Improper UGQ Winter Dream Pitch?

[Dmstout440]

IMG_4259.jpg

IMG_4258.jpg

IMG_4260.jpg

Any idea what might be causing my winter dream to sag so much along the ridge? And no matter what I try I can never get a taught pitch. I pull the stakes in closer, and it rises a tiny bit, and all the fabric in the middle of it is flapping all over and blowing against my hammock when the wind blows. I pitch them further out, and nothing changes. I've tried just about everything I can think of: changing the angle of the tie outs, lowering/raising the ridgeline, making the stretch loser along the ridgeline.... It's almost like I'm not going to be able to get efficient use out of it unless I purchase the pole mods, because there is so much loose fabric blowing around. I've seen pictures of them pitched just fine without them though. Any ideas?

Note: It did rain last night, so there is the normal amount of resulting stretching going on in the pic. I still have the same problem when it's dry though. I also can't figure out why it's not porting my pictures upright. Sorry

[Shug]

Try pitching it without the continuous ridgleline and I'll bet you get a different result. Just go off the end ridgeline d-rings.
Shug

[Dmstout440]

Thanks. I'll try it.

[Shug]

Thanks. I'll try it.

It will surely pull your ridgeline tighter.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...r4JzQgQ_iyB2RU

I ditched the continuous ridgeline years ago. Just never suited my needs.
Shug

[Adroa]

Might be because I am in mobile, but can’t quite make out from the photos what you are using to connect the tarp to the ridgeline. I have been experimenting a lot with my superfly on a continuous ridgeline in preparation of getting to take it on a first trip in June. First I have found I need to get the line really taught before putting the tarp on. With just line I put one end around the tree and connect with a ditch hook, other end goes to a Dutch stinger and gets pulled very taught. After that I put my tarp on using Nama claws. Initially I was worried they would not get tight and if they did I would have trouble releasing them, but those worries proved unfounded. Besides the tarp being high up I got to double test the tautness by placing a trekking pole over the top to do the panel pulls which presses down on the continuous ridgeline over the tarp. So far it has managed to hold the pole up off the tarp.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WalksIn2Trees]

It's an order of operations thing.

I also don't use a CRL. In the winter I'll use a ratchet strap for extra support against snow load, but that's in ADDITION to my normal setup and the tarp is not using that for tension.

first it doesn't need to be super tight to be taut. the tension just needs to be even on all of the lines.

my first step after suspending the tarp is to close the doors. I see that you're overlapping yours. overlapping is unnecessary, and gives you less interior space. Instead try clipping/tying the door corners together (temporarily) for a vertical seam, no overlap. If you'd bought this tarp with snap closures, this is the equivalent, and you'd be snapping the doors closed for this step.

next, guy out the panel centers. make sure the tension is even but leave them loose. check that ridge-line doesn't dip.

I guy-out my doors to a point, instead of a straight line. This is when you would do that, because this also limits how much room is inside and limits the angles that you can guy the corners out to. otherwise:

Now do the corners at each end, one end at a time. again loosly. ensuring all stay centered and even tension no ridge-line sag.

now to tighten them up, again start with the centers, loosen or tighten as needed then each end. the goal is to be taut not tight.

after awhile you just get used to how much you need to tighten them

Sent from my SM-T827V using Tapatalk

[TrailSlug]

That nearly 60 degree angle in your CRL isn't normal. Your CRL should be much tighter and not bent down like it currently is. Your tarp also needs to be just a tad bit higher. The individual tie outs on each end of the tarp may work better for you but centering the tarp with separate ridge lines is more difficult.

[cougarmeat]

Also - and this might not be the case with the Winter Dream - some tarps are made with a catenary cut along the ridge line. That means the ridge line is supposed to curve up at the ends. It’s a feature; not a bug.

It can be a problem if a person is trying to run their ridge line under a tarp that has a catenary ridge.

Looking at the tension on your guy lines. It looks like you staked them out too tight and they are holding the tarp down.

When I run a continuous ridge line, I go from the tarp, around the tree, back to the tarp and through the same mini-biner that’s holding the ridge line to the tarp. The across the tarp, through the mini-biner at that end, around the other tree and back to the tarp to attach to a figure-9. That helps pull the tarp to the ridge line. I do that, and center it on the hammock, before I put in the side guy lines - or at least I try to remember to

This year I’m experimenting with a straight line between trees with the hammock connected to that line - like with Nama Claws. That takes the tarp out of the “stretch” equation if something should fall against the line or it would get an extra pull force on it for any reason. It will be more like a hammock with the continuous ridge line. That ridge line and suspension take all the “pull” force and the hammock just hangs under it.

[Dmstout440]

Thanks everyone. After hearing from you all, I think I’ve identified the problem: my Tato Tarp connectors. Going back over everything, I realized that all of the videos I’ve seen of them has the being used with a crl that goes under the tarp. Not over it, like one used with the winter dream is meant to. The shock cord on them wasn’t allowing the tarp to stay in place, vertically, when I staked it out. It needed something that wouldn’t stretch. I added some prussics and carabiners, and it worked great; Nice and taught.

[WalksIn2Trees]

Also - and this might not be the case with the Winter Dream - some tarps are made with a catenary cut along the ridge line. That means the ridge line is supposed to curve up at the ends. It’s a feature; not a bug.

It can be a problem if a person is trying to run their ridge line under a tarp that has a catenary ridge.

Looking at the tension on your guy lines. It looks like you staked them out too tight and they are holding the tarp down.

When I run a continuous ridge line, I go from the tarp, around the tree, back to the tarp and through the same mini-biner that’s holding the ridge line to the tarp. The across the tarp, through the mini-biner at that end, around the other tree and back to the tarp to attach to a figure-9. That helps pull the tarp to the ridge line. I do that, and center it on the hammock, before I put in the side guy lines - or at least I try to remember to

This year I’m experimenting with a straight line between trees with the hammock connected to that line - like with Nama Claws. That takes the tarp out of the “stretch” equation if something should fall against the line or it would get an extra pull force on it for any reason. It will be more like a hammock with the continuous ridge line. That ridge line and suspension take all the “pull” force and the hammock just hangs under it.

no, it's NOT supposed to curve up at the ends, what catenary curves are supposed to do is keep everything tensioned through the middle of the fabric panels, rather than only the edges be tensioned but the middle is snapping and popping in the breeze, and sagging into a pouch that collects snow and water instead of allowing it to run off. Gravity and surface tension wins. Having a ridge-line that runs downhill right to the center of the span (directly over your hammock→ and directly over your belly→also directly over your precious quilts) is
asking to get wet. It's not as bad if you don't use a CRL, but water can still run down the underside of your tarp's ridge-line seam from the edge. been there, done that... should sell aT-shirt.

Water breaks help against it, and you probably won't even notice it if it's less than a steady rain, but that's how it gets you.

I have posted numerous comments throughout the years here, where I tell my story about how I thought I had things all figured out, and then I was out in a full week of steady rain at times in excess of 2 in per hour (probably the remnants of a tropical storm that came up the coast) and I spent the first two days thinking I had a leak in my tarp but really it was just running down my ridge-line because I was hanging a light off of it and just that little bit of weight caused the ridge-line to sag in the middle which pulled it out of level. so what was actually happening was the water was running down the ridge-line to the middle of the underside of the tarp, but BETWEEN the tarp and the CRL so just to look at it it look like it was dripping down from one specific spot but it wasn't until I put my fingers between the tarp and the rope and I could feel the cold freshwater between there. like I said this was already two days into the rain so my gear was drenched and it stayed soggy throughout the storm because there was no way to dry it out other than to use it.

Sent from my SM-T827V using Tapatalk