This summer I've experienced ***minor*** tarp failures on 3 separate trips. I didn't get any pictures of those setups because I either relocated or quickly put the tarp up in ts snakeskin. All 3 instances it wasn't raining, just very gusty with frequent wind direction changes. Could use some advice to learn what I can do better with tarp setups in the future.
Picture below is a typical tarp setup for me. Basically set the ridgeline pretty tight, then tighten the guy lines on each corner until the edge of the tarp is taught. The result is a noticeable lowering of the ridgeline where the tension from the guy lines is present forming a shape akin to this in the ridgeline \________/.
Instance 1: the tarp above (12' HG Journey), very windy conditions I'd guess at about 25-30 mph gusts with little protection. My linelocs on the ridgeline slipped during a gust after multiple instances of stakes pulling out. We ended up moving camps to a much more wind protected area and had no further issues that trip.
Instance 2: a different tarp (11' Hex), gusty again, but hard to say as I was away from camp, came back to find the linelocs had slipped again. 0% chance of rain, so packed the tarp away until evening time. I was in as protected of a spot as I could find.
Instance 3: 11' Hex again, so windy I couldn't keep my hat on my head. During setup I went a lot looser with the guy line tension (I tightened it until I felt some tension, but not until it was taut) to try to learn a lesson from the previous 2 incidents. This time a stake pulled which must've taken a lot considering I'd hammered them in with a rock. Reset the stake and it held, but the wind died down a lot too.
Everything I've learned about hammock camping, I've learned here, but I will admit it's hard for me to judge tension in setups from pictures and videos. Any suggestions of less subjective metrics I could use?
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