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  1. #11
    New Member ochiba's Avatar
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    Oct 2021
    Location
    Hedgesville, WV
    Hammock
    WBBB XLC
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    WB Mountainfly
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    Rye whiskey
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    1
    The Hennessy tarps I've had since 2008 are still going strong.

  2. #12
    LowTech's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Nomadic, US SW at moment
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    one wind 11' wide
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    one wind 12'
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    SLD, UGQ, LL, JRB
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    I think this is a bit deceiving. After reading loads of threads on here w/ reference to how often people go out camping (number of days/nights) I know that my tarp has been up more this year than some people have in the last 10 years.
    I've been out for over 200 nights just since Jan.
    I know for a fact that my tarp won't last 10 years, or probably even 5.

  3. #13
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Jan 2007
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    Tupelo, MS
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    Quote Originally Posted by LowTech View Post
    I think this is a bit deceiving. After reading loads of threads on here w/ reference to how often people go out camping (number of days/nights) I know that my tarp has been up more this year than some people have in the last 10 years.
    I've been out for over 200 nights just since Jan.
    I know for a fact that my tarp won't last 10 years, or probably even 5.
    Good point, and I think you are right. But my original question was about my tarps which were " only exposed to the sun for a few days a year and usually just for a few hours a day. So, mostly either pitched at night or stored dry, very little sun. But they are over 10 years old. ".

    So, I think that applies to a lot of us, especially when we own more than 1 tarp to spread the use among. Still, for people that hike all day most days of most trips, and only pitch their tarp near sundown, I'm betting they will still get some long use out of those tarps, even after where and tear. As long as there is not much exposure to sun, I think they are going to last a long time. Even with normal wear and tear. After all, it is my torn and patched 14 year or so old tarp that I used on my recent Adirondack's trip. This tarp had suffered a long tear when my hammock stand was blown over during very high winds. The metal of the stand ripped the tarp. My wife sewed it back together for me and I seam sealed the stitches. Then, I used that tarp- with the original seam sealing along the ridge which I sealed when new- to keep me dry for 4 days including some heavy rain plus all night light rain. It did not leak a drop. All of my fellow tent campers, who got at least a little wet, were most impressed.

    So, I think quality tarps, exposed to little sun and stored dry, are going to last for a bunch of years. But if they are exposed to sun on most days, maybe just a few years. If exposed to hours of sun every day, probably not even that long. But it looks to me like my 13-14 year old JRB and HH tarps have at least a few years of occasional use left in them.

    Here is that HH tarp that is now in such excellent shape when I first got it and posted here about it back in November 07:

    .................................................. .....

    Here is that JRB tarp in a picture I posted here in April of 08!

    .........................
    Here is that same JRB getting er done in the Adirondacks in August, 2021:

  4. #14
    LowTech's Avatar
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    Aug 2020
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    Nomadic, US SW at moment
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    one wind 11' wide
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    one wind 12'
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    You're right, I did get off track w/ all the talk of multi year tarp longevity.

    I suspect your tarps, treated the way you treat them, will out live me.

  5. #15
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LowTech View Post
    You're right, I did get off track w/ all the talk of multi year tarp longevity.

    I suspect your tarps, treated the way you treat them, will out live me.
    Well, I hope you get quite a few more years than my tarps! LOL! I hope I do as well. But, maybe I can get a few more years out of them, and even if I don't I have for sure already got my money's worth out of them. Actually, I have been intending to buy a new tarp, but I had not got that done by the time that Adirondack trip snuck up on me. So, out come the ancient tarps!

  6. #16
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Slightly off topic, but boy are the years going by! While looking for that old picture from when my HH sil-nylon tarp was new, I realized some of those pics had my 03 Honda Pilot in the back ground. Shortly after that, I sold that Pilot in order to buy a an 08 Honda Ridgeline truck. I didn't want to, but my wife wanted us to buy a 26 ft camper so she could join the kids and grandkids on camping trips and she could have a private, indoors bathroom while doing so. So I needed a higher tow rating, and got the Ridgeline which did a fine job. I just gave in to our son begging me to sell him the RL after all of these years and sold it to him, and last spring got a new RL. I had that 1st RL 13 years. It is amazing to me that I am still able to use the same pieces of fabric, the JRB and HH sil-nylon tarps, having gone thru 2 long term vehicles and starting on the 3rd. I had that 1st RL 13 years, but I've had these tarps even longer than that. Hard to believe.

  7. #17
    Senior Member Crazytown3's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Tooele County, UT, USA
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    WB Eldorado/DIY
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    WB MiniFly/DIY 12'
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    New ad campaign: HH tarps......built better than a Honda.

  8. #18
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Mar 2012
    Location
    IN
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    DIY 10.5' HyperD 1.6
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    Seam tape is going to be the weak link. Luckily I don't recall any of "our" hammock kind of tarps having any. Except my SLD Winterhaven which is just a wide beast.

  9. #19
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Crazytown3 View Post
    New ad campaign: HH tarps......built better than a Honda.
    LOL! Good one!
    Quote Originally Posted by OneClick View Post
    Seam tape is going to be the weak link. Luckily I don't recall any of "our" hammock kind of tarps having any. Except my SLD Winterhaven which is just a wide beast.
    Indeed, as great of a condition as my HH appears to be in, the seam tape did come off. So I seam sealed it. And that is not the 1st time, I've had it come off on equally old HH asym tarps.

    But my original seam seal job I did (with the stuff from the Auto parts store) on that JRB- still looks brand new and still working.

  10. #20
    New Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    richmond, VT
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    BBXLC / sparrow
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    superfly
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    ok, so i originally bought a WB superfly, which i used for about 270 nights before it needed some patching.

    typically i am pitched for multiple days. i clean, pack and store dry, but when i am pitched at camp (longest stretch six weeks) my tarp stays up. so it took UV, ice, wind, and whatever. the holes it developed were small and i patched them. i am not willing to have my main tarp be one that is beginning its decline, so i bought a new one and lend out the patched one or bring it as a spare in case my party takes on an extra person new to hammocks or tarping.

    in that limited role, it's still going strong, and has only needs occasional touching up of patching. the friend i most recently lent it to is getting her own new one.

    so yeah, they hold up pretty well. you can't expect unlimited use, but mine with hard use (but good care) is still alive at age four.

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