Hi gang -- I'm planning a long thru-bike (~2800 miles from WA across to MT then down to NM), and will be hanging via my early gen Warbonnet, which will also double up as bivy when I have to go to ground. Would welcome some help thinking through optimal tarp cordage and connections so I can minimize futzing at the end of the day, and not be swapping out tie-outs...would like to keep all cordage on the tarp night to night regardless of sleeping altitude. Tarp is 8x10 DCF that came with line-loks sewn in, and has 'inside' hook-ups for attaching the WB when I'm on ground.

My general thinking...
  • When hanging: CRL 30ft Zing It as main support, 6ft on the tie-outs.
  • When on ground: A-frame/low pitch setup, I'll carry one pole for support, rely on local stick or bike for back support, use 6ft cordage for propping up front that stays on tarp. Will tuck that away when I'm hanging.
  • Ground cover: I'll have a tyvek sheet, it's the light edition, which will be underneath my sleeping pad.
  • Bike as support: this is more for when I go to ground than hanging, I might want to ride a bit after pitching for the night, so not currently integrating into the setup.


Wondering...
  • is 6ft enough on tie-outs when hanging? Thinking I'll be mostly okay, thoughts welcome
  • could I do something smarter with the top tarp lines when hanging? 6' works great for ground and kinda gets in the way when hanging. even if I lengthen that to something big like 12', still not sure it would be long enough for some tree setups to really work. at least it's a built-in line drip when it rains.
  • anyone sort through all this before? I've scanned the discussions here a bunch, didn't see anything pop up. happy to be sherpa'd to the right destination.


Cheers...and happy holidays!