3mx3m (10'x10'ish) tarp setup in a diamond.
No matter how tight I pull it, it still sags.
The tarp was packed up wet all day from rain in the early morning.
The ridge line is small and the ENO style bug net hangs from it also contributing to the sag.
My main theory is that I need to get a larger, stronger ridge line that can support the tarp better. Or, get a separate ridge line for the tarp from the bug net.
Any thoughts?
When you are in the hammock does the hammock suspension still touch the tarp?
All ridgelines will have some sag. The rope you are using, does it have a lot of stretch?
As silnylon gets wet it will stretch, you may need to periodically tighten up the guylines etc.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
In the pic I posted:Originally Posted by bigbenny
The thick black rope is my hammock suspension.
Black and white is ridge line for bug net
Orange line is tie out for each corner of the tarp.
I normally use the bug net ridge line to also support the tarp. I changed to the set up method in the pic in the middle of the night in an attempt to fix the issue so I could stop the drips.
This is the morning after with no weight in the hammock.
It doesn't seem like the ropes stretch much but I never tried to test them.
Last edited by stantheman750; 06-03-2019 at 00:45.
The ropes you're using for your bugnet and tarp--the orange one, and the black & white one--look a lot like ropes used in climbing: thick, very strong, but also very stretchy. The first thing I would do is ensure the lines that you're using to hold up your tarp (and anything else) don't stretch. Second: is your tarp/bugnet line continuous? Is it one piece of cord that guess from one tree to the other, and then your bugnet and tarp are draped over it? Or is it two pieces, where there's one on each end, going from the tarp to each tree?
If I'm honest, I'm having a hard time understanding the orientation of your hamock from the photo. But it looks to me like line stretch might be the first culprit. Second might be the angle of your tarp tieouts.
In the set up in the pic, the:
black line is continuous and came with my bug net
orange lines are not continuous and came with my tarp.
My list of correct actions so far:
use a different, larger continuous ridge line for the tarp to see if that corrects it. I think the tarp may be stretched.
go back to square from diamond to see if that helps. I'll have less room beyond the ends of my hammock but I think it will be ok as long as I have it centered properly. I like the diamond setup because it's more forgiving from that aspect, but I think the square setup will have better overall rain protection. I'm going to use prusik hitchs for my tarp so it's easier to adjust to get it exactly centered over the hammock.
Use my new tarp from UCQ that was already on the way prior to this incident. I still want to use this tarp for my girlfriend so I need to correct the issue with it anyway.
One of my first tarps was an Asym Kiss tarp. I had the same issues and below is response I received from builder. I never did get all the cupping out of the tarp and I was using traditional tarp lines.
"Asym tarps are unique because they have the ridge line on the diagonal, NOT in line with the weave of the fabric. The bias (diagonal) of any fabric is prone to stretch, even when made from low-stretch fibers like Silpoly.
Therefore, the more you crank and crank the tension on the diagonal ridge line, the worse the cupping of the ridge line will be, and your tarp will not achieve a taut pitch."
I had a similar problem with my tarp and ridgeline
If I had heeded the good advice of Hammock Gear my tarp would have had a cat cut or curved ridgeline and it would have been strack neat and perfect with no pooling. Also ridgeline over rather than under...
Did Phantom listen, no Phantom did not listen
I said no cat cut on ridge
Thankfully tarp did not leak even with large pool of rain water directly above hammock.
I’ve since switched from my old off the wall suspension, Kokomo, and have a separate tarp ridgeline that I crank very tight. And I pull 4 corners down tight to minimize that trough at ridgeline. Now much less chance of pooling, although there can be some pooling
If making mistakes makes me smarter, I should be at genius level right about now
Last edited by Phantom Grappler; 06-03-2019 at 21:03.
Try a thinner rope (less stretch) form a ridge line for your tarp and use trucker's hitch to tighten it. that would raise up the tarp ridge where it curved and pooling water.
I use RL under tarp, you want to leave water drip on both ends.
With my first cuben fiber tarp from Hammock Gear, I made the same mistake and asked for no cat cut on the ridge line. I don't know what I was thinking. There was no way to get the ridgeline taut. I got rid of that tarp and got an HG Winter Palace with cat cut ridgeline. Problem solved!
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
This makes sense now. I never had this problem until I went to a diamond configuration. I think my plan to go back to square will solve it. Thanks for the info.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks