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  1. #1
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    DIY silnylon tarp size questions

    So, I recently sewed a simple single layer argon 1.6 hammock. It is super comfy, works perfectly for what it is, and with suspension and all comes in at way, way less weight than my ENO DN

    I'm on the road to building a complete backpacking/camping hammock setup (had quilts already, now have the hammock and suspension), so I'm working on the tarp next.

    My hammock clocks in at a hair over 120" long and is probably about 58" wide. I want to sew a simple square silnylon tarp with a multitude of tie-outs, so it can be used as a ground tarp when there aren't suitable hang spots, or as a dining fly, and/or if I just want to try ground tarping for a change.

    I originally wanted to go with a 10x10 foot tarp and pitch it along the diagonal, making it a 14-foot ridgeline. Trouble is, the fabric bolt is 60" wide so I'd need to do 3 sections of cloth to get exactly 10' wide, which just sounds silly. What I'm thinking now is to make something more like a 9 or 9.5-foot square tarp, which gives me a 12.7' or 13.4' ridgeline. Are either of these long enough ridgelines for adequate coverage on a 10' long hammock, assuming it is hung properly?

    Or... I guess to put it a simpler way, what's the shortest ridgeline for adequate coverage for a 120" long hammock?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Senior Member Boston's Avatar
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    2ft longer than your hammock ridgeline is a good guideline.

    In general however, most hammock tarps are 10.5ft - 11ft along the ridgeline for hammocks with a body that is 120-132" long.

    Too long a tarp will start to limit spots you can hang at, too short and you'll have trouble centering the tarp on the hammock for good coverage.

  3. #3
    Herder of Cats OutandBack's Avatar
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    I agree with Boston 2ft over the RL length will offer excellent weather protection.
    If you are planning on doors then you can cut that down to just a little longer than the hammock RL.

  4. #4
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    Thanks guys! This is perfect. Hmmm... I may be able to get away with an 8x8 or 8.5x8.5' tarp!

  5. #5
    Senior Member craige's Avatar
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    Have a look at the tarp patterns on diygearsupply.com, as well as the tarps that different vendors offer. A hex is a more efficient tarp shape for a hammock then a diamond, 7 yards of fabric will get you a hex tarp with an 11' rl and very close to 10' width if you cut the fabric right, with plenty scraps for stuffsacks.

  6. #6
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    I would make a rectangular tarp with two pieces of fabric about 12' long and 60" wide. This will give you a tarp about 9' X 12' with the seam in the center of the long dimension. It should be a good compromise for a hammock tarp and a rain fly for ground camping. You could pitch it with the ridgeline centered on the short dimension, but I would be concerned about the lack of reinforcement in the fabric. I made one that is 10'-6" square and only put tension through the seam if I am using it on the ground. If I am using it with a hammock, I hang it under the tarp ridgeline cord. I sewed pieces of heavy duty shoe lace to the seam and suspend the tarp from the ridgeline with these laces.

  7. #7
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    craige: Thanks! I've looked at diygearsupply.com's patterns and they are awesome, but I'm specifically aiming for a square tarp for the flexibility.... tarp camping, sun shades, emergency bivy, and so on.

    wgiles: I actually already ordered fabric; looking at a 9 or 9.5 foot square tarp right now, which gives me about a 13.4' long ridgeline on the diagonal. I would just sew two 9 or 9.5' long, 60" wide rectangles together on the long edge with a flat felled french seam, which should (correct me if I'm wrong) be a reinforcement point in and of itself. I think I'll most likely use tie-out points on the corners to stake and tie the tarp, rather than a supporting ridgeline underneath it. I'm essentially going to copy the design from oware's 9.5x9.5 flat tarp, with 1 tie-out on each corner, 3 additional per side plus four panel tie-outs. Certainly overkill for hammock camping, but provides a lot of flexibility for other uses

    1395177176364-777132753.jpeg

  8. #8
    Herder of Cats OutandBack's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by yenemy View Post
    snip... looking at a 9 or 9.5 foot square tarp right now, which gives me about a 13.4' long ridgeline on the diagonal.
    I think you are going to have hammock suspension interference issues using a 13.4' RL since the tarp pretty much has to be right on top of the
    hammocks RL for good coverage in a blowing rain. This would be the last tarp design I would use if hammock tarping was my main goal.
    Yes it has lots of other uses but it's the worst of the worst for a hammock, IMO.
    I'd do some backyard testing with a piece of cheap plastic to see what I mean.
    Best of luck.

  9. #9
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    60" = 5' so You'd only have to do 2 sections 5x10. but still 14' ridgeline is LONG and will force you to hang well above your hammock due to the suspension of your hammock. This along with the diagonal design in and of itself will leave you quite exposed on the side to weather and wind.

  10. #10
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    I made two tarps using 65" wide silnylon fabric. One has a finished size of 10'-6" X 10'-6" And the other is 10'-6" X 8'-0". I made the first one with the idea that I could use it as a hammock tarp or a ground tarp for two people. My hammock has a ridgeline length of about 100" when hung, so I figured that the 10'-6" could be used as a rectangle instead of a diamond. I haven't been through any storms, so I can't say how successful I've been. I had the fabric, so I decided to make a second, smaller tarp to use with the hammock or as a single person ground shelter. It's convenient to use 65" wide fabric because the finished width after the seam and the hems is close to 10' 6". With a 100 to 106" hammock ridgeline, 10'-6" gives enough overlap for all but the worst storms. I try to pick two trees about 12' apart, so a longer tarp ridge line would be too long.

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