11ft or 12ft HG CF Palace Tarp?

[Vanhalo]

My first CF tarp had no cat cuts. It was not pleasant to deal with, especially the fact that I had no cat cut on the ridgeline. I subsequently got an HG Winter Palace with cat cuts and it made a huge difference - I could finally get the tarp taut.

This was helpful.
Until now I was under the impression that cat cuts were not needed on Silpoly or Cuben Fiber tarps.

Thinking about Silpoly XL....

[Vanhalo]

The stock picture of the Winter Palace on HG's website shows a tarp with a straight bottom edge, so I think that is where the confusion lies. When I ordered mine a couple years ago, I was expecting no cat cut, and upon seeing it, thought I had been sent the wrong tarp. I had to break out the tape measure to check that it met the proper length and width. They really need to update the photos for the WP.

Edit....if I had finished reading the thread, I would have seen that someone else already made note of my observations.

And almost a year later I repeat your folly.

I see folks commenting that the Winter Palace is cat cut.

I thought the WP was a straight edge tarp.

Attachment 155934

[Two Speed]

I have researched this and still really not come upon a definitive answer.

I like space and I don't really want the tarp too close to my hammock. I am leaning towards the 12ft HG tarp. I understand that 12ft will give me less options with narrower-spaced trees but is this really a huge issue.

Also, is it possible to use this tarp on the ground with hiking poles to make a ground tent (if absolutely necessary)?

I am not sure if you mean too close to your hammock on the top or on the sides but I have a standard HG 11' and fitting an 11' hammock in it is do able with space on both sides of the hammock for most weather situations. I also stayed VERY dry in my 11' tarp even in storms I expected to get wet in. The ridge line length is all up to where you hang most of the time. For the AT 11' was perfect for most places but others who hammocked with 12' ridgelines were also able to find spots. It is possible to use this tarp on the ground as a tent for sure. Shug has an awesome youtube video discussing this.