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A good idea that didn’t (quite) work
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Home › Forums › General Forums › General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion › A good idea that didn’t (quite) work
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Aug 29, 2009 at 4:46 pm #1238894
I had an idea about hanging my hammock and tarp that I tested today. Basically, the idea was to take an 8×5 tarp and clip it diagonally above my hammock. They would both be on a single carabiner. The problem I encountered was that the tarp wasn't quite large enough to cover the area where I would be sleeping. When I laid down in the hammock, it exaggerated the openings. I feel confident that if it had been raining with any wind blowing, I would have gotten wet. It might work if there were only a light sprinkle or no wind.
Is there some way to make this work, or do I need to go back to the drawing board?
Aug 29, 2009 at 9:14 pm #1523738you can probably rig your rain jacket to hang down at 1 end of the carabener to block side driven rain
Aug 30, 2009 at 4:13 pm #1523851I was trying to use the minimum amount of cord and accessories needed for hanging the tarp, and I was planning to use the tarp for my rain gear (as a sort of cape). With this method, you would only need two stakes and cords for guylines.
Last night, I added a ridgeline to the mix. It works much better — the fabric stays taut, so it holds up to the wind much better. The benefit of putting it up this way is that the tarp can be put up by simply making a ridgeline and two anchor points, then clipping the tarp up. That means that the time between having the tarp on as rain gear and having the tarp up as a shelter is measured in seconds. At a cost of an ounce, it is significantly more stable and offers much better protection. It rains regularly here, so I should get a chance to try this soon.
Weight of tarp, hammock, cord, stakes, carabiners, and netting works out to 32 oz. Don't have my insulation worked out yet. Double use is present with the tarp as rain gear.
I'll try to post pictures later.
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