Tarp too wide? Tarp ridgeline too short?

[KBr00ks]

Agree that "acceptable levels of wet" may be the truth behind "bone dry." Especially if you are camping with tent folks.

The last time I was in a serious storm, there were flood warnings...in fact, the area I was in got technically closed off due to concerns about the roads. I was in a campground off-season and was, as far as I could tell, the only one there, though the weather was mild. Ate dinner and set up as thunder got louder, pitched my tarp nice and low to the hammock and snuggled in. I was in dense woods in somewhat of a valley so not too concerned about wind producing sideways rain. But when the storm hit, the first thing that happened was a weird fog/mist that rolled across the ground and instantly coated everything, above and below the tarp, in a fine layer of dew! I woke up to my wet bugnet getting pressed against my face and watched everything disappear in mist. Shortly after that, the rains came and a mini-creek began flowing directly under my hammock. Stakes and lines all held, though, so I remained relatively snug and dry.

[KBr00ks]

An aside: does Bonefire Gear not have a website? I'm only seeing various social media links. I don't do Facebook so was wondering about another way to check out their stuff.

[BlazeyJ]

If there’s anything I know in the hammock world, “dry” is the most dynamic and contextual word in our vocabulary.

I was hanging at 6000 feet in the roan highlands once and although we were in a windy rain cloud for 36 hours straight, all my essentials were dry. I was using a WB mini fly and had to adjust tarp position and wall angles multiple times until finally the only thing that felt slightly wet was the outer edges of my underquilt… which was synthetic so no issues with warmth. In that situation I was as dry as could be for the gear and conditions at hand.
I still wouldn’t have said I was bone dry though!

I’ve come to figure out true bone dry doesn’t exist in intense storms at high elevations with wind due to the mist. But I’m sure I would think differently with a larger tarp than a Minifly.


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[cougarmeat]

But did the water come in on the lines or was it blown under the tarp? I put rings on the hammock's end CLs so I could swap out different suspensions (Whoopie Slings, Webbing, Daisy Chain) easily, plus provide a water break. But, as a kayaker, I don't plan outings for stormy conditions. Sure, rain can pop up. But if it's going to be a real blow, I usually know ahead of time. So far, any door design - even WB's Flys' mini-doors - have been sufficient.

I'd think, if your tarp sides were at ground level, you'd have to stake them wider if you wanted to lower the tarp closer to the hammock.

It does seem like you got in a bit of a difficult weather situation and everything performed as it should - your quilts were dry and, expectedly, just the end of the hammock that only had a 6 -8 inch overlap was a bit wet. Imagine if you will, taking something like your raincoat/poncho and using it as a "door" for extra coverage on the windward side of the rain. I'm guessing that if you had your rain gear at the end of the hammock as additional blockage, everything under the tarp would have been dry.

The challenge is to carry gear for the 80-90 percent situations and improvise for the others. You said your tarp had doors so I'm thinking that aspect might need looking at. I'd take that tarp to a park and set it up without a hammock to see what it takes to get those doors closed. Then add the hammock to see if it can be done while keeping the integrity of the closed doors.

One of the things we tout over tent campers is our ability to set the tarp up first, then arrange our hammock and gear while dry, under the tarp. That said, I find it easier to set the hammock up first - then center the tarp over the hammock. But again, living in high desert country and carefully checking the weather before outings, I seldom have to deal with storms. I need to seek them out. DRY, under a tarp, with rain pouring day, would be very relaxing for me (assuming the sun would come out early the next day so I can pack everything up dry.)

[FLTurtle]

I would like to know how others have managed to stay "bone dry" in torrential rain (or so they claim). Maybe bone dry means 90% dry in central, more critical area of shelter and 10% damp in the extremities of shelter?

I've been through some doozies here in Florida, but typically they don't last that long...our afternoon rains tend to be the east and west coast sea breezes meeting in the middle and blowing up, with a good 10-15 minute rager with winds and torrential rains. By October those are pretty much gone.

The all-day or overnight rains tend to be more frontal. In the winter, the biggies are nor'easters or Canadian blizzards that spin/push their way down south, usually snow and ice up north but major rain event down here.

For those times I know we're gonna get a deluge, I follow Shug's advice on lowering the tarp. I bring it down to the hammock ridgeline. When I get in, the hammock will drop a few inches but it stays pretty close. If I know the direction the storm is coming from I'll try to set up broadside to the wind. On the windward side, I'll pull the sides down at a steeper angle. The biggest issue is the tarp blowing in on me.

In the pic below, we were out island camping...was super windy all day, with a big front moving in later that evening that rained through the night and for the next two days. My gear got damp...mostly from the rain dripping off the tarp getting blasted by the wind into a mist and blown underneath the tarp. This is where an underquilt protector or a larger tarp would've been handy. This tarp is a WB Thunderfly...pretty good coverage but nowhere near the width of the tarp you were using. I'd say I stayed bone dry...the beetle buckles worked as a water break and my underquilt got some windspray on it but never really soaked through. I think the DWR coating helps in that regard.

Now, the time we had some super heavy ground fog for a few hours? Everything got wet.

2019-02-23_14-57-09_410 (2).jpg

[Rolloff]

Bonefire Gear

This should get you in touch with Jeremy > [email protected]

[Rolloff]

@KBr00ks

PM inbound on Bonefire contact info

[Snow Leopard]

It is best to center your tarp on each end. Of course lowering it helps in rain. Depending on the rain and wind I prefer to pitch my tarp a bit wider for work space and to see splash out a bit. It is a bit of an art and requires some practice. And fails. And success.
A lot of the damp is just rain mist.
Shug

And center it I will. Practice this, I must.


I am learning that "dry" can be quite subjective to each person, especially in unyielding rain mist.


Thanks for the video, by the way. Good advice.

[Snow Leopard]

Agree that "acceptable levels of wet" may be the truth behind "bone dry." Especially if you are camping with tent folks.

The last time I was in a serious storm, there were flood warnings...in fact, the area I was in got technically closed off due to concerns about the roads. I was in a campground off-season and was, as far as I could tell, the only one there, though the weather was mild. Ate dinner and set up as thunder got louder, pitched my tarp nice and low to the hammock and snuggled in. I was in dense woods in somewhat of a valley so not too concerned about wind producing sideways rain. But when the storm hit, the first thing that happened was a weird fog/mist that rolled across the ground and instantly coated everything, above and below the tarp, in a fine layer of dew! I woke up to my wet bugnet getting pressed against my face and watched everything disappear in mist. Shortly after that, the rains came and a mini-creek began flowing directly under my hammock. Stakes and lines all held, though, so I remained relatively snug and dry.

Thanks for that anecdote, KBr00ks. It's nice to know that others have accepted various "levels of wet" while camping in the rain. "Bone dry" is totally relative to the humidity, it seems.
Staying warm and comfortable the priority, even if everything is slightly damp.

[SilvrSurfr]

An aside: does Bonefire Gear not have a website? I'm only seeing various social media links. I don't do Facebook so was wondering about another way to check out their stuff.

Bonefire Gear went out of business a few years ago. See post #64 for the announcement.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...%A2-Gear/page2