Tarp recommendation!

[pibbleb]

Hi

I'm not linked to these guys but having just bought a tarp off of them and as I had a good experience I thought I'd share.

www.ddhammocks.com/

I got the tarp from via evil bay to go with my Magikelly hammock. it's 3m x 3m it seems to be good quality and comes with stuff bag.

The order arrived very quickly particularly when you consider the time of year and with full contact details they seem very approachable!

It's not a Ray special, and it's not the lightest but it seems sturdy for the price and will certainly keep me dry!

Pib

Why can I never get the links to work

 

[Toddy]

http://www.ddhammocks.com/

Try this one.

Good tip, incidentally :You_Rock_

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[pibbleb]

Oh Toddy you bail me out again! :You_Rock_

Paul

 

[TallMikeM]

http://www.ddhammocks.com/

Try this one.

Good tip, incidentally :You_Rock_

Cheers,
Toddy

that's a good price for a tarp, reckon I'll be getting me one of them.

 

[Nikolai]

Reckon i might have to go with the special offer... Travel Hammock w/ Tarp... £56. Aint bad at all!

 

[Pablo]

I've got one of these tarps as well. Very sturdy but it weighs a bit. It tends to pull the centre of the ridge line down a lot even when using thicker paracord. Unfortunately it doesn't have a centre fastening loop.

 

[SunDog]

I wonder how they compare with the Tatonka tarp?
Great website by the way Pablo.

 

[Pablo]

Many thanks SunDog. Hope you become a regular visitor.

I saw the Tatonka tarp at the recent bushmoot and I was quite impressed. There's two versions (for the 3m x 3m size)poly and cotton. The poly is light weight and good quality while the cotton is heavier but of course a little more spark resistant. The DD tarp (which I've got) is the same weight as Tatonkas cotton version. It is heavy duty and appears to have a different (almost rubberised) inside (or underneath). Everything about DD's is good. The attachments are reinforced. The four corner attachemtns have loops and eyelets. Unfortunately, despite saying otherwise on the website, it does not have a centre attachment on the ridgeline (at least mine hasn't). For the price, and if you don't mind the extra weight, the DD tarp is hard to beat.

After having paid out on the DD tarp, I've just paid out for a Tatonka poly one (half the weight and twice the price ) merely because I need to save the weight. I doubt whether I'll get rid of the DD tarp though (greedy b*******d!) as it will come in handy for veh camping.

Pablo

 

[Aragorn]

hhmm this has got me thinking again, had made my mind up to get a tatonka cotton, cheapest i have found them is £40 though, could anyone say wheather they are worth the extra £15 over a DD tarp

 

[SunDog]

Many thanks SunDog. Hope you become a regular visitor.

I saw the Tatonka tarp at the recent bushmoot and I was quite impressed. There's two versions (for the 3m x 3m size)poly and cotton. The poly is light weight and good quality while the cotton is heavier but of course a little more spark resistant. The DD tarp (which I've got) is the same weight as Tatonkas cotton version. It is heavy duty and appears to have a different (almost rubberised) inside (or underneath). Everything about DD's is good. The attachments are reinforced. The four corner attachemtns have loops and eyelets. Unfortunately, despite saying otherwise on the website, it does not have a centre attachment on the ridgeline (at least mine hasn't). For the price, and if you don't mind the extra weight, the DD tarp is hard to beat.

After having paid out on the DD tarp, I've just paid out for a Tatonka poly one (half the weight and twice the price ) merely because I need to save the weight. I doubt whether I'll get rid of the DD tarp though (greedy b*******d!) as it will come in handy for veh camping.

Pablo

Cheers for the info. Pablo, much appreciated. I've just ordered a DD tarp, I'll check about the ridgeline attachment. They are a good price for a such a big tarp.

 

[Pablo]

Aragorn,

This depends on whether you've set your mind on a cotton or poly tarp. The DD tarps aren't cotton. The weight of the Tatonka cotton and DD tarp are more or less the same. If you want a cotton tarp, Tatonka is the one to buy. If you're looking for a poly tarp, then there's a few decisions to be made mainly based on the weight.

Pablo

 

[Aragorn]

hi pablo, i didn't really have a preferance before reading a few posts on here, thought the tatonka cotton came out tops, now not too sure suppose there are a lot of differant preferances here, I just want to know that the one I buy will last, work well and I won't be trying to flog it on ebay the week after

 

[leon-b]

the cooton one is better near fires as the sparks wont put a hole in it but the poly ones are lighter
hope this helps
leon

 

[pibbleb]

I'm hoping to play with my DD tarp this coming weekend, beer got in the way weekend gone

So I'll let you know about the middle ridgeline. When I had a look there was certainly something but I didn't investigate closely at the time. May even try some photo's

By the way Happy New Year to one and all. Plus Pablo's blog is one of the finest! Keep on keeping on.

Pib

 

[dommyracer]

Regarding the Tatonka TC "Cotton" Tarps - mine has a label that says 100% Nylon.

Not sure how much cotton is in that!

 

[pibbleb]

Ok I've been out and had a place with my new basha and hammock. Had a great laugh with my kids.

OK, as we've discussed this tarp is a little on the heavy side but seems sturdy. The weight proved to be an issue whilst stringing the tarp up, making the process of getting it tort something of a battle. Although remember I have always been a ground dweller in the past so hanging a tarp high enough for a hammock was new to me.

I decided to hang the tarp corner to corner, which seems to be the preferred method for hammocks. With the initial problem of slack in the rope there was an element of the tarp slipping into the centre. I resolved this by double tying the ends, not the best solution I'm sure but it worked for me.

I did discover a central loop which certainly helped to keep things central.

At the end of the day I could have paid £48 + for a Ray Mears Hoochie, alternatively I could have bought a hennessey. But at the end of the day money is a real issue. Personally for the money I've paid out the tarp worked perfectly well, yes there is some sacrifice, but the pay off is being able to stay dry when out and keep the Bank manager off my back for another month.

Some pictures below.

 

[Singeblister]

I got one to the 3X3m ones, very fast delivery and it seems well made quite heavy though , I hung it in my dining room and the kids had a great time making pretend Bannock under it

 

[Hiker]

I use a Highlander 5 in 1 function hooded poncho for my tarp with a bivvy bag , its really light made from 210D nylon ripstop fabric 100% waterproof length200 cm by 145 cm i think i paid £16 for it

It works well for me as i like to travel long distances on foot and need to keep the weight down but at the same time having everything i need with me

Performance to wieght ratio i call it

 

[MagiKelly]

Regarding the Tatonka TC "Cotton" Tarps - mine has a label that says 100% Nylon.

Not sure how much cotton is in that!

They all say that and it causes no end of confusion. I sent my first one back as I thought I had the wrong one

The TC stands for Technical Cotton which is, if I remember correctly, a 60 / 40 Poly Cotton mix. 100% cotton would be much heavier.