Results 1 to 8 of 8
  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Palm Coast, Fl
    Posts
    60

    Question Catenary issues: please help...

    Only took me like a month to figure out how to post on this blasted site, but... onwards🥴:

    So, I can't find anything online addressing how to get proper tautness out of a catenary cut tarp. I have a Kelty Noah 12' and I can't for the life of me figure out how to get a taut pitch off of just the four corners as you can on a square tarp. I've tried every configuration and angle- no dice. Still have droopy outside center edges. What gives? Does the Noah simply have a bad cut? Perhaps it's not made out of a fabric conducive to a catenary cut? I'm having buyer's remorse. 😳 Not that it CAN'T be pitched tight, it just requires some ingenuity, more guy lines and stakes, and more pack weight. Didn't buy a cat tarp to trim that weight just to regain it with extra rope and stakes...

  2. #2
    Countrybois's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    East Central IL
    Hammock
    DIY 1.7MTN
    Tarp
    HG Camo DCF Palace
    Insulation
    Incubator/Alsek
    Suspension
    Strap/Cinch Buckle
    Posts
    1,279
    Quote Originally Posted by TravisRising View Post
    Only took me like a month to figure out how to post on this blasted site, but... onwards:

    So, I can't find anything online addressing how to get proper tautness out of a catenary cut tarp. I have a Kelty Noah 12' and I can't for the life of me figure out how to get a taut pitch off of just the four corners as you can on a square tarp. I've tried every configuration and angle- no dice. Still have droopy outside center edges. What gives? Does the Noah simply have a bad cut? Perhaps it's not made out of a fabric conducive to a catenary cut? I'm having buyer's remorse. Not that it CAN'T be pitched tight, it just requires some ingenuity, more guy lines and stakes, and more pack weight. Didn't buy a cat tarp to trim that weight just to regain it with extra rope and stakes...
    It is designed to hang with a diagonal ridge line. Any other configuration, although very doable, will cause the kind of grief you are experiencing.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

    Need Adventure...Make Adventure


  3. #3
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Jersey Shore, NJ
    Hammock
    Dutch PolyD
    Tarp
    HG Winter Palace
    Insulation
    HG 0, 20, 40
    Suspension
    Dutch Whoopie Hook
    Posts
    14,716
    Images
    3
    I always wondered why the Kelty 12 x 12 pitched so poorly in A Frame mode. However, a cat cut on the diagonal would explain it!

    Personally, I think hanging the Kelty 12 x 12 on the diagonal would be a real pain. That means you will have 17 ft. between anchors - not so easy to find trees, and the wind will get under the tarp.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Location
    Palm Coast, Fl
    Posts
    60
    Quote Originally Posted by Countrybois View Post
    It is designed to hang with a diagonal ridge line. Any other configuration, although very doable, will cause the kind of grief you are experiencing.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
    I should note that the diagonal pitch is exactly to which I'm referring- no matter how tight one side or the other is, or to what height the ridgeline is set to, the sides still sag. I even swapped to the upgraded Noah tarp when my other tore in a storm- same issue.

  5. #5
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Ossining, NY
    Hammock
    DH Darien, SLD Tree Runner
    Tarp
    HG hex
    Insulation
    Timmermade, Revolt
    Suspension
    Kevlar, Lapp Hitch
    Posts
    4,912
    Images
    356
    Perhaps it would be best to describe precisely what you're looking for in a tarp — amount of coverage, height, type of weather, car camping or backpacking, intended usage (extended lounging, hanging out and cooking under the tarp, etc) — and someone can help you find the best tool for the job.

    Clearly the Noah is not designed for what you want it to do.
    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

  6. #6
    cougarmeat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Bend, OR
    Hammock
    WBBB, WBRR, WL LiteOwl
    Tarp
    OES, WL BullFro
    Insulation
    HG UQ, TQ, WB UQ
    Suspension
    Python Straps
    Posts
    3,759
    Boy - was I going to be way wrong, starting out with a claim that the Noah is Not a catenary cut tarp. But a little squirrel suggested I actually research it first - what a concept So, as Countrybois correctly stated - it is catenary when suspended on the diagonal, and perhaps it’s cut so there is a specific corner to corner you are expected to use? I know that doesn’t make sense as I picture it - I’d imagine it is symmetric. But it’s worth looking at. Maybe two diagonal corners are reinforced more than the other two - indicating that the extra reinforced corners are expected to be used as the diagonal.

    Can you see the cantenary cut on the diamond shape when you lay the tarp out flat?


    I feel your pain - had I been in a hurry and read the specs of the Noah, I would have seen the word “catenary” and figured it would be just like a catenary rectangular or hex tarp. But all marketing photos, especially those that show the “curve” have it strung in the diamond pattern.

    It might not be exactly what you were looking for, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad tarp. If you are car/kayak/motorcycle/bike camping it might be handy to have a second tarp to cover an eating/gathering area.

    On one kayak trip, with a group, it was pouring down rain. The trip leaders pulled out a Noah 16 and in no time we had a large dry area to gather under. I ended up with a Noah after an REI or Amazon sale but it’s been in its bag for a couple of years - mostly because I’m afraid if I pull it out I’ll never get it folded back in. And I’m fortunate to, mostly, plan trips that avoid rainy weather - unless I want to test gear, reaffirm my Oregonianness, or resupply my compassion reserves for friends who live in Seattle.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  7. #7
    cmc4free's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    2,160
    Images
    188
    The Noah is a great way to set up some shade for campgrounds, parks, outdoor parties, etc. I have the 12 footer and a set of collapsible aluminum poles. Beats a pop up canopy for versatility and certainly breaks down smaller.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    old dirt
    Posts
    444
    is this the tarp in question? https://www.kelty.com/noahs-tarp-12/

    if it has a ridgeline catenary cut, cougarmeat is right, you'll have to use the "correct" corners for the cat cut to work, otherwise it will be worse than a simple straight cut tarp. the ridgeline cat cut will have a seam, so it should be easy to identify. in the pictures on the link above, it even has some loops on the diagonal ridgeline, so should be easy to identify which is the intended ridgeline.

    if all else fails, some pics of the setup would help with the troubleshooting.

  • + New Posts
  • Similar Threads

    1. How do I start a thread? Catenary issues...
      By TravisRising in forum Introduce Yourself
      Replies: 10
      Last Post: 11-18-2020, 11:04
    2. DIY Catenary-Cut Hex tarp
      By Laochri in forum Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
      Replies: 8
      Last Post: 04-16-2014, 15:20
    3. Catenary cut?
      By Chas in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 4
      Last Post: 10-04-2013, 17:01
    4. 20' x 20' Catenary Tarp
      By Rabid Deer in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 11
      Last Post: 03-24-2013, 18:33
    5. Catenary VS. Rectangular Cut
      By Tacky Hiker in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 6
      Last Post: 10-20-2009, 12:11

    Tags for this Thread

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •