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  1. #1
    Senior Member finskie's Avatar
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    Tarp over bridge question

    Alright, so I have my BMBH and my WB edge tarp does not really work with it. In any type of a rain, one end of my hammock would get wet. My question is... will a hexagonal tarp such as the mamajamba work with the bridge using the panel pulls? My logic and measurement tells me it will based on the fact that even the short edge of the tarp covers the length of the hammock with 10' of width. I know that the JRB tarp will work, but I'd rather not carry the extra ounces.
    What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. - C.S. Lewis

  2. #2
    Senior Member GrizzlyAdams's Avatar
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    I use a MacCat Deluxe with my DIY bridge hammocks. It's tight, I have to get the tarp aligned just right over the hammock, but it works (by which I mean that the spreader bars are just under the tarp.)
    Last edited by GrizzlyAdams; 02-25-2011 at 09:46. Reason: )
    Grizz
    (alias ProfessorHammock on youtube)

  3. #3
    Member Sambeaux's Avatar
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    I Just ordered a BMBH... (currently out of stock). The Jacks tell me I should have it by mid-March. I also ordered a Mountain Laurel Designs 11' x 8'
    Hexagon Hammock Tent in Olive Brown SilNylon. The pic below is of the same tarp but in Cuben. The tarp has less severe catenary cuts than some of the other cottage industry tarps and I am hoping this will cover my BMBH well enough for some Spring/Summer camping. I also ordered some grip clips in case my spreader bars start worrying the tarp fabric


    Last edited by Sambeaux; 02-25-2011 at 09:15.
    KEEP CALM and CARRY ON

  4. #4
    Senior Member Mike_O's Avatar
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    Sam,

    I have the MLD in spinn. You'll like it alot.

  5. #5
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    If memory serves the recommended distance between the BMBH outermost rings is 9'6". As long as those are covered(or even if not quite covered, as there are additional rings at the hammock to block water wicking in), you should be good. The WB Edge is 10'6" along the ridge line, so theoretically you should be good to go with 1 foot to spare, right?

    But not really of course. I thought my MacCat dlx (11 foot RL!) was pretty marginal with this hammock. The problem is the "hex" cut combined with hammock sag once you get in. As you get further away from the tarps RL with the downward sag of the hammock, the sides become more important for coverage. The Edge's sides are only 5'6" long.

    I personally have come to prefer ( just me) a rectangular tarp like the JRB(also with 11' RL), even if it might have a shorter RL length than some other tarps. Using that tarp with the BMBH, I have even been able to close the ends like a door when I use Grip Clips on the tarp at the spreader bar/tarp contact point, running a cord from GC to a tree or hiking pole, forcing some extra width at that point.

    But even with this tarp, my UQ once got wet during a particularly fierce storm ( high winds/heavy rain). This was more(all?) from splash up on the very ends, and it all dried real quick once the sun came up. I don't think the down actually got wet, the JRB DWR worked well. But there had been no attempt to "storm" pitch much less close the ends. It was not a wide "porch" style pitch, just a fairly normal "A" frame pitch with plenty of head room and in a fairly exposed area. The storm intensity was a surprise.

    If you want to stick with the Edge tarp, a Griz Beak might be a big help, or a weather sock.

  6. #6
    Senior Member finskie's Avatar
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    Thanks everyone! I am definately going to upsize, but I'm fighting with myself over the JRB tarp vs WB BMJ. Weight-BMJ Price-BMJ Coverage-JRB the JRB needs seam sealing, and the extra purchase of grip clips, whereas the BMJ will have panel pulls attached, but should probably be seam sealed at pulls. I will probably go with the WB on weight and especially price (as it appears I will have a car purchase in the near future ) If it doesn't work someone will be getting $10 off of a once pitched tarp.
    What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. - C.S. Lewis

  7. #7
    Senior Member TiredFeet's Avatar
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    A tip for those using a Bridge and wanting to shorten the ridge line (real or virtual) to fit better under a tarp.

    The easiest way to do this is to use a shorter spreader bar on the foot end. You can also then shorten the suspension triangle sides. The best to figure the new foot end suspension triangle sides is to use the same angles as on the head end. Use similar triangles to get the new dimensions. Grizz knows the BMBH dimensions and can probably help. If you want you can post the dimensions of your head end suspension triangle here and my GF or TeeDee can do the figuring.

    By using a shorter foot spreader and similar triangles, TeeDee cut our ridge line length from 118" to 107". That 11" shorter length made a lot of difference under the tarps. Even a 9' long tarp works well now and covers the whole ridge line.

  8. #8
    Member alpineLounger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TiredFeet View Post
    A tip for those using a Bridge and wanting to shorten the ridge line (real or virtual) to fit better under a tarp.

    The easiest way to do this is to use a shorter spreader bar on the foot end. You can also then shorten the suspension triangle sides. The best to figure the new foot end suspension triangle sides is to use the same angles as on the head end. Use similar triangles to get the new dimensions. Grizz knows the BMBH dimensions and can probably help. If you want you can post the dimensions of your head end suspension triangle here and my GF or TeeDee can do the figuring.

    By using a shorter foot spreader and similar triangles, TeeDee cut our ridge line length from 118" to 107". That 11" shorter length made a lot of difference under the tarps. Even a 9' long tarp works well now and covers the whole ridge line.
    I wonder how the shortening of the foot end spreader bars has weathered over time? I'm intrigued to find out if anyone still does this and if you can go with a smaller tarp?

  9. #9
    Senior Member GrizzlyAdams's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by alpineLounger View Post
    I wonder how the shortening of the foot end spreader bars has weathered over time? I'm intrigued to find out if anyone still does this and if you can go with a smaller tarp?
    One of my original motivations for the narrower foot was an ability to pull the hammock closed at the foot end, to face into the wind and cut it rather than have the wind push the side of the tarp up against the hammock. But then I thought of a beak instead...

    I've gone back to symmetric head and foot spreader bars, mostly because I like to side curl, and the narrow foot necessarily constrains the middle and reduces the curl index.

    The difference in hammock length made possible with a shorter foot end is pretty easy to see if you remember high school geometry. All other things being equal (in particular the angle of the suspension w.r.t. spreader bar) the triangle for two bridge ends with different spreader bars are congruent, which means that if the spreader bar on one is 36" and on the other is 24", then the height of the smaller triangle is 24/36 = 2/3 that of the larger one. The height of a 36" base triangle using normal sorts of angles is about 22.5", so you reduce the height by 7.5". You have to discount this a little to account for the triangle laying in an inclined plane, figure a savings of a little over 1/2 foot in this scenario.
    Grizz
    (alias ProfessorHammock on youtube)

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