Kelty Noah 16 for Ridgerunner bridge?

[Bribak]

Hello all. Great site. Newbie here. I just got a Ridgerunner bridge hammock and am looking for a first tarp. I've been reading as much as I can and watching plenty of YouTube videos to try to make a smart purchase. Up till now, I have always been a tent camper. I am really excited about the idea of hammock camping. This will just be for car camping or walking in a mile or so...so weight is not an issue. A WinterDream, Superfly, WinterHaven, etc. are out of my reach right now although I really love the idea of doors for both wind protection and privacy. I will initially be using only a pad with my Ridgerunner (Klymit Static V Luxe) and no underquilt so I would like to keep wind to a minimum with cooler weather - thus the desire for a door option. The Noah 16 also has the side panel pullouts that I hope will help with the Ridgerunner spreader bar issue. I really like the setup this guy is using:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjpUrC7ppDY

Would this be practical for the Ridgerunner? Too big? My initial feeling is the bigger the better for the uses I plan to do with it (as long as it can be pitched to not be "floppy"). In my backyard woods setup the distance from buckle to buckle on my suspension (trees 20 feet apart) is about 13.5 feet. So for a rectangular pitch it seems like I need a tarp ridgeline of at least that much to be able to "close the doors" around the suspension lines. Doesn't seem like a 12 foot Noah would cut it unless I did a diagonal pitch which I'm really not wanting to do for privacy and wind protection reasons.

I also am aware of some videos saying the Noah is less than fully waterproof. Many seem totally satisfied with it but I know the waterproof rating is only 800mm. I've seen a couple of videos of guys who experienced leaking but solved it with silicone spray and/or seam sealing. For $80, I feel like I'm willing to take the risk, silicone spray it and do ample testing in the back yard. Many guys don't seem to have any problem with leaking.

Anyway, I would be interested in hearing the thoughts of those much more experienced and possible users of this size/brand tarp with the Ridgerunner. Any input will really be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[OutandBack]

IIMO 16' is too big. You would enjoy the 12x12 much better.

This is a 12'RL x 10' with catcuts the Kelty does not have catcut edges so it gives even more coverage on the ends.




hth

[Bubba]

I agree that the Noah 16 may be a bit big. I have one I use for family and group camping and it is too much set up for a lone camper and it's heavy even if you are only going a mile or two. As OutandBack mentioned, a Noah 12 would be better suited plus it'll be a little cheaper.

[Bribak]

Thank you for your input. What do you all think of the way the guy in the video rigs his Noah 16? He seems to make it look workable. Do you see disadvantages with his system? I assume with a Noah 12 that doors would not be possible - correct? Also, since the distance between the ends of my suspension triangle is over 13 feet, a 12 foot tarp would not cover the triangle. Is that a big deal with blowing rain? Thanks again.

[ocnlogan]

I have a kelty Noah 12x12. I'm not sure if there are different versions, but mine has cat cuts on all edges. I don't remember offhand the exact dimensions at the narrowest points, but I seem to remember 10.5 - 11ft.

My 12ft hammock wasn't quite covered by it in square/door mode. But it was very close, within a few inches.

That said, 16x16 seems waaaay to big. The excess on the sides would mean you'd have to hang it really high to keep the sides from just laying on the ground. In fact, should be 2-3 ft higher, which isn't always easy to do.

Good luck finding something that works for you though

[OutandBack]

Door are very easy to make with the 12x12. Many have done it an posted picts here. I just can't find one right now you'll have to look thru the gallery.
The big problem with the 16x16 is you need to find trees 17-20 foot apart. Good for the trap bad for the hammock.

[Carbon]

I've used my Noah 12 in it's intended diamond pitch over my RR a few times. The cat cut keeps it nice and tight.
And I agree that the 16 is waaay too big.

[Bribak]

Thanks. These are all things to consider. As far as needing to hang the tarp high, I am 6'3" so I don't necessarily see that as too much of a drawback and I would even appreciate more headroom when moving around under the tarp. With the Ridgerunner, I will be angling and pulling the sides out quite a bit to clear the spreader bars...so maybe that will help solve the 8 feet of fabric on each side of the ridgeline. I just did the math and found that the diagonal of a 16 foot tarp is over 22 feet. That would pretty much eliminate any possibility of a diagonal pitch. I don't think that will be too much of an issue as I plan to do a closed-door, rectangular pitch. I think I'm still carrying some of my tent/privacy mentality. But that is a lot of tarp. Hmmm...maybe the best thing to do would be to order both the 12 and 16...see what I prefer...and return the other one. Or maybe just come out of retirement, go back to work, and order a UGQ Winter Dream 13. I'm not sure I want one that bad. I wish there was a Noah 14.

Thank you all for your comments and input.

[ocnlogan]

The 12x12 is ~17ft on the diagonal, which is doable, but takes a pretty big opening between trees.

I dug around a bit, and these are the only photos I have handy of my kelty Noah 12 and my 12ft DIY hammock. Neither are really ideal photos for looking at the size, but you can see it both in rectangle mode, and door mode. I do think a smaller hammock would fit under it in "door mode". And you can see how high I have to hang it on the diagonal to have the tarp suspension clear the hammock suspension. The 16 would be somewhat similar (although probably closer to 15ft because of the cat cuts).





And, I figure the headroom isn't a problem (I'm 6'1"), but I typically already hang my tarp ridgeline at, or above roughly head height. So having to go up another 2-3 feet could be difficult (at least it sounds that way in my mind). Also, that high up there may be lots more

[Bribak]

Thank you all for the comments (and pictures!). Your responses have kind of scared me away from such a large tarp. I was discussing this with my wonderful wife and she encouraged me to just "get what I want" as an early Christmas present. Oh such sweetness!! So I think I'm leaning towards splurging on a XL-SilPoly Winter Dream 13. Gonna send off some questions to UGQ and see what happens. Thank you all again for your input.