Level tarp pitch or not... do you care?

[GadgetUK437]

I always pitch with the head end low and the foot end high enough to walk in.
The reason for this -
I try to pitch with the head end facing into wind and with the doors at that end closed, so by pitching it low I can block the wind right down to the ground.
At the other end I like to pitch high because that is the end I enter/exit, and it is the way I am looking when I am lying in my hammock, thus it improves the view.

[OCDave]

Is there any compelling reason to pitch your tarp level other than visual appeal????

Level is easy and normal. I would need a compelling reason to hang my tarp other than level. Do I want to direct rain run-off to a specific area? Do I want to hug unlevel ground? Is there a reason I must hang in a windy spot?

In several years of hanging, I can think of only 2 times, I adjusted the tarp from level. Both times were to direct the rain run-off.

[TallPaul]

Level is easy and normal. I would need a compelling reason to hang my tarp other than level. Do I want to direct rain run-off to a specific area? Do I want to hug unlevel ground? Is there a reason I must hang in a windy spot?

In several years of hanging, I can think of only 2 times, I adjusted the tarp from level. Both times were to direct the rain run-off.

Good questions. Made me think.
If I was in a SuperFly or similar tarp... or I was not in the mountains, I probably would have never seen the need to pitch my tarp different than level.

I hang in the mountains and can’t always easily avoid windy/rainy spots. I also take a tarp with smaller coverage to save some weight (the HG Standard with doors). Many times the wind swirls at higher elevation and comes from all directions. Add rain to the mix and being out for a week... then pitching the tarp close to the hammock to reduce the chance of wind blown rain on your down UQ might not be a bad idea.

[OutandBack]

Love this topic. But we really need picts to bring it home. In good weather level works for me.


But when you don't know whats coming you need to be vary versatile with your tarp setup.

[infrastellar]

The only thing I care about is the view, then comes the weather I try to level the tarp to see more of the valley and still be safe of the rain and wind. So if there is a situation that allows the tarp to be pitched higher on the head end... i push up the foot end. Not because of the picture in the morning, but because of the view.

[jeff-oh]

I read the ground and pitch the tarp as needed. 2 weeks ago I was on a pit of a slope so I pitched the tarp so that the rain we got over night would run to the downhill side of my hang. This prevented the water from running under my hang area and kept my pack and shoes dry. I also had a dry spot to pack up in the morning.

Though, I will say the pitch and angling had more to do with the staking and angles of the corner tie outs then the actual ridgeline. For the tarp ridgeline, I guess I do not worry much about it. I connect to the tree about the same distance below the hammock suspension on both ends... never gave it much consideration.

[OneClick]

In porch mode you can end up with a bathtub...full. I always make sure one pole is a few inches shorter. But the ridgeline is still level or close to it.

[Halfed]

I use to level the tarp. If don't, it looks like a picture uneven on the wall.

[MikekiM]

Ditto.
I’ll even have slack in the tarp ridgeline as it hangs between the trees - this goes away once I tighten down the guylines to the ground.

I do the same. I don't tighten the ridge lines (if it's even needed) until after I stake out the corners..

The two reasons I see for pitching level:

1. It looks better (YMMV)
2. It gives you the best coverage for your hammock and gear.

I'll agree it looks better. Not sure it gives you better coverage. The reason I ended up with the head-end lower was to get down tight. With it level, there was far more open real estate over my head...

I always pitch with the head end low and the foot end high enough to walk in.
The reason for this -
I try to pitch with the head end facing into wind and with the doors at that end closed, so by pitching it low I can block the wind right down to the ground.
At the other end I like to pitch high because that is the end I enter/exit, and it is the way I am looking when I am lying in my hammock, thus it improves the view.

Same here... I like to enter from the foot end, so the canted pitch works in my favor. Truth told, I always go for level unless it's raining. I am using a HG Standard DCF, so coverage is rather minimal.

Level is easy and normal. I would need a compelling reason to hang my tarp other than level. Do I want to direct rain run-off to a specific area? Do I want to hug unlevel ground? Is there a reason I must hang in a windy spot? .....

Agreed.. in normal conditions, level is normal. I am referring to more adverse weather.

In porch mode you can end up with a bathtub...full. I always make sure one pole is a few inches shorter. But the ridgeline is still level or close to it.

Porch mode is a different story. I prefer only one corner up in porch mode. Not sure when I started doing that, but it's habit at this point. I started doing it for just this reason.. water drainage.. and it just stuck as habit.

[MikekiM]

I always angle my tarp for drainage purposes in case it rains. Do we have a bit of OCD

Yeah... It a known and documented condition. Nothing I can do about.