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  1. #1
    New Member
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    Nov 2020
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    Green cove springs, Fl
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    Currently on a AT thru hike...help me choose..

    To all Hammock Gurus...

    I am on a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail and my dyneema/Cuban fiber tarp with doors isn’t cutting it. I have a Ridge Runner and have “buttons” installed to keep the poles from poking through. The tarp doesn’t go low enough for my liking and it does not have any side pulls either. Conditions are from 6000 feet to 1500 feet elevation and some high gusts that will affect the eventual setup in the woods. I am a new subscriber who has read many posts in the last few months, and went with a dyneema with doors - it is adequate but I need better coverage and more durability. I appreciate any and all responses. FYI - I spoke to Warbonnet and they suggested the “Mountianfly as well as an UQ protector. I would appreciate any advice on setup for these circumstances as well as tips to minimize the wind affect. Also - I always seem to end up with a final setup that ends up being 2-3 inches ground clearance under the UQ. I am open to all suggestions. Weight will be a factor.

    Thank You All

    CAMO - AT CLASS OF 2021

  2. #2
    Senior Member BuckeyeFan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Warrenton, VA
    Hammock
    Dutch Chameleon or DIY Robic XL
    Tarp
    Superfly
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    DIY UQ & CDT TQ
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    Whoopie Slings
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    480
    Personally, I hang with a Warbonet Superfly tarp and 2QZQ UQ protector (Dutchware gear now owns 2QZQ). Very happy with both and provide plenty of protection.

    Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Senior Member kmjohnson1974's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    St. Augustine, FL
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    Dream Hammock Darien
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    UGQ Winterdream 12
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    Enlightened Equipm
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    Dutchware SpiderPo
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    99

    Currently on a AT thru hike...help me choose..

    I would definitely consider an UQ protector. You may want to check out Hammock Gear’s Dyneema Palace tarp. They come in 10, 11 & 12 foot lengths, each of which are less than 10 oz. The width is 10’ 4”, which is wider than WB’s Superfly. They are pricey at a little over $400, but the folks that have them swear by them.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    pryor,okla.
    Posts
    610
    For foul weather I really enjoy my WB superfly when the winds howl and the rain is blowing sideways. You can't stand up under the tarp when in storm mode but it will keep me and my kit dry, I'm 5' 10" for reference. When the weather is nice or a steady down rain I love the SF in porch mode- so peaceful watching the woods come alive.
    As far as your ground clearance problem goes- If you are setting up your hammock properly ie; 30* hang angle and @14"- 18" sit height but ending up with 2"-3" ground clearance when loaded then you may want to check the suspension for stretching (common with nylon strap's - if that is what you are using?) Or slippage of some part of the suspension.

  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Salt Lake City
    Hammock
    WBBB DL
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    Tadpole
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    HG-20 degree
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    Arrowhead WS setup
    Posts
    67
    All those recommendations are spot on. Its that last line that concerns me. If your hang ends up too low, then you need to reach up higher to tie your tree straps. I am 6' and I reach my arms over my head to get the sitting height I want in my hammock. So the tarp may be low enough once you raise the height of your hammock. Good luck and enjoy that journey!

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Maumee, OH
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    Dutch Chameleon, DIY
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    Dutchware Hex, DIY
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    Quote Originally Posted by BuckeyeFan View Post
    Personally, I hang with a Warbonet Superfly tarp and 2QZQ UQ protector (Dutchware gear now owns 2QZQ). Very happy with both and provide plenty of protection.
    Same here...great set-up but I am using a GE hammock. We just did a test hang over my brother’s ridge runner and determined that the Superfly will be great for his Ridgerunner, but he does need a 12’ Superfly, as my 11 footer was a tad to short

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    old dirt
    Posts
    444
    hey Camo, welcome to the forum

    given you're on the trail now, let me try some suggestions of what you might do "now" (work with what you have, while you decide what else to purchase/ship etc). unfortunately we don't know the shape and size of your current tarp, so a bit of guessing here.

    - i'd say, first of, i would agree your report of low ground clearenece after setup is the most concerning. i'm not familiar with bridge hammocks, but i described here on the forum a method to reach further up the tree to install the tree straps. in short, you use a treestrap, with a pedal attached to it, you setup this treestrap on the tree temporarily, so the pedal ends up somewhere 1m off the ground or such, then you step into the pedal carefully, as you load it it will stay tight and secure on the tree, it will give you a significant leg up to install the actual hammock treestrap. for a treestrap you can use the strap from the other end, if you don't have a third one or material to make a third, but obviously this will only work for one end, however this can work quite well when you setup in a bit of a slope (so you would use this method only on the tree which is downslope). setting up in a bit of a slope, in a well chosen spot, might also help with reducing wind load (basically, if you can find a slope on the leeside, so the slope protects you from the wind), which is one thing you can do with a hammock and not with a tent, btw.

    - the other thing that might help is to consider that, if the tarps ridgeline is a bit too short for your hammock, setting up the tarp a bit diagonally will add some coverage; you might not have tieouts to achieve that, depending on your tarp, but you can either improvise some safe tieouts with some round pebbles or soft/rounded wood (pine cones) and a bit of spare chord and some knots. you can also try this (just to see if it helps in your case) by choosing anchor points for the tarp which are offset compared to the hammock (so some nearby bushes or trees, not the same ones as the hammock), aiming for the tarp "factory ridgeline" to cross the hammock ridgeline somewhere in the middle of the hammock, at say at least 30degrees or so when looking from above, instead of having the two ridgelines parallel.

    depending on the shape and size lof your tarp, this might also help with some side coverage where it matters.

    - for side pulls you can use the same method to improvise some tieouts (i'm about to writeup a method to do that, i'll post the link here once i do, but the usual method using a pebble/pine cone or such and a simple knot/hitch to trap it in the tarp works well, and is quite safe for the tarp if done reasonably; just keep in mind the bigger the object you trap inside with this method, the better the load will be distributed among the fibers of the material, so the safer it will be for the tarp, and if you try this, do it with cordage which is reasonably stretchy, so avoid dyneema chord if possible, given your tarp is also dyneema and non stretchy)

    again, if i was to chose one thing to improve first, based on your description, on the trail with what you have on hand, i'd definitely go for setting the treestraps higher, and consider everything else after.

    good luck, keep us posted and have a great one

  8. #8
    cougarmeat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Bend, OR
    Hammock
    WBBB, WBRR, WL LiteOwl
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    OES, WL BullFro
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    3,758
    HUNTFISHHIKE, looks like your first post - welcome to the forum. You will find there are “camps”. There are small postage sized tarp camps and big circus tent sized tarp camps. There are under quilt protector (UQP) camps and non-UQP camps, etc. (camps = groups). I like a big tarp because I want to still be under shelter when I”m out of my hammock. I use a UQP because it keeps the UQ cleaner and it makes the UQ setup less critical. Normally you can work with your UQ and hammock and get it just right. But if you are switching out hammocks and UQ’s there is no “right” setting. The UQP is just the little “extra” I need.

    My tarps are usually SilNylon because when I kayak camp, I’m pretty far away from re-supply and reliability is a priority. But it’s hard to imagine any “mistake” happening to a SilPoly tarp that would cause an issue that wouldn’t cause the same problem if the tarp were SilNylon - So I may at least try one SilPoly before I switch over.

    You’ve been given a difficult choice. there’s a SuperFly with its doors vs a Moutain fly and UQP combination. The side coverage appears to be the same. But having the UQP, you could also use it with a smaller/different tarp. So it adds flexibility in you setup. If you were doing winter camping or privacy was keen, then the doors are useful. But in the winter, I can build walls with snow. and it’s easy just to duck behind my hammock to get dressed - not that anyone cares anyway.

    “Wind effect” has a few components. If you are talking about fighting the wind while putting up the tarp, a snake skin will help A LOT with that. The current trend seems to be using one long single skin rather than two skins. But if you have a 13 ft tarp for your Ridge Runner, you may need special ordering or take a little more effort in finding optional 13 ft skins (one or two piece).

    If you are taking about the wind blowing the tarp into the RR, I’ve switched my setup from having the tarp broadside to the wind to setting up (when possible) parallel to the wind. In that configuration the trees help block the incoming wind and in some cases the aerodynamics results in the wind giving lift that pulls the size of the tarp up/out rather than pushing them in.

    I like a little bungee cord on my corner guyout points because it allows the tarp to “bend” a little and spill some wind force, then spring back. Or it allows a little give if “someone” trips over a line.

    There is a lot of “no right way” in this area. Just setup and setup and setup and you’ll find what works best for you.
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 04-24-2021 at 13:13.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  9. #9
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
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    Huntsville, AL
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    Warbonnet RR / BlackbirdXLC
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    SimplyLightDesigns
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    I use a Thunderfly with my RR and love it. I also use these to protect the tarp. If you wanted a bit more coverage go for the Mountainfly as it's not much more weight.
    https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...9072/206758282
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  10. #10
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    southeast WV
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    The most satisfying change you can make is to become even more expert at site selection because it weighs nothing and it's free. The feeling of accomplishment is nice, too. You also notice things more while you hike. (This can be done concurrently while noting distribution of potential kindling and fire wood.) The more you know about your next campsite before you get to it, the better.
    Last edited by WV; 04-24-2021 at 09:03.

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