Want thoughts before buying

[cmc4free]

Ok I ordered it. I couldn’t justify the tarp extensions yet.

I currently have a 3m x 3m tarp. I understand the diagonal (14 feet or so) is going to be too long. I can bunch some down on one end I hope. Likewise the down the middle isn’t quite 10feet - enough for sun, but not rain. Thoughts on this tarp?

Ideally, without the tarp extensions and with an 11 ft hammock, what is the ideal tarp length, size, and type (rectangular vs hexagonal). I would want it to work in rain. I’m also on a budget (especially after the tensa purchase).

Would that same tarp you might recommend without tarp extensions also work with extensions?

Also, I know this might be “janky” - but could I get a couple of tarp poles and place my current tarp and set up the tensa underneath and independently of the tarp and poles? I can get a couple of tarp poles fairly cheap.

Thanks!

That's not janky at all. That's a good way to do it, if you're not bothered by the extra poles and cordage. I've done exactly that with a 12' tarp. If nothing else, it lets you easily have a setup where the tarp ridgeline is level with the horizon while the stand is tilted with the head end downward. That can be done with the tarp extensions too, but that's an extra level of fiddling.

Anyway, it's a good move to familiarize yourself with the stand itself first, and then add in the setup of the tarp extensions later on if you think they're needed. Like JSH mentioned above, the tarp extensions are a little trickier to dial in than the basic stand setup.

~~

An 11' tarp works easily with the stand and is all the length you really need for an 11' hammock. Any 11' hex is a good option, but I also like the rectangular 11' x 10' Warbonnet Cloudburst. I've used that with the stand often. Shug has demonstrated the stand with an 11' Warbonnet Minifly, which has small doors.

Any tarp that works without the extensions will also work with them. The extensions do allow you to set up with the tarp ridgeline higher above the hammock, so you might not have to crouch as much while under the tarp.

This is the Cloudburst during a snow test last winter.

[talon1974]

Edit:

This is my hammock. It’s 11ft. So would an 11 foot tarp actually cover it? I’m probably not thinking about sag or something correctly. I have the structural ridgeline from these guys too.

I’m new to all of this. So when you set up a 3 meter tarp with poles diagonally, you still have a ridgeline between the poles? I probably don’t know all of the cool tarp setups. I’m imagining the tarp between the two poles on the diagonal - and guy lines staked behind and to the side of each pole. The way I’ve set this up before there was no ridgeline between.

So in your example would I tie a ridge line of the appropriate length between the two tarp poles, “then” stake behind and to the side of each pole? I always have an awful time getting this right, especially alone.

Hopefully I’m being clear. If you have a pic of this scenario that might be helpful. I always struggle with tarps.

That's not janky at all. That's a good way to do it, if you're not bothered by the extra poles and cordage. I've done exactly that with a 12' tarp. If nothing else, it lets you easily have a setup where the tarp ridgeline is level with the horizon while the stand is tilted with the head end downward. That can be done with the tarp extensions too, but that's an extra level of fiddling.

Anyway, it's a good move to familiarize yourself with the stand itself first, and then add in the setup of the tarp extensions later on if you think they're needed. Like JSH mentioned above, the tarp extensions are a little trickier to dial in than the basic stand setup.

~~

An 11' tarp works easily with the stand and is all the length you really need for an 11' hammock. Any 11' hex is a good option, but I also like the rectangular 11' x 10' Warbonnet Cloudburst. I've used that with the stand often. Shug has demonstrated the stand with an 11' Warbonnet Minifly, which has small doors.

Any tarp that works without the extensions will also work with them. The extensions do allow you to set up with the tarp ridgeline higher above the hammock, so you might not have to crouch as much while under the tarp.

This is the Cloudburst during a snow test last winter.

[cmc4free]

An 11' hammock with a ridgeline is usually about 110" plus the continuous loops. An 11' tarp will cover 132" which gives you almost a foot of overhang on each end, so normally even the continuous loops are covered by the tarp.

With tarp poles or the tarp extensions, you don't need a tarp ridgeline at all. You can put the tips of the poles right through the loops or D-rings on the tarp, and then just use guylines from the ends of the poles to the ground to pull the tarp ridgeline taut. I think you understand it correctly based on what you wrote.

[cmc4free]

There's no stand here, but this photo shows what we're both describing. Two guylines per pole to stabilize them and one guyline from each tarp corner to the ground. Tarp connected directly to the poles with no ridgeline.

[Latherdome]

Ideally, without the tarp extensions and with an 11 ft hammock, what is the ideal tarp length, size, and type (rectangular vs hexagonal).

11' tarp is ideal with or without the extensions. With the extensions you can go up to 13' easily. Shape isn't constrained by the stand: pick whatever offers the best coverage/weight/cost tradeoff.

On other points in this thread, there isn't a meaningful longevity difference between webbing and Amsteel lines. Neither see loads anywhere near their strength in normal use. What does see wear are the Amsteel pole connectors, that you get regardless whether you pick webbing or Amsteel lines.

We've seen no connectors needing replacement from normal wear yet. We did have a limited QC fail where a batch of stands went out with insufficiently deburred holes (my bad), but we reached out to those customers and replaced/repaired connectors and/or poles as necessary before any failures. When the connectors eventually do wear out, they are just 17"-long Amsteel ropes tied in a loop with a stopper knot, and some customers roll their own functional equivalents already. Tensa seems a viable business for the long haul, but even if we fold/retire there aren't any proprietary wearing parts, by design.

We've seen a small handful of pole failures, and replaced under warranty. The baffling thing is that the failures did not occur with super heavy users. Heavy seems fine. There's also no pattern as to which pole segments fail. Near as we can figure, there are irregularities in the alloying/tempering process that leave some segments invisibly weaker than others. So not a design problem but a manufacturing one, and we don't hesitate to replace under warranty.

The other reason we don't grommet the connector holes is that it would defeat the Tensa Solo conversion path, where we insert a 5th segment in place of the rubber feet on a 4-piece section: grommet would block.

Not many people happily hike long with Tensa4, but it's sure possible. To minimize weight, I suggest popping off 4 of the 8 rubber feet (no point up top), and definitely go with Amsteel. Leave the ridgeline at home if your hammock has one. Skip the head guyline/tether and hang your water/pack off the head end instead. If you carry tree straps anyway, you can substitute those for our baseline and foot guyline, or vice versa: less to carry. Boomstakes are lighter and more compact than Orange Screws, and for Tensa4 you don't need nearly as strong anchoring as for Solo. 1 anchor suffices for Tensa4.

The lightest is to carry one Solo, and just keep hiking until you find a single tree, boulder, pole, steep slope/wall, etc. to anchor one side. Any mile now...

[talon1974]

That’s it. The ridgeline statement just messed me up. May go that route for now. Thank you and everyone in this thread for thoughts!

I spent 12 bucks and built a simple stand yesterday and spent the evening lounging in it. It convinced me that I want one and that it is practical.

Pic of my makeshift one (thanks to someone else posting about it in the forums)



I’ll still take this car camping for the wife.

There's no stand here, but this photo shows what we're both describing. Two guylines per pole to stabilize them and one guyline from each tarp corner to the ground. Tarp connected directly to the poles with no ridgeline.