less tarp into the wind like the side tarp config, also would put less stress on the tarp overall like a "flying diamond". Still put the sides down into a little sand wall.

This may work the best. I set it up to keep the sun off me for most of the day, not knowing that the wind was going to get up like it did. Putting the end into the wind would definatley cut the surface area for the wind to catch......RR