DIY pole mod for hammock tarps - no sew, use your trekking poles.

**SGT Rock** · 04-20-2011, 14:17

I'm not familiar with junction tube.

**PackBacker81** · 04-20-2011, 14:58

Great idea... looking forward to your follow up after field testing

**creativeKayt** · 04-20-2011, 15:02

Nice! I like how simple it is. I've been thinking about adding something like this as an option to my "monster fraankentarp" and after seeing this, I'm gonna do it!

Thanks and can't wait for the field test report.

**SGT Rock** · 05-05-2011, 18:30

Just returned from the Smokies today. I put the tarp up with the pole mod a total of 4 of 6 nights without issue. Luckily we had GREAT weather every night but one, but the system never got a stressful work out this trip. The one night we did get rain it was a mostly windless downpour and I used the poles to create a porch instead of doing the spreader thing.

So positive review but with the caveat that it never got stressed.

**KerMegan** · 05-06-2011, 10:49

looking forward to your trip report!

**Just Jeff** · 05-06-2011, 13:16

Looks like a great nearly-weight-free way to create more room under your tarp...awesome idea!

One thing to keep in mind is the tension on it (which is why we don't recommend the JRB packcover to be used as a mini-tarp). With the elastic in the packcover, it can pull a stake out of the ground and launch it like a slingshot. Your stakes probably don't have as much force on them because the tarp is so big, but I'd recommend checking it just in case. It would stink to have one of your stakes launched into the woods on a rainy night (or worse, into someone's eye).

**jlb2012** · 05-07-2011, 05:48

Originally Posted by SGT Rock

I'm not familiar with junction tube.

Rock - I think he was suggesting "Junction Tube" as the name for that piece of the trekking pole tarp spreader

**SGT Rock** · 05-07-2011, 06:38

Ohhhh. I'm slow sometimes.

**MrClockWork** · 04-05-2012, 16:56

Hey Sarge, what do you think about maybe cutting a bigger section for the ridge pole and running it on the same asym that you lay in the hammock and see if it makes a little more even room all the way around the tarp. I was thinking about running it to the pull-outs for hex-mode of your tarp rather than the center pull-outs. Thoughts?

**FireInMyBones** · 01-13-2013, 17:29

I tried this out on my taro and love it! I need to reinforce the seems, as I had to sew a center tie-out point along the edge of my cuben tarp. It worked perfectly...until I came to get back in my hammock after a midnight call-of-nature, landed in my under quilt and caught hold of my hiking pole on the way down. I tore out the grosgrain loop I had put on the bottom to hold the Dutch hook. I love this mod and will most likely never return to the side pull out again. Thank you for the idea.