Gear – June, 2013 - Hammock Gear 12 Foot Cuben Fiber Tarp

Two weeks ago I bought a used Hammock Gear cuben fiber tarp. This tarp was custom made. It is a standard width tarp with doors, i.e. 8.5 feet wide, but has a 12 foot ridge line. The tarp has 6 panel pull outs and 12 perimeter tie outs. The panel pulls are spaced for a Warbonnet Outdoors Ridgerunner hammock and an extra panel pull for each side was added in the middle, so it's perfect for any hammock. It also has built in ties for the doors.

I added a nine foot braided mason’s line cord on each center panel pull loop. I prussic knotted an 8 foot piece of Nite Ize 2.44 mm green reflective cord at each of the main corner tie out loops. I then added some 4 foot pieces mason’s line to the door tie out loops.

I used Derek Hansen’s continuous ridge line design with 30 feet of 1.75 mm Zing-It. The ridge line has a Dutch hook spliced onto one end with a locked brummel. I spliced two 3 inch continuous loops from braided mason’s line. On one of those loops I spliced a Dutch Tarp Flyz. I then attached the loops with a larkshead on each center tie out loop. The prussics that I had been using for side to side tarp adjustment on the ridgeline are eliminated.

It is quite easy to get a nice taut pitch because the tarp flyz gives you mechanical advantage in tightening the ridgeline which automatically tightens the tarp during deployment. When this is strung tightly between two trees the tarp can be easily slid back and forth so you can get the perfect coverage over your hammock. But, really, who am I kidding? With a 12 foot ridge line set up between trees 15 feet apart it is almost impossible to hang your hammock in a way that it is not completely protected.

My wife made some mosquito mesh tarp skins with cord pockets at the ends. This makes deployment and packing very easy and quick. I really like the mesh tarp skins!

So, the whole package, tarp, skins, and suspension weighs in at 12 ounces on the nose. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to carry all that weight!!

Stats:

Ridge Line:	12 feet	Perimeter Tie Outs:	12
Width:	8.5 feet	Panel Pulls:	6
Door Ties:	4	Full Packed weight:	12 oz

Here is the video showing everything: