hardware alternative to tato tarp connector?

[massis]

If I'm understanding you correctly, the loop at the end away from the tarp (where I have whipping) is just going to dangle there. It's purpose is solely to prevent fraying. Yes?

No. :-)

I'm that special kind of snowflake that likes to overthink stuff.
The loop on the other end is connected to the CRL's end going around the tree.
This is the dogbone UCR iteration I made last night. (fingers are still sore, you're really not supposed to bury a 2mm line in a 1.8mm line)

photo_2016-06-23_09-38-45.jpg

CRL wraps around the tree (chair in this case), and clips to the far end of the UCR on one loop. This keeps the line taught. Excess line (currently a few feet, but used the other end for this example) is behind the linelok, which locks onto the line and is secured with a slippery half-hitch. This can be done by eye and allows for at least a foot of play in either direction by simply moving the linelok.

Next iteration I'm going to take this even further: the linelok will be replaced with another UCR.

photo_2016-06-23_09-38-51.jpg

Close up of the biner.

photo_2016-06-23_09-38-54.jpg

Close up of the bury with the second brummel dangling. That one will connect to the tarp.

The entire thing is now 10", but judging by current holding strength I think I can easily get it down to 6".

Here's my latest iteration. Uses .9mm cord for the whipping. Instead of an extra loop at the "loose" end, I simply tied an overhand and pushed it as close as possible to the bury opening. No chance of fraying and the overhand will also serve to keep the whipping from walking off. The bury started out at 2.5" and finished at about 2". This thing grips so well I'm wondering if I can get away with only 1". After all, ya never know how far ya can go until you've gone too far. I made a tiny locked Brummel at the other end but I'm thinking I could simply skip that and tie directly to the d-ring, thus keeping it as short as possible. Otherwise I'll try to find a split ring that'll just fit around the 1" beastie-dee.

So far this thing works fantastic - at my desk. Can't wait to try it out on the tarp - not at my desk. It may need a few refinements yet but I think you had a great idea here massis, what are you going to name it?

Attachment 132479

Edit: BTW, the CRL bury starts exactly where the loop bury ends. The loop bury could be shorter I guess, it's not like anyone's going to be hanging from it.

That looks sweet! But we'll name it after it's proven not to drop a tarp on me in the middle of the night :-D
I'm still not to keen on whipping, so I'll be trying my own next version tonight. I'm confident the constriction in my case is more than sufficient because of the large line running through the smaller line, so I'll make a locked brummel to prevent fraying and just run the CRL through that brummel.

I'm not done yet though, my current tarp-suspension idea is this:

- CRL has 1 spliced loop on the fixed end with a microbiner/dutch hook on it
- other side has a UCR instead of a prussik (CRL-UCR) for the adjustable side, again with a microbiner/dutch hook on it
- main line holds 1 regular UCR (tarp-UCR) and 1 dogbone UCR (dogbone-UCR)

Fixed end goes around the tree and clips onto the CRL like you normally would with a dutch hook.
Rougly place the dogbone-UCR where you expect the end of the tarp
The adjustable end goes around the tree and clips to 1 end of the dogbone UCR as in pictures above.
Pull the line taught by adjusting the CRL-UCR

The tarp clips to the other end of the dogbone UCR on one side, and to the second tarp-UCR on the other side.

If the tarp needs moving towards the adjustable end, you simply slide the dogbone-UCR while holding the CRL (at the loose end) until it's where you need it to be, then tighten the CRL again by moving the CRL-UCR.
If it needs moving towards the fixed end, simply use 2 hands, one on the dogbone and one on the CRL-UCR and slide them both to where you need them to be.
Finally put the tarp under tension by moving the tarp-UCR until it's completely taught.

I'm no Derek, but here's a schematic:

snowflake.jpg
blue = ridgeline
yellow = hardware (dutch hooks, micro biners, ...)
red = UCR's
orange = tarp

This'll be the "snowflake suspension"

Should the case ever be that the trees are too close together, you can always attach the fixed end straight to the tarp and skip the UCR on that side, and all you'd need is the tarp length + 10" (CRL-UCR = 3", dogbone = 6", and some room for the hardware).
If they're that close together there's no need to center it,

[sqidmark]

Wow! I didn't see that coming. Looks much more complicated than I was thinking, obviously. Correct me if I'm wrong again, "snowflake" is tensioning the CRL? I wonder if you're not going to wind up with the same problem others have had releasing it after it's been loaded. I'll look this over better later, gotta head out right now.

I tinkered some more last night and actually applied my mini-ucr to the tarp. Finished around 10 so I didn't have a chance to hang it, will do so tonight. I did take a photo with them near the tarp ends, which I'll post after I get to work.

[massis]

It's all in one, tensioning the CRL (CRL-UCR & dogbone do this) and attaching the tarp (dogbone & tarp-UCR do this). Hey, I warned you I was overthinking this!

Start with the 2 biner CRL you know:


Now replace the prusik with a UCR (the CRL-UCRL in my diagram).

You have an easily adjustable CRL, but it won't hold tension without the tarp.

To achieve this without losing the easy way to center your tarp, you need the line to hold on to itself AND the tarp: enter the tarp-UCR & dogbone UCR.
You can't use two dogbone UCR's because you'll need 5 hands to adjust them simultaneously or run back & forth to create slack in the line on one side and retension it on the other side.

I hope Derek will forgive my butchering of his awesome diagrams, but here's another attempt to clarify, tarp-UCR on the left, dogbone on the right, CRL-UCR on the bottom right:




As for problems releasing it: the dogbone will have this problem when it's loaded, but that's not an issue as the 2 other UCR's are easily released the normal way.
So for adjusting, simply release the CRL-UCR to unload the dogbone from that side. For taking down, release the tarp-UCR on the other end and unload the dogbone from the tarp-side.

I'll try and get a short video together this weekend!

[sqidmark]

It's amazing how two people can be thinking the same thing - so differently. LOL! I haven't quite wrapped my head around snowflake yet, but I get the gist of where you're going with it.

For the time being, I'm referring to my version as the mini-ucr, but I don't know if it's been used elsewhere. In the other CRL thread, mention was made that Redoleary had a vid on something like this so I'll be searching for that.

After some more testing on brand new zing-it, I've determined that the start measurement for the bury needs to be a minimum of 2", which finishes at 1 3/4". Otherwise slippage can occur. This is with a 7/16" whip of .9mm cord. Here I've attached one to each end of the tarp. I omitted the locked brummel in lieu of simply tying to the d-ring. Even though I want to get as short as I can, in this photo I've tied about an inch away from the start of the bury. I wasn't sure how close would be too close, but it seems that I can shorten it up another 1/2" without ill effect.

mini-ucr-on-tarp1.jpg

EDIT: This is on a CRL as you would get from Dutch. The mini-ucr does nothing except replace the prusik's, klemheist, tato tarp connector etc. Anyone interested in trying this, I find it easier to tie the overhand (leaving the tag end a bit long) and then measuring 2" away from that, bring your bury tool back to the base of the knot. The most tedious part is the whipping with such tiny cord. I know the fly tyers out there are laughing at me!

[massis]

That is sweet and simple! In combination with a Dutch CRL with a Dutch hook on one end and a wasp on the other, it'll make a superb combo I think! I'm quite confident someone came up with this before, I just can't believe something that simple would be "new" :-)

I'll definitely get some bling in the future and go that way! But for now it's simply too expensive for me due to the $14 shipping for 10 grams of bling(vs 2$ shipping in the US) and possibly €25 extra costs upon customs checking it...

[sqidmark]

I found the Redoleary vid. It's not the same thing that I'm doing. For starters he's not using a crl. I've only watched his vid in small size, I'll have to expand it to better see exactly what he's doing.
https://hammockforums.net/forum/show...=1#post1638602

EDIT: I expect to hang my tarp tonight. We're supposed to have some weather on the way and I'm kinda hoping it'll bring it bit of wind so I see how this setup fare's.

[massis]

That's definitely something different.

I've meanwhile completed my design. Found it different and practical enough to warrant it's own thread, as it's no longer a "vague search for a TATO alternative" :-)

info & video here: https://hammockforums.net/forum/show...aterpillar-CRL

[sqidmark]

I set up the tarp last night but didn't stay out with it. We were expecting to have a thunderstorm and hopefully some wind, but that didn't happen so this test is obviously inconclusive in that regard. However, checking it this morning and taking some photos, I note that the tarp is exactly as I left it, no slippage of the mini-ucr what-so-ever. We do plan to stay out there tonight. The mini-ucr's proved to be extremely easy to adjust yet hold like vise-grips. To get the tarp tensioned where I wanted, I found it so easy to pull on the d-ring and push the whipping on the ucr then milk it. Stays put RIGHT THERE. WooHoo! I'm so psyched!

mini-ucr-tarp-trees.jpg mini-ucr-tarp-footend.jpg mini-ucr-tarp-up-detail.jpg

[Phantom Grappler]

massis and squidmark this looks like a new tarp connector! It looks easy to use--great!


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[massis]

I can't possibly have invented something new, I'm a noob! I've only ever spent 1 night under a tarp :-D

I currently have the full caterpillar up in the backyard since 4pm (2am now, off to bed), and it's still tight as a guitar string! Goes up in less than a minute and without anything touching the ground (or water in my case as the yard's still flooded...)