Snow load effects on a tarp..

[Chesapeake]

So with winter finally upon us and a large part of the country getting their first taste of fluffy white stuff this weekend , I started thinking about the stress snow could put on a tarp. As we all know, wet snow can be HEAVY . Add in an initial layer of sleet under or on top of that, and their could be some serious weight that accumulates overnight or during the day if you dont keep an eye on it. So, that said, how often do you clear your tarp off? Which way do you pitch your tarp to keep snow accumulation to a minimum? Ive noticed that there's a lot of new hangers that will be giving winter hanging a try for the first time. Post some pics or some tips & tricks to help our winter hanging rookies get through their first winter.

Personaly, I just try to pitch it tight and every time I wake up during the night I'll give it a good shake to keep it clear. Ive got my Old Man Winter pitched in my yard right now since I hung last night and it just started to lightly snow. Should only get 1-3" today and so far the tight pitch is keeping snow from building up except for a small area on top between the staked out panel pulls.

These were taken just as it started to snow this morning, right before posted this thread
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This pic was taken a few hours later at 2pm, snow not sliding off on its own anymore. Ive been going out every half hour 45 mins to clear it off.
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[WalksIn2Trees]

ratchet strap ridgeline, inside, but only to add support, not to tension the tarp.

Doors pitched to a point, not flat, with tarp bungees so I can get in and out without undoing the doors. This allows the wind and snow to blow more around my tarp and not under it, even when pitched up as high as shown in these photos. I camp in the same spot year round (hunting season being the exception (almost over yay!)) and while a little bit of snow gets under the edges once you get a significant amount, the inside is completely clear of snow in exactly the same shape as the tarp, aside from the snow they slides of the tarp and slides in.

Side pulls keep the snow from sagging the tarp as much, but I still knock it off the tarp as it builds up, just in case.


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[Floridahanger]

Oh.... to have this problem.......



Here, I have a problem with the amount of rainfall so my porchmode always has to have a pitch to keep the water from puddling on top. With the huge drops that can fall, I do use a steep angle on the tarp for those storms.

[johnspenn]

I learned the hard way last year that in snow you need your ridgeline running UNDER the tarp, not over!

[Chesapeake]

Oh no! That sucks, what happened?

[WalksIn2Trees]

Oh no! That sucks, what happened?

I'd guess that John opened his eyes to find his tarp had sagged to mere inches from his nose.
also, even with a dyneema ridgeline, it will still sag under the weight of a heavy snow, which is why I switched to a ratchet strap... you can ratchet it really tight (though remember that you can also bend the trees towards each other with the ratchet strap.

In fact, to illustrate, check out this photo I took after an ice storm of a birch tree with the top touching the ground, bent over from only the weight of the ice. Birch is a member of the Willow family, as is poplar... it's best not to hang from any of the willows in general, though I think birch is the strongest of them

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[johnspenn]

Oh no! That sucks, what happened?

I'd guess that John opened his eyes to find his tarp had sagged to mere inches from his nose.
also, even with a dyneema ridgeline, it will still sag under the weight of a heavy snow, which is why I switched to a ratchet strap... you can ratchet it really tight (though remember that you can also bend the trees towards each other with the ratchet strap.

In fact, to illustrate, check out this photo I took after an ice storm of a birch tree with the top touching the ground, bent over from only the weight of the ice. Birch is a member of the Willow family, as is poplar... it's best not to hang from any of the willows in general, though I think birch is the strongest of them

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It wasn't as bad as all that...

Here's a short video i did at the time: https://youtu.be/5rZPv94nnDY

Actually learned several lessons that day/night!

[WalksIn2Trees]

It wasn't as bad as all that...

Here's a short video i did at the time: https://youtu.be/5rZPv94nnDY

Actually learned several lessons that day/night!

yeah i remember my first time. my winter configuration was basically a tarp burrito, which worked ok, but it still sagged in from snow, condensated on the inside, and it brought the outside air much closer to my body. and I woke up to find my tarp was mere inches from my nose and the condensation had frozen the tarp stiff, so getting out was ... interesting... it was a bit scary too, waking up to that and wondering if i had unknowingly trapped myself in an icy cocoon.

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[2Questions]

I'm a staunch "center pole" winter camper. Once in the Virginias, 10" fell during the night. In the morning, those that didn't have a center pole modification were trapped in their hammocks. Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad...a little banging around and they're free again. The benefits of a center pole are numerous when considering snow load. For instance, No shelf pockets created as with an external pole setup. The center pole spring action keeps the tarp taut. The snow falls off the tarp and piles fairly upright. One touch of the pole from inside the hammock dumps the entire tarp load.
I also have full closure doors that overlap and create a nice size vestibule for hanging my backpack. Therefore it doesn't matter which way the wind may be blowing.
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Mt Rogers 2010 winter hang 009.jpg

[Skytow]

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So far so good steep sides and cold mean it is just slinging off. This was about 12 hours ago and we have 3-4”now. Laying in the hammock as I type!