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  1. #1
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    10x5 1.1oz sil tarp, what's the point?

    So I don't profess to knowing a lot... but back in 2011 when I first thought I'd start hammock camping I got a very nicely put together 10x5 silnylon tarp off of ebay from a guy who made them for a living... It occurs to me now that I will likely need an 11x10 warbonnet superfly for my particular needs...

    I was just wondering, from the perspective of someone who will probably never use it, what's the point in the 10x5 sized tarps? Are they just for fair weather protection? I can't imagine it would do well in the wind and rain.

    Can someone who is more experienced give me the rundown on that size?

    I think I may just put in the sale area once I get a pic or two of it. Like I said it's very nice, but I think the size is all wrong for me.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Boston's Avatar
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    They can be effective, more so if you don't use down underquilts (due to needing to keep them dry). I know someone who uses the stock Hennessy tarp and has no desire or need for additional coverage.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boston View Post
    They can be effective, more so if you don't use down underquilts (due to needing to keep them dry). I know someone who uses the stock Hennessy tarp and has no desire or need for additional coverage.
    Yea, see... I'm not trying to bad mouth them, I just was wondering on their effectiveness vs a bigger tarp made of the same type of material. Is it just for ounce counters?

  4. #4
    Senior Member Syb's Avatar
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    Depending on how you pitch your tarp - close to the hammock, low to the ground (as low as you can get with a 10X5) - you can stay dry in certain weather. Note I said certain weather and not all weather. I've been in pretty bad blowing rain with my MacCat Standard (10.6 X 7) and remained dry. I was in bad weather with my Superfly and got wet. Plain and simple, the Superfly wasn't set up for correctly. Yes, the larger coverage helps but more important is knowing your setup and how to set it up.

    Regarding ounce-counters, there is a group of people that want to have a lighter setup and a smaller tarp is part of that.
    Syb
    Enjoy the elevation

  5. #5
    Member Itsamescott's Avatar
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    Feb 2013
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    I do not claim to have much in the way of experience but the main benefit is the minimal weight.

    I just finished a DIY 5x10 tarp. With an 11+ foot diagonal it does cover my hammock quite well. In fair weather it is nothing more than roof so my sleep will not be interrupted by squirrel poop falling in my mouth. In foul weather you are better off with a bigger more protective tarp but you can stay pretty well protected as long as you are willing to stay in your hammock and the tarp is pitched low enough. You're not going to be doing any cooking under it but you can still sleep.

    If I can get away with a smaller tarp I do. My preference when out camping/hiking is to be out in the open. Is spend my life inside. I don't want to be closed in and confined when out in the woods.

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    I would say that a 10 x 5 tarp would be close to the minimum for effective hammock coverage but it does have it's place. My 10 x 11 is more than I need most of the time and I am currently on a journey towards a much smaller tarp. A lightweight 10 x 5 in the 'for sale' forum would certainly get my attention.
    "...With saddle and pack, by paddle and track, let's go to the land of beyond."

  7. #7
    Senior Member nuttysquirrel's Avatar
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    they can be piched aysm style to provide good coverage in summer. http://www.simplylightdesigns.com/ca...products_id/81

  8. #8
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    I think maybe the biggest turn off for me is the color of it. It's pure white.

  9. #9
    Senior Member southern9's Avatar
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    Spray paint some camo on it, pitch it low and asym. Bring it on hikes with a fair weather forecast.

  10. #10
    dakotaross's Avatar
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    I think those are mostly for pitching low to the ground and sleeping on the ground. Certainly, you can use one with a hammock. If you're staying away from windy ridges and gaps, then most of the time the wind is negligible in the forest. So, even in summer thunderstorms, rain will mostly come straight down and a small tarp like that offers more than adequate coverage. Like someone else said, its about knowing how to use it, which is more that just knowing how to pitch it.
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
    - Kate Chopin

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