12' HG Palace with a Bridge Hammock

Hello all,

I am thinking about ordering a new tarp that would work for a bridge hammock in case I go that direction in the future. I already have a 11' palace, but wanted to buy a second tarp that would do two things. Allow my wife to take my 11' to replace her superfly, which saves about 11 ounces and hopefully allow me to safely use a bridge. Anyone here have a 12' palace and use it with a bridge hammock? Also if you do, did you order the tarp with the bridge option for the pullouts. After talking to HG is sounds like the reposition the pullouts farther down closer to the spreader bars.

Thanks

There will be different opinions on this. For me, a 12' tarp works with a bridge, but the doors completely close with a 13' tarp. I use a 13' SLD tarp with my bridges for a couple of reasons and not my 12' palace. 1 - I like to be able to close the doors completely (mostly unnecessary though). 2 - When I take my bridges, I'm not as focused on being lightweight so the extra foot of weight isn't that big of an issue. 3 - I don't trust that I won't slip up and put my spreader bars through the dcf. 4 - I just like the extra length under a tarp. Unless I am in UL mode, I take a 12' tarp with a gathered end.

It just depends on what is more important to you. Pullouts for sure, though.

The safest tarp is a 13' winter tarp for any bridge- if at all possible- get the vendor to set you up for all 3 different pole mod options. (double internal pole mod, center internal pole mod, double external pole mod.)

That will cover any bridge currently available. You can always leave the poles at home, buy them later, or never use them.
But paying to send in your tarp to get a configuration going at a later date is annoying at best, expensive at worst.

As far as configuring the pullouts for a 'bridge', what they really mean is a ridgerunner (or a BMBH or Banyon) with the bars at the end. If you happen to get a recessed bar bridge then you don't need that modification, but if you happen to have that modification it won't hurt you one way or another really no matter which hammock you use.

All that said- buy what you will use for 80% of your trips.
You may not really want a 13' tarp on your gathered end, in fact you may find it way too much tarp. Even an 11' GE with continuous loops only has about 9'6" of ridgeline to cover.
You can also easily make a smaller tarp work for a bridge, in fact you can technically use an 8' tarp on a bridge if you hang it to cover just the bedspace and use driplines. Is this awesome? Maybe not, but it will work.

So... start with the bridge if possible rather than the tarp upgrades. You can still swap tarps with your wife and get by with the superfly on a bridge while you figure out which one works for you.
On one end of the 'bridge' spectrum; some folks hang a RR with up to 14' apex to apex and that's where the 13' to close the doors thing comes from.
On the other end of the bridge spectrum; A recessed bar bridge can work with an apex to apex dimension as small as 9'6", which would again make that 13' tarp ridiculous.

Since you mentioned tarp swap's to put ounces back in the bank towards a bridge's increased weight... seems counterproductive to start with the largest 'do it all' tarp to cover a bridge you do not yet own.
Much like extra down in an UQ... an extra foot of tarp isn't too big a hit to the gram weenie... but weight is weight.