Tarp end panel

[fishaben]

Hi all,
After camping out the other weekend at the meet at Forest Camp we set our kit up and then went for a chat round the fire, during the evening it rained quite heavily. On returning to our hammocks we found that the rain had blown in from the end of the tarp and wet our hammocks and our sleeping bags slightly.
After giving this some thought I have discussed it with my dad we have decided to design some end panels for the tarps. I have designed them so that the hammock ropes will pass through them. I am going to get a couple of these made up for me and my dad and I just wondered if anybody thought it could be a good subject for a group buy.
Cheers,
Ben

 

[Bunnerz]

Sounds like it could be a handy thing to carry!

Any chance of some pics?

 

[fishaben]

Its just designs on paper at the moment but as soon as I get some made up for myself and my dad I will try and get some pics up.
Ben

 

[Bunnerz]

Cool I look forward to seeing the end product!

have fun!

Regards, Bunn

 

[wanderinstar]

How do other folk go on with this problem. On the night in particular I pulled both edges of tarp to fix directly below ridgeline. Stopped rain, but seriously reduced available space.

Bens design would have loops on all corners. The ridge line would pass through the top loop and the lower two would be pegged out to make a reasonable seal to edge of tarp. So when it's not needed it could be laid over top of tarp, and if needed it could quickly be brought into play.

 

[wentworth]

http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/SilkHammock/

Scroll down to "tarp hoods", I'm planning on installing these onto my tarp

 

[bambodoggy]

Hi Ben,

This isn't aimed at you as I don't know how you set up your kit and do understand that wind changes direction but as a reminder to others a good woodsman will be aware of the prevailing wind direction and set up his tarp accordingly (i.e just off 90 degrees to the prevailing wind) by doing this you are able to limit if not stop completely the problem with wind blowing rain under your set up.

As I say it's not a dig at you and to emphasise this I'm giving you some rep for bringing the subject up

Hope that's a useful reminder to somebody.

Bam.

 

[bikething]

hiya Bam!!

Believe me, we all tried to setup for the prevailing wind on that weekend, but it kept changing direction on a minute by minute basis!

maybe we just got some freak conditions - there were times when we seemed to have horizontal spiralling rain that got up underneath the tarp!!!

good point worth bringing up though, thanks

Steve

 

[fishaben]

good points.
Ben

 

[Squidders]

I typically use a big tarp and consider the direction for some time before pitching but if it's gusting wind and raining sideways... well... I think it's just a limitation of the sleep system.

Hammocks are used mostly by jungle people where dense vegitation kill most wind and the rain generally just falls down. We were out this weekend and while everyone including the hammock dwellers were fine, i'm sure there were one or two damp people who weren't telling anyone

 

[Cap'n Badger]

I find 'never relyin' on yer hamock t' be dry' a thought! .......alwayz uses me bivi inside me hamock....that way....it could rain upwardz fer all I care......still dry.....or.....oversized tarp...pegged at the apex about a foot down..... t' stop drippin' sortz it.......... peneth

 

[bambodoggy]

No worries guys and thanks for not taking it the wrong way

Bam.

 

[Squidders]

I took it the wrong way - you're mean!

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE TARP SET UP RIGHT!!!".....Is what some people would say.

end tarp sections is something i've thought about many times in the past, and a damn good thing they would be, the difficulty would be making them compatible to more than one tarp design!

before i used hammocks i used poncho's and tarps alot in a tent shape and some times rain does go 45 degrees or more and only 3/4 of your tarp is effective, certainly for winter use and in more exposed places an end tarp section would be very usefull and you could always use it as a ground sheet when not in use.

good idea, go for it!

 

[dommyracer]

I have visions of a pup tent hanging from the trees.....

 

[bambodoggy]

I took it the wrong way - you're mean!

 

[gregorach]

Yeah, it's something that I've thought about making, but I haven't really felt the need / gotten around to it as yet... Like several have said, there's a lot to be said for careful consideration of wind, landscape and vegatation - but there certainly is weather that can defeat your best efforts.

Keeping the hammock close the the tarp also helps a great deal.

 

[Graham_S]

i've pitched my hammock with the support tape through the head hole of a poncho before.
i ran a bungee from the tape to my rigeline and ran some guylines from the corners.
i had it pitched with one corner uppermost and the poncho was under the tarp.
it worked quite well, but it's not something i do often.
my tarp is large enough to keep most of the weather out regarless of the direction of the wind (it's a hennessy hex-fly).

 

[Shambling Shaman]

Necessity is the mother of invention.
I put my sleeping bag in a light gortex bivi.
I have found if mother nature wants to get you wet then thats what will happen
Am intrested to see the result

 

[John Dixon]

On that weekend it shifted from the usuall sw winds to westeerly then northernly and then finaly from the east. As i had a seven year old with me i had a greater need to keep the area as snug and dry. i had attached two tarps together for a greater cover area and then with that horizontal rain on night one i used another spair tarp to make a gable end. On night two i had to shift to the other gable. a light wieght back up tarp is very versitile and can be moved or rigged as a further porch if required. One thing that scuppered us was i had a string lashed hammoch ( old one ) and it wicked the water to the pertex in seconds, even though i had fixed drip lines.
But the under blanket was great.