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  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by commanderkeen View Post
    You really need some nice person to set up his Thuderfly on the ground this weekend and get you some photos.

    I’ll try to do that.

    (I just recently rigged up some new cordage/hardware to enable go-to-ground with my Thuderfly, so it needs to be tried.)

    Feel free to ping me if you haven’t heard back.
    I look forward to that, thank you

    Do you happen to know how long the sides are at the bottom? If not I'd really appreciate it if you could measure it when you have it out.

  2. #12
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    Here's a rough side-view sketch of how I was thinking the Thunderfly might work on the ground, to deal with a bit of wind-driven rain. It's vaguely like a 'patrol shelter' in shape.

    tf_ground_pitch_2.JPG

    Two thoughts:

    1) I'd probably have the doors pulled together at the front, but on the back, probably use 2 pegs to have them slightly separate, i.e. in an inverted V, to allow for airflow.

    2) There would be a lot of loose fabric and the 2 corner ties at the rear would not be used. The fabric could be tucked underneath but I don't like the idea of the fabric getting damaged on the ground & under body weight. Perhaps the fabric could be tied up outside, e.g. the loose corner ties attached to a side-pullout?

  3. #13
    Member commanderkeen's Avatar
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    Oct 2018
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    Murfreesboro, TN
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    Tarp for hammock and ground

    OK, I got outside today and played around with the Thunderfly, and here’s what I came up with.

    I marked up the photos to add some measurements since you were curious about length, and footprint.

    Pitch #1: A Frame with Beaks





    Pitch #2: Hunkered down
    Mainly did this to give you an idea of the footprint on the Thunderfly when the ridgeline is low. Drastically gets into headroom, but I guess that’s typical of tarp life.







    Pitch #3: Patrol shelter
    It never occurred to me to try this type of pitch with my Thunderfly, and it’s nice to remember that this could be an option if conditions are rough.
    I made use of the side tie outs to see how this would help it respond to wind, and it does help some to preserve some interior space and to stabilize the sides.








    A breezy day, and expecting a windy night, and I’d be wanting to try it except I hurt a muscle in my back and really don’t feel like ground sleeping tonight! Haha.

    Hope this helps!

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by commanderkeen View Post
    Hope this helps!
    That's all extremely helpful, thank you so much for taking the time! I hope your back gets better soon.

    I think my main take-home from the measurements is that really it's a one-man shelter when on the ground, even in the A frame pitch. This is mainly because the bottom edges are 190cm long, i.e. just 10cm longer than me, so I'd need to be in the middle to take full advantage of the coverage of the beaks, unless the rain was falling perfectly downwards (I can't remember the last time that happened!).

    My current hex tarp is designed for ground camping and the bottom edges are 260cm long. I guess the Thunderfly can afford to be so much shorter there because it's for a hammock, where the head and feet will be raised high.

    The 'patrol' configuration would make it effectively much longer and it looks like an excellent hideout for getting to sleep in bad weather, and maybe even get a brew on in the front, though as you say, not a great height for sitting upright.

    Do you think the door tie-outs, used at the back in 'patrol' config, look reinforced enough to be used as a main staking point? They seem like they have less reinforcement / load spreading than the corner tie outs.

  5. #15
    Member commanderkeen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Roger Ramjet View Post
    That's all extremely helpful, thank you so much for taking the time! I hope your back gets better soon.

    I think my main take-home from the measurements is that really it's a one-man shelter when on the ground, even in the A frame pitch. This is mainly because the bottom edges are 190cm long, i.e. just 10cm longer than me, so I'd need to be in the middle to take full advantage of the coverage of the beaks, unless the rain was falling perfectly downwards (I can't remember the last time that happened!).

    My current hex tarp is designed for ground camping and the bottom edges are 260cm long. I guess the Thunderfly can afford to be so much shorter there because it's for a hammock, where the head and feet will be raised high.

    The 'patrol' configuration would make it effectively much longer and it looks like an excellent hideout for getting to sleep in bad weather, and maybe even get a brew on in the front, though as you say, not a great height for sitting upright.

    Do you think the door tie-outs, used at the back in 'patrol' config, look reinforced enough to be used as a main staking point? They seem like they have less reinforcement / load spreading than the corner tie outs.
    Yes. I think your takeaways are spot on. It’s definitely a 1P shelter.

    The beak tieouts do have lighter duty reinforcements. They clearly aren’t designed to be primary tieout points.

    Update: had some blustery conditions last night, and while things sagged a bit, and moved a couple lazily placed MSR Mini Groundhogs, it held up to the storms. FWIW, this is the version in 30D Silnylon.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by commanderkeen View Post
    Yes. I think your takeaways are spot on. It’s definitely a 1P shelter.

    The beak tieouts do have lighter duty reinforcements. They clearly aren’t designed to be primary tieout points.

    Update: had some blustery conditions last night, and while things sagged a bit, and moved a couple lazily placed MSR Mini Groundhogs, it held up to the storms. FWIW, this is the version in 30D Silnylon.
    It's a pity about the lighter reinforcements for the doors, but it's easy to imagine they take less force so long as the other points are used. And since the end of the 'patrol' shape is much lower, it's also easy to imagine you'll get away with using them there as that end of the shelter should be taking much less force in the wind. Hopefully ...

    Good to hear it held up to the wind. It's the 30D Silnylon version I've got my eyes on - that's the only version currently in stock in my part of the world.

    How do you like the lifter poles or whatever they are called? They seem to create more width at the expense of height. In spite of your bad back did you get a chance to sit under the tarp e.g. in A frame mode? I already have some poles that I could possibly use - they are a bit longer than the Warbonnet ones, but it seems like I could get away with them, so that would be one less expense.

  7. #17
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    I came here to learn about tarps even though I'm not a hammock camper. I just always loved tarps and it seems hammock folks know a lot about tarps! After perusing numerous posts and watching numerous videos, I ultimately chose a 4m x 4m tarp from DD Hammocks for myself. I liked the tarps with doors, but didn't like the shorter sides on the tarps. The square tarp looked like the best option for me and it's quite versatile, especially with so many reinforced attachment points everywhere.

    Diagram_Working.jpg
    Last edited by ksing44; 11-20-2020 at 17:53.

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by ksing44 View Post
    I came here to learn about tarps even though I'm not a hammock camper. I just always loved tarps and it seems hammock folks know a lot about tarps! After perusing numerous posts and watching numerous videos, I ultimately chose a 4m x 4m tarp from DD Hammocks for myself. I liked the tarps with doors, but didn't like the shorter sides on the tarps. The square tarp looked like the best option for me and it's quite versatile, especially with so many reinforced attachment points everywhere.
    Yeah I'm very new to hammocking myself. Just had 3 nights since I recently started. Well I did have a night in a hammock about 30 years ago as well.

    I love a big tarp for those special occasions when my whole trip revolves around going to a place where I know there will be lots of room between the trees, so I can make a forest feel like a home for a couple of days. Even if it's only to lounge around under or start a fire when it's raining. I have the DD 3m x 4.5m.

    Right now, since I'm liking the hammocking thing but don't like carrying weight, I'm trying to build a set of gear that will allow me to sleep anywhere I find myself, ground or hammock, including in tight spots, and to make the gear multi-purpose as much as possible.

  9. #19
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    Roger Ramjet, I understand your challenge as I have to be concerned with go-to-ground issues when I kayak camp. I might end up on just a sand/shell beach or rock shelf. But the Tensa4 might be a solution to that.

    Ever notice how, when you type Tensa4 and accidentally hold down the shift key it becomes Tensa$

    For ground you are going to need a pad. And a pad is a comfort compromise in a hammock. However, if your season is summer (don’t know about UK summers) - warm season - you might get by with a light underquilt. I’ve never worried about an extra pound or so. You’d have to consider how many days you’d be on the ground vs how many days you could hang and your tolerance for a slight discomfort. For example, if you were mostly hanging, then maybe you could get by with the old time blue closed cell foam pad. It weighs very little and gives you a ground option.

    paulsPack.jpg

    Back in the ’70’s our boots were heavier than todays backpacks. And we LIKED it.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

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