HG DCF Palace Tarp - A few questions...

[Otter1]

I had a Palace and loved everything about it except it packed bulkier than any other tarp I've owned, so I eventually sold it and bought a mountainfly from WB. Both are 11 footers w/ some variant of doors.

I've had experiences similar to SS. I got wet one night with a pretty well-pitched Standard tarp w/doors. That was all it took to convince me to get the Palace. Weight was an issue for me and I "needed" the sexy DCF to satisfy my UL-ness. But the bulk stretches the exterior pocket of my pack to almost the max and is just too big for my tastes. Best tarp I've ever owned and I recommend it heartily to anyone looking for the lightest, best protection.

The Mountainfly weighs more and has less door protection, but the same side protection. I do not worry about anything that enters from the ends with it. And you shouldn't worry about the little gap at the ends of the Palace - if properly hung, it won't let you down.

[WalksIn2Trees]

I don't have a dyneema tarp, although I plan to have one made, but, like SlvrSrfr I also never overlap my doors. I go the other way and I have a 13 foot tarp. I actually prefer to have the stand-under room, and haven't found any issues with the width being not enough coverage because of the extra headroom.

what I did do though is have extra Ridgeline loops added, so I can hang in a span an 11 or 12 foot tarp could squeeze into if that's all that's available. It means the doors have some extra fabric at the ridge-line in that configuration, but I can still do it.

as you see though, a lot of people are using an 11 ft tarp and they do just fine, including Shug. the general recommendation when somebody new is looking to purchase a tarp is to tell them to get it the same length is their hammock. that's where I started, but my tendency is to get bigger and bigger especially for the winter where you need extra dry space to hang things out, because under your tarp is the only dry space there is in the winter, and the only place to really hang things is your Ridge-line.

similarly, in a snowstorm that little bit of space you have in there gets a lot smaller pretty quick. so I like to have as much room as possible. I do find that I really only use the space to the one side of my hammock, so in my opinion it would almost be better to have one short side with a steep pitch, and one wide side with a shallower pitch.

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[MikekiM]

Here are the doors on the HG Palace and Standard both pulled flat..
Not a perfect comparison with the Palace pitched a bit flatter. If it were more upright, it the doors would have met neater. I could have pulled them in at the center, where I have the toggle installed.. but it just seems to put unnecessary stress..

I've had an 11' HG Winter Palace DCF tarp for about eight years. I see no value in getting a 12' tarp, so I've avoided that rabbit hole. It's just more weight. As far as doors not closing, I've never tried to close the doors on any tarp, and certainly don't bemoan whether the HG Winter Palace doors can overlap.

You never close them or you never overlap them?

I agree on condensation, and I usually close two doors.. either the two head end, or the two windward.. Doesn't really matter whether it's in a beak mode or flat overlap.. depends on what I am trying to block.

My Holy Grail tarp would be a Standard with doors at only one end.. can't remember the last time I closed both ends on either tarp.

MikekiM, I had the same experience & problem one particular evening on the AT. Tarp was droopy, less than desirable hang, but no other choices as the shelter/campsite was packed. Top it off....it was raining, but thankfully not windy.

Appreciate your feedback!

There you go. I have seen more than one 13' but it took only one or two times of not being able to setup properly to have me abandon the longer tarps.

Sqidmark made a monster 12' silpoly winter tarp and added a second set of ridge line tie outs half a foot inboard of the primary tie outs so he could pitch it as a 12, 11.5 or 11 as needed.

I had a Palace and loved everything about it except it packed bulkier than any other tarp I've owned, so I eventually sold it and bought a mountainfly from WB. Both are 11 footers w/ some variant of doors.

I've had experiences similar to SS. I got wet one night with a pretty well-pitched Standard tarp w/doors. That was all it took to convince me to get the Palace. Weight was an issue for me and I "needed" the sexy DCF to satisfy my UL-ness. But the bulk stretches the exterior pocket of my pack to almost the max and is just too big for my tastes. Best tarp I've ever owned and I recommend it heartily to anyone looking for the lightest, best protection.

The Mountainfly weighs more and has less door protection, but the same side protection. I do not worry about anything that enters from the ends with it. And you shouldn't worry about the little gap at the ends of the Palace - if properly hung, it won't let you down.

No doubt DCF does pack larger and more important for me.. much stiffer. You end up with a semi-hard bundle rather than the squishy bundle of a nylon tarp. In dry, I put the tarp in my pack (in snake skin and then a DCF stuff sack). If wet I can strap it to the top if pocket space is at a premium, but if it's raining I will typically have moved some of the items I usually keep at the ready in the front pocket into the pack.

[OneClick]

Which tarp is in the snow above? That door setup looks perfect...even more space if pulled out a little more, but I understand that would require separate stakes.

[Dave556]

Best tarp I've ever owned and I recommend it heartily to anyone looking for the lightest, best protection.
....
And you shouldn't worry about the little gap at the ends of the Palace - if properly hung, it won't let you down.

Thanks for the feedback, Otter1. I'm looking for "lightest, best protection", as the HG Palace will be used for rest of my thru hike of the AT....assuming I can get back out there this year. I love my WinterDream silpoly tarp, it's a fortress, but it'll be for shorter trips.

[Dave556]

Here are the doors on the HG Palace and Standard both pulled flat. Not a perfect comparison with the Palace pitched a bit flatter. If it were more upright, it the doors would have met neater. I could have pulled them in at the center, where I have the toggle installed...

BIG THANKS for the photos, MikekiM! Greatly appreciate your time.

Did HG install the door toggles or did you DIY?

Ya know...as I think about it...HG offers door tie-backs on tarps. I might be able to repurpose the tie-backs with a bit of DIY and create a closure system - toggle, cord locks, shock cord or something along those lines. Won't achieve same door overlap as a Standard, but maybe 'close the gap' a bit... Hmmm?

You've inspired me

[MikekiM]

Which tarp is in the snow above? That door setup looks perfect...even more space if pulled out a little more, but I understand that would require separate stakes.

The one in the snow is the Standard with doors and yes, those doors are great. The one in the fog is the Palace.

BIG THANKS for the photos, MikekiM! Greatly appreciate your time.

Did HG install the door toggles or did you DIY?

Ya know...as I think about it...HG offers door tie-backs on tarps. I might be able to repurpose the tie-backs with a bit of DIY and create a closure system - toggle, cord locks, shock cord or something along those lines. Won't achieve same door overlap as a Standard, but maybe 'close the gap' a bit... Hmmm?

You've inspired me

The tie backs that HG adds are to tie the doors back when they are not deployed. I have them on both tarps and do use them, but to be candid they are kind of annoying. You could make ties just like those and attach them but I think that would be a pain to tie and untie as you enter and exit. I added the toggle/loop which I made as replica's of those offered by Z-Packs. I have pics I can share..

[SilvrSurfr]

You never close them or you never overlap them?

Never overlap. As you mentioned, I suppose if you pitched it really steep you could get the doors to overlap, but I can't stand having tarp in my face and I just don't use the pull-outs - too much hassle for me. A couple of days ago, a friend of mine sent me a video from eight years ago showing my HG Winter Palace using the pull-outs. I told him I have no recollection of ever using the pull-outs, and he told me he also had no recollection that I had ever used pull-outs, but the video don't lie!

I almost always have my doors closed (but not overlapping). It's gotta be some mighty fine weather for me not to close the doors. I hate waking up and closing my doors when the weather comes in.

[MikekiM]

Never overlap. As you mentioned, I suppose if you pitched it really steep you could get the doors to overlap, but I can't stand having tarp in my face and I just don't use the pull-outs.

I used one side pull out for the first and only time on my last outing.. only because the wind was pounding me broadside and didn't want the tarp laying up against me all night.

[WalksIn2Trees]

Never overlap. As you mentioned, I suppose if you pitched it really steep you could get the doors to overlap, but I can't stand having tarp in my face and I just don't use the pull-outs - too much hassle for me. A couple of days ago, a friend of mine sent me a video from eight years ago showing my HG Winter Palace using the pull-outs. I told him I have no recollection of ever using the pull-outs, and he told me he also had no recollection that I had ever used pull-outs, but the video don't lie!

I almost always have my doors closed (but not overlapping). It's gotta be some mighty fine weather for me not to close the doors. I hate waking up and closing my doors when the weather comes in.

since I began using end pole mods, I haven't used the side panel pulls either. a nice bonus side effect of using end poles is that the tarp is stretched taut and it's center of gravity is all below ridge-line so in a heavy wind the windward side, rather than lifting up like it would without the end poles, instead dips down towards the ground thus adding more coverage instead of taking coverage away.

this is what sold me on the end-poles, even though it's more weight. It completely changes the dynamic how the tarp functions in a storm.

Wilderness Logics Old Man Winter was actually designed so that the doors went out to a point rather than overlap or meet in the center in a straight line, and that configuration is the best at diverting airflow and weather around the tarp rather than directing the air underneath and sucking in snow with it.



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