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
The grosgrain on the ridge line is the outside.
IMHO there’s no need to seal the ridgeline on the WB tarps. I’ve had thee of them and all have been in heavy rain events with no evidence of leaking. If you examine the inside of the ridgeline you can see where it is overlapped and folded before sewing on the grosgrain ribbon. That sewing method reduces the potential for leaks plus the water naturally runs away from the exterior grosgrain when the tarp is pulled taught and the ribbon stands upright and “proud”. I also don’t believe WB used PU fabrics so silicone sealant will work well on either the silnylon or silpoly for sealing side pullouts or repair areas.
So I definitely had drops of rain falling on my face a couple of weeks back during a particularly heavy rain. I may have had the underside facing up, but I definitely had the ridge line running UNDER the tarp. Could that have contributed to the problem? I hope not because I really like the extra head room that gives me under the tarp.
In the middle of the night I tied the spare end of the ridge line around the ridge line to catch any water that might be running down the ridge line, but that didn’t help.
Thoughts?
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Maybe email Warbonnet and ask for their advice? He sells seconds with flaws like a spliced ridgeline and they come with extra silicone. It’s possible yours has an area with noticeable needle holes. Hammockgear makes their silpoly tarps with a similar grosgrain ribbon sewn on ridgeline and they do recommend sealing the ridgeline although many customers choose not too.
I personally use a continuous ridgeline hung above the tarp with prusik loops holding the metal end rings. I don’t notice any difference in headroom vs running it under, but you’ll need to compensate for desired height by running the ridgeline several inches higher than the tarp ridgeline You’re also probably better off using something thicker like a shoelace for a water break or hardware if using a split ridgeline.
As mentioned earlier in this thread, if you decide to seal it add a small amount of solvent like white gas or mineral spirits to thin the silicone and brush it in along the seam with a small watercolor brush. The thinned out sealant is more likely to penetrate the threads and provide a better seal. Hanging it inside out makes it a lot easier to apply than trying to do it on the floor or a table.
Typically ridge line runs over the tarp. Water can run down the ridge line and drip if it runs under the tarp.
If relative humidity is very high condensation can form on the underside of the tarp. Then large raindrops from the outside can hit the tarp and cause dripping or misting of the condensation on the inside. People sometimes blame tarp leaking or low hydrostatic head when this is the real culprit.
If it is foggy everything can get wet under and over the tarp, without any rain whatsoever.
After a foggy night and morning, everything in this setup was very wet except the top quilt and part of the hammock body....
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
Thanks everyone! Your comments have Ben super helpful. I’m definitely going to try the ridge line ABOVE the tarp next time.
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I might run my ridgeline under the tarp ONLY in the winter - when it doesn't rain and there might be a heavy snowfall.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Howdy @theyland ,
I have the same tarp and for years it was drip free. Just last fall, during a bad storm on North Tea, I started getting some dripping from the ridgeline and panel pullouts.
I used a little tube of flowing windshield silicone (at @KeeWayKeno suggestion) from Canadian Tire (~$8) and a tiny flux brush to paint it lightly into the seams, then let it hang for 24 hours+ to dry sufficiently.
Tidy job, silicone went on easily, and no more dripping!
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