I am very happy with the mountainfly though of course now I wish I'd gotten the custom 13' to accomodate the RidgeRunner.
I am very happy with the mountainfly though of course now I wish I'd gotten the custom 13' to accomodate the RidgeRunner.
I use my 12' Thunderfly along with my McLean Metalworks regular size Bare Bones hitch stand to create an instant campsite anywhere. The split rings of the 12' Thunderfly mount directly on the ends of the tarp extenders of the Bare Bones. The side of the tarp closest to the truck can either be staked to the ground on either side of the truck bed or secured to the top of my tonneau cover. I have access to my truck bed under the tarp because I can lower the tailgate (hitch extension allows this). Very convenient to set up and camp with good weather protection.
TF on hitch stand 1.jpg
Truck hitch mounted hammock and Thunderfly.jpg
TF on hitch stand 2.jpg
I still say my perfect hammock tarp would be a DCF Thunderfly. In its absence though, the silpoly version is still pretty dang awesome!
I have three warbonnet taps and rate them all very highly. The one exception is that the design is so that the continuous ridgeline is meant. to run under the tarp. I find that a bit problematic as over time I've had the line abrade the fabric and I get leaks now with the oldest one. Perhaps I'm missing something? That happens more often than I'd like.
I love my super fly. I typically reserve it for the trips where I'm expecting rain and or extreme cold. I like using a big piece of shock cord on either side to pull it out. Some folks will add the pole mod in there too. Lots of cool configurations to play with. I use my HG CF Hex for summer or when the forecast looks great.
Pavel - I believe the Superfly has a catenary cut on the ridgeline. That means the ends are a bit higher than the body. So there is no way that ridgeline is intended to run under the tarp. That's not to say you can't do it if you want.
For example, in normal conditions, I'd run the ridgeline - as the design intended - over the tarp. There is no abrasion on the seam seal and no path for water to run under the tarp. But, in the winter, if I were expecting a heavy snowfall, I might run the ridgeline under the tarp - because it would give more support if there were a snow load from a heavy fall from the sky or a sudden attack of gravity on a clump of snow on a branch above me. It's snow - not water - so there would be no "running under the tarp" issues. And, if were windy, I could hang something on the line; just a little weight would pull it off the underside of the tarp ridgeline.
But normally the ridgeline goes above the Superfly so the catenary cut can do its job of keeping the tarp in school.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Because of the fact that all their photos show it that way, and that there are no rings to keep the ridgeline in place better, as my other tarps have. I sent them a question about this just today, because perhaps I've got things wrong. But the time I've hung the line over top, the tarp deformed a lost and I found I had to have it much higher up, reducing the end clearance.
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