HG DCF Palace Tarp - A few questions...

[Dave556]

I really like the HG DCF Palace (sold on the extra width/coverage) and about to squeeze the trigger on purchase. Before purchasing, looking for feedback on a few items --

For those of you with a HG Palace tarp, can you share pics of the doors when they are 'closed?' I'm interested in how the doors overlap and the protection they offer. I seem to recall a post/discussion surrounding how the Palace doors are secured when closed, or the protection they provide (maybe lack thereof?)...something along those lines.

Do I want an 11' or 12' tarp? Will I really miss that 1' of coverage? The Palace will replace my existing tarp & used for remainder of my thru hike of the AT, provided we can get back out there this year (went off-trail at ****'s Creek Gap). Stupid virus... A couple nights on-trail was a tight pitch between two trees....thus my idea/desire for an 11' tarp.

Current setup => DH Darien, 11' hammock, ridgeline. UGQ WinterDream, 12' tarp, CRL, silpoly - great tarp, kept me dry, but was heavy after 6 straight days of wet stuff falling from the sky.

Thanks for reading and appreciate feedback, ideas, experiences.

[goobie]

In my opinion, too much is made of the overlap on the doors. None of the winter tarps I have close perfectly and other then a little blown in snow it's not an issue. This ain't your house, there's gonna be drafts. Yes, it's possible in the perfect conditions (our would that be imperfect) rain could get in. Choose your site accordingly and that becomes less of a problem. Yeah, I know, wind direction can change..... Two weeks in the boundary waters, with about half that time in rain, and I never got wet because my tarp doors didn't close perfectly.

11', that's more than enough coverage. Longer tarp means your hammock hangs lower under that tarp, costing you side coverage. That, in my experience, is more of an issue than door overlap. That cold wind and rain you're worried about getting through the gaps in your doors now blows into your UQ from the side. That's a problem!

There's my 2¢, take it for what it's worth. If I can get out and set it up, I'll get you pics of the doors

[MikekiM]

I went from 11' WB tarps to 12' DIY tarps and then to 11' HG DCF tarps. I have never missed the 'extra' foot. In fact, I found the 12' tarps more troublesome than value added. That extra foot has had me skunked with trees that were too close and the extra length limits how low and tight you can get before you are encumbered by the hammock suspension.

Regarding the doors. I have both the Standard with doors and the Palace. The Palace doors can be made to overlap if you pitch a really steep pitch. If I think I will need the doors overlapped I connect them before staking out so I am sure to pitch it steep enough. Other wise, I get them as close as I can. Certainly not as overlapped as the Standard. HG says it is by design which I don't get. I've added a toggle & loop to the middle of the doors edges to close things up a bit but I've given up on any real overlap. That said, we're talking about nano thin fabric. The overlap is more mental than anything else. If I pitch the windward door out a little more than the leeward it seems to block wind just fine.

[SilvrSurfr]

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.

[blackmagic]

silpoly - great tarp, kept me dry, but was heavy after 6 straight days of wet stuff falling from the sky.

A DCF tarp will still retain a lot of water after a rainy night. It won't absorb water, so it won't be quite as heavy as a silpoly tarp, and it will dry more quickly when the sun comes out, but it does not have magical water-repelling properties and you're still going to be carrying around extra water weight. All the more reason to prefer 11' to 12' -- less surface area to get wet.

Out of curiosity, when did you get off? I called it off at Unicoi Gap last Monday.

[Dave556]

Thanks for the info on tarp absorption.

I went off-trail at D i c k' s Creek Gap on the 23rd. It was a difficult decision to leave. I had supply boxes ready and support system to help keep me on trail. I coulda kept going for another 22 days, based on resupply boxes, fam/friends and a patch-work of "ship to" locations which were open at that time... However, responsibility and self-control got the better of me.

Rented a car on 24th and drove back home to ME.

[Dave556]

I've never tried to close the doors on any tarp

Thanks for the reply, SilvrSurfr

You've peaked my curiosity. Serious question. Have you had troubles with...or do you worry....your sleep system will get wet when it's windy and raining (and your doors are open)?

I'd be a nervous wreck trying to sleep when rain is in the forecast and my tarp doors were open. My OCD issues would be bouncing to the beat of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees.

[Dave556]

If I can get out and set it up, I'll get you pics of the doors

Thanks for sharing your experiences, goobie. Appreciate any pic you can send, even an old one.

Although, I'm pretty certain the Palace is what I'm gonna roll with...based on everyone's feedback and experiences. Just gonna do it before I start thinking about the $$$ again.

[Dave556]

In fact, I found the 12' tarps more troublesome than value added. That extra foot has had me skunked with trees that were too close and the extra length limits how low and tight you can get before you are encumbered by the hammock suspension.

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!

[SilvrSurfr]

Thanks for the reply, SilvrSurfr

You've peaked my curiosity. Serious question. Have you had troubles with...or do you worry....your sleep system will get wet when it's windy and raining (and your doors are open)?

I'd be a nervous wreck trying to sleep when rain is in the forecast and my tarp doors were open. My OCD issues would be bouncing to the beat of Staying Alive by the Bee Gees.

My doors are never "open" during a rain or snow storm. I close the doors - I just don't worry if they're overlapping. Besides, I like an opening of a few inches for air circulation. You can get pretty wet from condensation due to lack of air circulation. Condensation is really a clammy mess.

In eight years I've never gotten that wet. Well, except for a couple of years ago. We had a group hang in the NJ Pine Barrens after Thanksgiving, and the forecast called for three inches of rain and 40 mph wind gusts. That's not what we got - we got five inches of rain (in less than six hours) and 60 mph wind gusts. It was the worst storm I've ever slept through. Though my quilts got wet, I slept fine, even in 30* overnight lows. I did have to wake up a couple of times and restake the Winter Palace.

Other folks didn't do so well, including a few other people using the HG DCF Palace. We had about 30 or 40 people and at least 15 or 20 had their stakes ripped out of the ground, which immediately soaked their quilts in about 15 seconds flat, making them basically unusable. Luckily, we were car camping so those people either packed up and went home, or slept in their cars (or an Army tent we had erected).

Personally, I like camping in stormy weather. It tells you if you're ready for a "worst-case" scenario, and on this occasion, I was ready. Another time camping in the Pine Barrens, we knew we had high winds and seven or eight inches of snow coming in. I staked out my HG Winter Palace with the doors overlapped and I was confident I would do well. However, when the snow came, I turned on my headlamp and saw that the snow was blowing into my hammock through a tiny tarp opening, maybe an inch wide. The storm was raging and it was too late to try and adjust, so I just went to sleep. I woke up a few hours later to find that my top quilt was covered in eight inches of snow. I shook it all off and went back to sleep.

In ten years of hammock camping (eight with my HG Winter Palace), those are the only two storms that ever had me worried, but I did fine. There was another storm in Maryland with dime-sized hail that I was sure was going to puncture my cuben fiber tarp, but my HG tarp passed that test with flying colors. There were a few more people with cuben fiber tarps who also did fine.