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  1. #1
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    Do I Need a Continuous Ridge Line for My DCF Tarp?

    Just bought a Hammock gear DCF (Cuben Fiber) tarp in an effort to lighten my pack when backpacking. I got an 11 foot tarp without doors and opted for the Lineloc suspension so i can adjust each tie out independently. No that I have it, I have seen numerous hiking Youtubers who have DCF tarps with continuous ridge lines with several commenting that they did because in their mind there was less stress on the tarp they felt they were protecting their investment. On my prior silpoly tarp i always just ran individual tie outs, so I never considered a continuous ridgeline since i don' usually camp in high wind areas. I can see how DCF tarps typically don't have that traditional ridge that might add strength and stability. I'm pretty good with knots and can covert the thing to run with a CR.

    What say you all? Am i being foolish? Should I convert the lines to a CR?

    Thanks in advance. This is a great community.

  2. #2
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    I'm not gonna have the ridgeline rubbing against my tarp - not good. At one point, I tried having the ridgeline run under the tarp, but the Zing-It ridgeline kept on catching the adhesive where the two panels are bonded together so I quit that immediately.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  3. #3
    Member commanderkeen's Avatar
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    Definitely. Go for the CR. An extra 11’ of Zing-It weights nothing, and it would seem to be good insurance. Some people claim it helps protect the tarp particularly at the area where the ridgeline tieout reinforcements end.

    Also, a CR can be rigged in clever ways to allow you to move/center the tarp from either end without tear down or untying/retying anything.

    I don’t want to assume your skills level or knowledge, but these are the videos that sold me in CR way back when:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C-IkTg4z6UY
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hLupiOygs0s

  4. #4
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    There are people who use the split ridge lines and one-piece, which is what I use. Reduces tension on the tarp pull-outs and is very easy to center.

    Attach the tarp to the ridge line with Prusik loops on each end and you're good to go. If you use Zing-it for your ridge line, use some sort of woven polyester cord for the Prusiks and they will hold. Zing-it on Zing-it doesn't work well in my experience.

    I use Lawson Glowire and Guywire (2mm) for everything. It holds all knots well and is very tangle resistant.

    Prusik loop attached to ridge line:

    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  5. #5
    Trail Runner's Avatar
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    Whether or not to use a CRL is a personal preference. I don't for either of my DCF tarps. Whether you tie from the ends or use a CRL, the goal is a taut tarp. It takes the exact same amount tension to achieve tautness regardless of which choice you make. What a CRL does do is prevent you from over-tensioning the line/tarp at the tie-offs. And it's also a bit easier for centering adjustments. Over-tensioners are still going to over-tension their ridgelines at the trees but the nature of the CRL prevents this from happening to the tarp.

    In conclusion, if you're a person who cranks the line as tight as humanly possible, go with a CRL. If you believe it's easier to get your tarp centered with a CRL, obviously go with the CRL. If you don't fall into either of those categories, stick with your current system. Or not.
    "Behold, as a wild a** of the desert, go I forth to my work." -- Guerney Halleck

  6. #6
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    Another CRL advantage: If you use a trekking pole (or other dedicated pole) as an external spreader bar it keeps the pole from rubbing the tarp. Abrasion from friction is DCF's worst enemy.

    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  7. #7
    Senior Member Baka Dasai's Avatar
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    I like the CRL for a reason that I've never seen anybody else mention. It allows me to set my ridgeline and get it taut and positioned correctly before I take my tarp out of it's stuff sack. That's especially handy when it's windy as I don't have to deal with a madly flapping tarp while struggling to get my ridgeline around the trees and secured.

    IOW, the CRL allows a two-stage process:

    1. Install the ridgeline.
    2. Open the tarp stuff sack and attach the tarp to the ridgeline.

    I don't use the Derek Hansen method for CRLs because it doesn't give me this advantage. I use prussiks on the ridgeline to attach the tarp to, and I don't worry about the "V". (I have tried the V, and it's neat, but ultimately it's not important.)

    I'm considering moving from prussiks to Nama Claws. They serve the exact same purpose, but are perhaps easier to slide along the line while being more secure in use. (They offend my "no hardware" sensibilities but maybe it's time for me to loosen up on that score.)

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Baka Dasai View Post
    I like the CRL for a reason that I've never seen anybody else mention. It allows me to set my ridgeline and get it taut and positioned correctly before I take my tarp out of it's stuff sack. That's especially handy when it's windy as I don't have to deal with a madly flapping tarp while struggling to get my ridgeline around the trees and secured.

    IOW, the CRL allows a two-stage process:

    1. Install the ridgeline.
    2. Open the tarp stuff sack and attach the tarp to the ridgeline.

    I don't use the Derek Hansen method for CRLs because it doesn't give me this advantage. I use prussiks on the ridgeline to attach the tarp to, and I don't worry about the "V". (I have tried the V, and it's neat, but ultimately it's not important.)

    I'm considering moving from prussiks to Nama Claws. They serve the exact same purpose, but are perhaps easier to slide along the line while being more secure in use. (They offend my "no hardware" sensibilities but maybe it's time for me to loosen up on that score.)
    I have a ridgeline with just one Nama Claw on it with three prussics.Two of the prussic knots are attached to the D rings of the tarp.The third prussic is for the Nama Claw to have a place to grab onto to pull tension on the line.In the morning I simply slip that prussic toward the tree to detach the Nama Claw.It's quick and convenient.Do tie a knot on the end of the ridgeline so your Nama Claw cannot accidentally slip off when you are storing or deploying it.

    The are lots of ways to attach the D ring of the tarp to the prussic.I make a poor mans Evo Loop by tying a big double overhand knot on a small loop of zing it that is attached thru the prussic before making the knot.Then simply run the knot thru the D ring and make one wrap,then use the knot like an Evo Loop.The tension of the prussic has held everything plenty tight enough so far but on the other hand we don't get high winds where I go.A carabiner or soft shackle would work in high winds if my ez method ever fails me.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Baka Dasai View Post
    I like the CRL for a reason that I've never seen anybody else mention. It allows me to set my ridgeline and get it taut and positioned correctly before I take my tarp out of it's stuff sack. That's especially handy when it's windy as I don't have to deal with a madly flapping tarp while struggling to get my ridgeline around the trees and secured.

    IOW, the CRL allows a two-stage process:

    1. Install the ridgeline.
    2. Open the tarp stuff sack and attach the tarp to the ridgeline.
    yeees, exactly. besides, for the same reason above, reconfiguring from a-frame to diamond or whatever you fancy is a matter of just chosing where to attach the softshackles.

    I don't use the Derek Hansen method for CRLs because it doesn't give me this advantage. I use prussiks on the ridgeline to attach the tarp to, and I don't worry about the "V". (I have tried the V, and it's neat, but ultimately it's not important.)
    agreed again. in fact, it's more than "not important", it solves a problem which shouldn't be there, and creates new ones

    I'm considering moving from prussiks to Nama Claws. They serve the exact same purpose, but are perhaps easier to slide along the line while being more secure in use. (They offend my "no hardware" sensibilities but maybe it's time for me to loosen up on that score.)
    don't on both accounts (not just yet): it sounds to me like you might really like the strange setup i've been playing with lately, and documenting a bit here on hammock forums; i think so because it is no hardware, no prusiks (prusiks are a nice introduction to friction hitches, but that's about it; time to move on after using them a few times ), no re-tying of anything, no V _and_ no interference between suspension lines. and less load on the trees and tarp. if you want to try the whole thing, you also get to not go around the tree with the ridgeline anymore, but instead have anchor points for the ridgeline on the main treestraps themselves, and make better use of the treestraps while at it. it is a bit more of a change than switching to nama claws though (this changes, uhm, everything), but it should be fun, worth it, and, most importantly, will not offend your "no hardware sensibilities" -- no, one should never loosen up on that score, we shall die clutching a knot in our hands! i'm joking, but seriously, why waste time with hardware when you can have fun with knots. ****, that sounds even worse.

    i figured out how to link videos inline, so let me show off:

    this is how i attach the tarp to the ridgeline (so this would be the nama claws or prusik replacement). you can see how easy it is to move the VT knot, the funny thing is it is as easy and as fine controlled under tension too


    this shows how the ridgeline is connected (using the same kind of softshackle, but this one is spliced, instead of just knots), and how easy it is to tension it with the VT


    you don't actually need to use my weird treestraps to use this method, you can also do it with normal tree straps (this is how i first developed it, the treestraps are just the latest "invention")

    regarding the V, the main idea of the "levitating tarp", regardless of what tensioning system you use, as long as it's a nice quick one (like my system with vt's, or linelocs or such things), you anchor the ridgeline in the same place as the hammock is anchored, at the same height, and the ridgeline comes down at an angle, anywhere between nearly horizontal and same angle as the hammock suspension (30 degrees or so, for best coverage/storm mode); this means you can adjust the position of the tarp also vertically on the fly, in a few seconds, and when the tarp is low, because of the 30 degrees angel, it's much more stable than it would usually be (as it takes a lot more force to move it vertically, given the same tension in the ridgeline, than it wold take if the ridgleine would be perpendicular to the tree)
    Last edited by nanok; 08-10-2020 at 04:39.

  10. #10
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    DCF is strong on the pull but weak on the poke.
    On mine I just use 2 separate lines from the d-rings. Never had a problem.
    So you don't need a CRL but can use one for sure if you choose.
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

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