Tarp type and set-up style, and let's see some pix

[sweeper]

Solo trip to Manitou Lake Algonquin PP. A 14' trap over my hammock with another one as a kitchen tarp

The Allagash, 22 x 16 at Inlet site on Round Pond


Light tarps, Heavy Frame solo Gravel Beach Chamberlian Lake Allagash

 

[kahel]

How long is the ‘roof’ on that tarp? It looks quite long.
Jim

Material: Ripstop polyester
Depth: 3.2 m
Width: 2.2 m
Height: 1.3 m

yes, ist is quite long .... but it works fine.

 

[Patrick Corry]

I have also set up my 10'x12' tarp (A frame style) over my Opeongo Aerial 1 hammock. The hammock is quite comfortable, and with it's net tent makes a great, airy setup in warm weather. It allows plenty of air flow and the net tent makes bug season tolerable.

Seen here in my back yard.


And in the wild, prior to setting up the tarp.

The slackline-type suspension system and end bars of the 'bed', make for a drum-tight, flat lay. The entire package is too cumbersome for backpacking but for canoe tripping it is great. The orange fabric below is a gear storage hammock which can be omitted, and there is a fitted rainfly for more inclement weather. The tent can be set up on the ground, though headroom is reduced when lying down since the 'bed' doesn't deflect downward like it does a bit when suspended.

Here, with the fitted rainfly: Looks out of level, but it was a steep side-hill set up and oblique camera angle. It is level. The doors can be rolled back in good weather.

 

[Aslowhand]

The tarp that perfectly covers my hammock...

...my "regular" set up of the CCS 10 x 10 tarp

Sometimes it's better to "build in" a pole for better drainage...

...or a suspension line that's attached on a higher point...

...if I want to travel light and know that I will find poles...and if the bugs are tolerable...

...if I forget to pack the tent

...the bug shelter...

André

 

[kahel]

@Aslowhand

I don't envy you for the tarp setups - but I do envy you for the spots where you have setup them up!

 

[sweeper]

Then again paddling past castles on the Moselle ain't bad either

 

[kahel]

Then again paddling past castles on the Moselle ain't bad either

That's no comparison - not at all.
Sure, it would have its appeal - but not the vastness, the wilderness and the solitude.

The neighbor's green is always greener.

 

[Seeker]

Plowpoint is my favorite... these are both 10x10. I also have a much lighter 9x9 (smaller by 20%, lighter material).

with mosquito netting, summer trip, lighter bag.


Same location, colder weather, no bugs, no net, different bag.

 

[Marten]

I have to have a tarp. I need to have a view on nasty days if possible. On a Summer trip I had bushwhacked to a remote Walleye lake and found a camp spot to use when I would fly in with friends that fall. At the prep trip meeting I made sure we had the needed tarps. That fall we drew a nasty week that just kept getting nastier. When our tarps kept getting added around our shelter it finally dawned on them why I insisted on having five tarps along. No view in the end but we were warm enough and dry inside our make shift wall tent.

 

[lowangle al]

I used this set up for my annual ice out rainbow trout fishing trip in Ak. My camp was on a point and would get a cold breeze off the water.

 

[lowangle al]

This is the same place but nicer weather.

 

[lowangle al]

With a campfire tent I’ll sometimes leave the tarp at home.

 

[Rubbaboo]

We usually set up with a ridge line when there’s lots of trees to tie off too, most times with the boat to add some structure and cut the winds. When we can’t do the ridge line, a paddle gets jammed under it to take up the slack.
My guys love sleeping out by the fire!

 

[Rippy]

Nothing fancy here. Depending on the weather I set up this hex fly.


I have a diamond fly for mild weather that takes two less guy ropes. For a few years I carried along a 10 x 12 silnylon tarp that never has been out of the bag.

 

[Tsuga8]

@Patrick Corry that Opeongo hammock looks great. I've had a Hennessey hammock for years but never cottoned to it. Because I move around in my sleep a lot the thing was in constant motion no matter how tight I rigged it. Seasickness while trying to sleep isn't fun. Seems like the Opeongo might solve that?

As for tarps, coming from backpacking I used to never carry one, but I have wisened to the ways of you lot and realized the value of a covered kitchen/lounge on rain days. I've been getting by with the hex tarp that I got with my Hennessey a couple decades back. I oscillate between wanting to reseal the seams on it (it leaks quite a bit now, but substantially better than nothing) vs buying something like a 10x14 rectangular tent for a bit more space, esp for tandem trips with the dog and a friend.

 

[Crazy Trout Craft (CTC)]

CCS- day one NFCT 2023- Alger Island… about to wait out a bad 3 hour Thunderstorm.

 

[Patrick Corry]

@Patrick Corry that Opeongo hammock looks great. I've had a Hennessey hammock for years but never cottoned to it. Because I move around in my sleep a lot the thing was in constant motion no matter how tight I rigged it. Seasickness while trying to sleep isn't fun. Seems like the Opeongo might solve that?

As for tarps, coming from backpacking I used to never carry one, but I have wisened to the ways of you lot and realized the value of a covered kitchen/lounge on rain days. I've been getting by with the hex tarp that I got with my Hennessey a couple decades back. I oscillate between wanting to reseal the seams on it (it leaks quite a bit now, but substantially better than nothing) vs buying something like a 10x14 rectangular tent for a bit more space, esp for tandem trips with the dog and a friend.

The Opeongo Aerial hammock is quite comfortable. The slackline type suspension results in a drum-tight, flat lay. I find it quite comfortable. I would not recommend it for anyone much over my height of 5'10" unless you don't mind having head or feet touching the netting fabric. I found when suspended I did not touch... however, when used in a leanto for bug protection, since the 'floor' doesn't deflect downward like when suspended, I found my head or feet (not both) did touch the fabric. Note, I typically use just a 1" thick self-inflating mat; an air mattress would make contact more likely. I'm surprised the manufacturer doesn't make an XL version for tall sleepers.

Like all hammocks, it does lend itself to problematic lumpy, or tiny, campsites and of course keeps one out of potential puddles in rain!

 

[Tsuga8]

Sounds perfect! I'm on the short side of average so no issue there, and I've encountered my share of wet/lumpy camp sites in the Daks. Nice that it can be a free-standing tent too. The only problem these days is that the dog often comes and I like a tent to separate him and the varmints at night. Thanks for the info!

 

[Cruiser]

This a 12' x 13' tarp, made from 1.1oz/yd silpoly, there is a pole at each end that gives the tarp body and creates a porch mode when the guys are lengthened. I've changed out the tarp suspension to have shock cords at all support points. The internal poles make the internal size enormous .... this is a pic with my first GE hammock



This pic is from 2022, pretty much the complete camp setup i currently use. Hard to tell, but that is a bridge hammock I have been designing and refining for a few years. This is an early spring trip, so you can see the underquilt is quite substantial, even the chair has a cozy .... spring in Algonquin can get chilly.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

1.9 oz CCS Tundra tarp with fixed ridgeline and prussiks attached to small carabiners. Extra center support with paddle-joiner.
(No, we never lit the fire.)