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  1. #1
    Member
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    Hard Rain, High Wind, Water Runoff: Tips, Ideas?

    I just completed a week out in the Boundary Waters.

    My gear is as follows:
    HH Expedition hammmock
    Kelty Noahs tarp 12'

    From the weather report before heading in, I knew there was a good chance of a day with thunder storms and another day or 2 with winds which could gust up to 30mph. The winds would typically be gusting from the west and/or slight southwest.

    My tarp was set up in a traditional mode (not diagonal). The ridge line was put up between 2 trees running south to north at a slight north east angle.
    I use a continuous ridge line of Zing It with Prusik slides to attach to the hammock end tie outs.
    The ridge line height was initially about 6 1/2 feet off the ground.
    The ground was sloped a bit and mostly covered in pine needles (as the majority of the trees are mature pines)
    The sides of the tarp were staked out and initially about 2 feet from the ground.

    Here are the issues I ran into.

    #1: Rain, heavy rain for about 2 hours. It created water runoff from the sloped terrain. I typically put down a cell foam sleeping mat under the hammock/tarp as a ground floor to sit stuff on, lay on (when hammock is rolled up, and to step/stand on. The rain runoff from the terrain, as well as the sides of the hammock made the ground a mess underneath.

    #2: When the hard winds came from the west, the constant pressure against the tarp, the Prusiks on the Zing It would not hold tight, forcing them towards the center of the ridge line, and forcing the hammock lower to the ground, and creating more slack in the other tie outs. This was my first time out with the Zing It ridge line setup.

    The high winds lasted for 1 1/2 days.

    What I ended up doing was to run a second ridge line of Paracord (my old ridge line), and put it under the tarp. (so the tarp now had 2 ridge lines) I also used every end tie out on the tarp (the Noah has 5 per side). This helped a ton with the sagging and lowering issue, but I typically would not have had the extra ridge line with me.

    I am looking for any suggestions, ideas for dealing with keeping the area under the tarp dry in hard rains (and sloped ground) and dealing with high winds. (I like to have some type of "floor" under my hammock/tarp.

  2. #2
    Senior Member BigE94's Avatar
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    I too tried the zingit it rl with prussics. Just wasn't happy with it. Many are, I was not. I added some Dutch bling and problem solved.

    My floor consists of a piece of 3x4 house wrap I snapped up from a dumpster on a job site. I like having the floor as well but I do t plan it staying dry in a good rain. Even when pitched to the ground you can still have some runoff get under your tarp.

    I choose not to use a CRL on my tarp, just don't like it. I have another piece of zingit that I run like a rl just below my tarp. I like this because I hang some gear like shoes or my pack from it and it is independent from my tarp. No pulling. Last time out I started using a gear hammock and really like it. All my gear is off the ground and accessible while I'm in my hammock. Extra weight sure, but whos counting? ☺


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    I would rather be in the woods... my dog would rather be in the pool. My wife thinks we are both nuts.

  3. #3
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
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    I know a few people that have swapped the Prusiks for these Tato tarp connectors.
    http://www.dutchwaregear.com/tato-tarp-connectors.html

    Or you could get the entire setup here:
    http://www.dutchwaregear.com/continuous-ridgeline.html
    Last edited by TrailSlug; 06-26-2016 at 11:12.

  4. #4
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Jersey Shore, NJ
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    Until the Samthane coating wears off, Zing-It prusiks will slip. You might want to put four turns on the prusik rather than just three until the coating wears off. You can also slide the prusiks back and forth to accelerate wearing the Samthane coating off (wear gloves because the Zing-It rope can get hot).

    As for having some kind of floor underneath your hammock/tarp and keeping it dry, I think that's a wee bit crazy. The main advantage of a hammock is that you're off the ground. It doesn't matter how much it rains, you can stay dry. My first night in a hammock, it rained five inches. I simply hung my pack and shoes on the hammock ridgeline, and they stayed dry. The ground beneath me was saturated and there was an inch or two of standing water, but I slept like a baby. It's rare that it rains that hard, but when it does, just take everything off the ground. Put it inside your hammock if you have to (I've slept with my pack under my legs on occasion).

    Enjoy those nights when you can just lay stuff on the ground underneath your tarp, but if it's raining cats and dogs, you already have a solution that tent campers don't: hang your stuff on the ridgeline or put it in the hammock with you.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  5. #5
    Senior Member zukiguy's Avatar
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    What kind of cord are you using for the prussics?? Zing-it doesn't bite against itself really well. I picked up some Atwood "micro-cord" a while back and switched over to that. The smaller size, rough finish and stiffness make it hold well. Also, I use the klemheist knot instead of the prussic. This seems to hold better since it's made to hold in one direction only. I've run the CRL over and under tarps. I'd prefer the tarp on top method but the SuperFly has a slightly cat-cut ridgeline so it works better to suspend it under a CRL.

    +1 on SilverSurfr about the water under the hammock. You will be high and dry in the hammock so hang the bits and pieces you don't want wet form your ridgeline. I normally just put my goodies back inside my pack and then inside a huge pack cover like this: http://www.jacksrbetter.com/shop/jef...ockpack-cover/

    I rarely get inspired enough to actually rig it up as an actual gear hammock. Instead it just ends up like a "boat" sitting open side up on the forest floor. The tarp keeps the rain off the top and the cover keeps water from coming up from below. I also added a sew-thru loop about 1/3 from the top and added a pair of biners. This way I can totally enclose my pack in the cover and have it hanging from a tree or off my tarp/hammock suspension. The cover basically becomes a big upside down bag sort of like a food sack with the opening on the bottom.

    I've tried often to set up in the right "direction" with relation to prevailing winds and storm fronts. Unfortunately, I didn't get a vote where the trees grew. It's easier for me to just batten down the hatches and deal with the rain no matter what direction.

  6. #6
    Member
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    One thing about the floor under the hammock. I have been out several times now when it has rained the entire day. I don't like to lay or sit in the hammock the entire day. In fact, I usually just keep the hammock rolled up and high up in the tarp peak, until I am ready to lay down.

  7. #7
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MichHiker1 View Post
    One thing about the floor under the hammock. I have been out several times now when it has rained the entire day. I don't like to lay or sit in the hammock the entire day. In fact, I usually just keep the hammock rolled up and high up in the tarp peak, until I am ready to lay down.
    Ahhh! You're a lounger! If you can hang out under a tarp the entire day (in a hammock, or not), you're a better person than me. I'm always busy during the day: hiking, fishing, canoeing, gathering wood, picking blueberries, blackberries, socializing, etc. The only times I've ever hung out under my tarp in the daytime were usually due to hypothermia and the need to get warm and dry, maybe three or four times in six years.

    I use my hammock (and tarp) almost strictly for sleep. If it's really stormy, I've hung out under the tarp until the weather calms down, but other than that, I just don't lounge. Were you a lounger when you tent camped too? I wasn't a lounger then either. No way I would sit in a tent or under a tarp the entire day. That's what rain gear is for.
    Last edited by SilvrSurfr; 06-26-2016 at 22:01.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  8. #8
    Member
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    I went to bed last fall in hunting season to dry weather. It started raining sometime afterward. When I awoke sometime in the wee hours to relieve myself, I stepped out of hammock onto what I though would be dry ground. It wasn't. It was a puddle as I had set up in a shallow depression. So, all my tarp runoff had collected under my tarp. I ugghed on out and simply took my socks off before getting back in the hammock. Moral of the story is to pay attention to where you hang. And understand, you work with what you have when ideal doesn't exist. And, put out a ground cloth!!!!!!!!

    It isn't unreasonable to expect for it to stay relatively dry under your tarp if you set up for it correctly. One could use a stick and dig a trench on the up hill side. Dig a small trench under the tarp to catch run off, etc... . It just takes a bit of preparation. I too no longer use a CRL for my tarps. I use Dutch bling because it is so easy. Flyz and hooks for my tarp.

    One thing is for certain, There is nothing more dismal than crawling into wet clothes in the morning. So, prepare to combat that. Simply light designs has silnylon on sale right now for $2.50/yard. A person can make a lot of weather gear for very cheap. I bought some with a separate gear tarp in mind. I plan on stringing a CRL under a small DIY tarp and hang gear on. It "SHOULD" work great for keeping gear and clothes dry and, my hammock area uncluttered. We'll see. God Bless

  9. #9
    Senior Member SoaknWet's Avatar
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    That's the nice thing about my Clark I can stuff things in those pockets under me and no worries about water. Before the Clark I use to carry a ENO gear loft and hang it with a garbage bag, don't forget drip strings, never got wet.

  10. #10
    Member
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    Here is a picture of my setup while in the Boundary Waters. I ended up using a spare, and rather large, tarp to put on the ground under the hammock. The hammock is set up low because of the high winds, and I am short (so it is usually lower to the ground). I often, will put my Thermarest cell pad on the ground under the hammock (with the hammock rolled up and raised higher into the tarp) and then I can cook, work on some bushcraft, etc if it is raining.

    I did not originally have the tarp on the ground during the thunderstorm and downpour. I just had a large trash bag and the Thermarest. The water basically flooded out the underneath, and I had to lay in the hammock.

    So, I think I will make a very lightweight tarp, that I can roll up the edges around some sticks, to create a water block in heavy rain situations. I hate to carry extra weight, but I think I can minimize it.

    ham3.jpg

    FYI: That is the Kelty Noah's tarp that is 12' x 12' set up in what I call A Frame mode.
    It is huge with tons of tie outs. I really like this tarp. I also have the HH Hex, but prefer the Kelty as it can be set up in storm mode (with doors) and because of the tie outs.
    The ridgeline is ZingIt. Since this photo, I have since ran the ridgeline through the top tie out (in the photo, I had some yellow paracord attached, as my original shock cord lock failed.

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