Bungee cords instead of ridgeline?

[makkan]

You should be viewing Shug's YouTube channel, not Sgt. Fruitcake's!

Thanks for that tip. I must have watched at least one or two hours of Shug by now and I just love the guy.

[SilvrSurfr]

Thanks for that tip. I must have watched at least one or two hours of Shug by now and I just love the guy.

And you have hours more to go. Shug's a prolific source of hammock info, and he gets out in the woods and gives us trip reports - very inspiring.

Isn't that what it's all about? Getting out in the piney woods?

[SilvrSurfr]

I need to plan to be able to spend 8-10 feet just on the tree circumference alone, so I like 1 continuous 50' ridgeline. It's overkill sometimes, but it also has been just barely enough. I would be extremely limited if I brought any bungees.

They clear cut the crap out of the East Coast forests last century so I hardly ever see old growth forests. I've never needed more than 4 ft. tree straps or a 30 ft. ridgeline. We don't have much old growth anywhere I've hung in CT, MA, MD, NY, PA, & VA.

I would love to see Sgt. Fruitcake in the Pacific Northwest:

"Well, lads. I've had to totally revise my opinion that bungees are a viable way to hang a tarp from trees. Bungees blow. Look at the size of these trees!"

I think Sgt. Fruitcake would probably carry enough bungees to span a sequoia easily. He's probably got bungees stashed in all the pockets of those tactical pants he's wearing.

Can you imagine what those pants cost? They're not cheap.

[VERDUG0]

I use static cordage, with bits of rubber inner tube that is attached to the webbing of my tarp.

This way the static cord doesn't get all loose during the night (you know that flappy silnylon in the morning)
The inner tube absorbs shocks, and when the silnylon get wet and becomes more elastic, the innertube tight it back in place!

A nice and tight tarp

[The LumberJack]

why not try some 1/4" shock cord?

[joshjv]

I used to use bungee for the tarp ridgeline; but I like having it out of amsteel alot better! lighter, easier, stronger..

[makkan]

Thanks again for all the feedback and tips. I guess I have to give it all a try one way or another to find what suits me best.

[K0m4]

I'll post again about my method, because it really works. For me, that is

I have two lengths of 4mm rope at each end of the tarp - about 3m each. They are permanently attached to the tarp with loops of guyline through a klemheist knot.

When I've found my trees for the night, I just tie the ropes around the respective tree, pull on the Klemheist to center the tarp and make it taught, and that's all there is to it. It takes all of two minutes.

Those lengths of rope are long enough to go around all trees in Sweden. Well, except maybe the ones in Humlegården (a park in Stockholm, with some reeeally old and thick trees..). The "left-over" rope acts as drip lines too. And if I want a ridgeline underneath the tarp e.g. to hang clothes, I just tie an independent line to the trees.

Edit: oh, and I second everything that's being said about Shug's videos. Nowadays when I've got my set-up more or less dialled in, I sometimes watch them just for the entertainment!

[makkan]

Thanks for that tip. I've actually been leaning towards some sort of prusik/klemheist tensioning system.