Tarp preference for AT thru-hiker?

[markb]

This Xmas I treated myself to the HG cuben standard with doors. Not sure I'll backpack with any other tarp now. It's only slightly heavier than the asym and doesn't have a ridge line seam.

Glad to hear this about the HG tarp w/ doors, I've ordered one from HG but haven't received it yet so no experience. I live in the PNW where it rains a lot so I'm thinking this will be the best choice for me.

[threadlessclimber]

I've done the long trail and Killington to Katahdin with the stock HH tarp. It worked but I had to set everything just right. I've now bought a HG cf tarp without doors to finish the rest of the trail. Never had doors on a tarp, this is making me second guess my purchase a small bit.

[gbolt]

Now that I bit the bullet and purchased the HG CF Palace Tarp, I don't regret it. All the configurations with the doors is amazing. The best was a warm very windy rain almost parallel to the ground. I put the backside to the wind, doors staked at an angle towards the suspension trees. I kept the front doors closed/folded on the inside and the tarp in porch mode so I had a view and didn't overheat. Turned a very negative downpour into a wonderful relaxing time sitting in the hammock. I am set to use this on my AT Thru Hike.

[souperjen24]

Back over Memorial Day weekend I was in Shenandoah NP and a thru-hiker came up to me in the campground because he saw my Superfly and WBB setup and wanted to ask me questions. He was also using a Superfly... said out of the hammocks he'd seen on the trail so far, there was a lot of variance. He loved the doors; he said they helped with the rain.

Just one person's perspective, but I thought I'd share.

[<-Pointer]

I'm just a section hiker myself but have had some nasty weather on the AT. The worst was a bad thunderstorm on the top of Springer just a month or so ago. I used a HG CF with doors and still had a lot of rain blowing under my tarp with the wind. I was using the Dutch summer sock though and it kept my quilts dry. So I would vote for a very full coverage tarp like the Winter Palace or make sure you have a rain proof quilt protector. Wet down sucks.

[Shrewd]

I'm a thru hiker who started at Springer and am now in Lee, Massachusetts.

I use a standard hammock gear cuben tarp and have only had issues staying dry once, during a super windy but thankfully short lived storm a few weeks ago. I got a good bit of splash from the wind onto the foot end of my hammock and underquilt.

I've seen a few guys with superflies have problems, but only because they didn't have line tensioners on their tie outs.

I hiked with another guy who used a super fly and was super envious of his coverage. While I haven't really had a serious problem, were I to do it again I'd spring for a hammock gear winter palace, which seems to be the best cuben equivalent to the superfly .

The superfly is awesome, but my tarp is an area where I'd splurge on cuben, and the immense size is so worth the extra ounces, for peace of mind if nothing else


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