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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Gear Forum Tarp Height |
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01/28/2017 09:37AM
I tend to set up my tarps fairly low to the ground. When sitting under it, I have about a foot of headspace. It seems to me that a lower pitching height keeps some wind-driven rain out. My tripping partner likes the tarp high enough to walk comfortably underneath. I know there's no right or wrong on this, but I'm curious. What's your preferred height and why?
01/28/2017 10:43AM
I prefer to set a tarp as adjustable as possible to accommodate such changes.
One long line to suspend the center, 4 corners to trees (or other anchors). The whole setup can be raised and lowered very easily.
butthead
One long line to suspend the center, 4 corners to trees (or other anchors). The whole setup can be raised and lowered very easily.
butthead
"never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups" George Carlin
01/28/2017 11:30AM
quote butthead: "I prefer to set a tarp as adjustable as possible to accommodate such changes.
butthead"
Same here. Set up so that I can stand under it but with ability to adjust as needed to accommodate changes in wind/weather.
Is it proper that the wilderness and its creatures should suffer because we came? RP
01/30/2017 05:23AM
I almost always rig my tarps with a ridge line under and over the center (the over line prevents the tarp from flapping in the wind) with the corners tied out. I usually try and arrange the tarp with one "side" towards the lake since that is normally the direction the wind and wind driven rain will come from ( I.e. 90 degrees from my ridge line(s)). I really prefer the tarp high enough I can walk in without ducking much as that is just annoying. If a big wind and or rain come up just drop the upwind corner(s) and your good. I can always lower the ridge line if I have to but rarely do. I only use zing it or ccs cord both will stay rock solid and tight rain, wind, hail or snow, etc....
02/01/2017 08:36AM
I just bought mine last year so have only taken it out once. We had it lower, I think too low, but the idea was to maximize the dry area underneath. With winds, the higher you go, the more dry ground you lose. We had issues with heat more than rain though and I wish we had a little more height to get away from the hot air that gathers under the tarp. Keeping that mid day sun off our skin in June was a good choice though.
02/01/2017 09:21AM
I don't know that there is one "right" way to set a tarp. I usually set one tarp, that is no more than probably 4' off the ground. High enough to keep our gear and firewood dry, and provide a place to sit and eat/talk if the weather turns crappy. If I am basecamping, I often take a second tarp and set up with a much higher height, providing a place where you can get out of the rain, sun, and move around freely.
02/01/2017 09:21AM
I don't know that there is one "right" way to set a tarp. I usually set one tarp, that is no more than probably 4' off the ground. High enough to keep our gear and firewood dry, and provide a place to sit and eat/talk if the weather turns crappy. If I am basecamping, I often take a second tarp and set up with a much higher height, providing a place where you can get out of the rain, sun, and move around freely.
02/01/2017 10:32AM
quote newguy: "I'm a newbie, so I don't get it. butthead certainly didn't climb a tree to get his top line like that. So how'd you do it (or what don't I see off-camera)?"
I have several Granite Gear zippered mesh bags that their stuff sacks and bags are packed in, 2x3 inches or so. I use one for repair stuff, has enough weight to make a toss bag tied to 1/8 inch cordage I use. Couple of tosses targeting a limb, often use 2 20 foot pieces tied together for the suspended line.
butthead
"never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups" George Carlin
02/01/2017 12:30PM
My tarps are pitched low to block wind and rain. I don't think I've ever had it high enough to stand under. On more than one occasion I've found myself crouched under my tarp with the sides pulled within a couple feet of the ground and still barely being kept dry from the blowing/splashing rain.
I might raise the downwind side high enough that I can stand under that edge and have a protected fire but usually I have to crouch if I want under the tarp.
I trip solo and not during the summer with high temps so unless it's raining I'm not likely to be under the tarp anyway.
Alan
I might raise the downwind side high enough that I can stand under that edge and have a protected fire but usually I have to crouch if I want under the tarp.
I trip solo and not during the summer with high temps so unless it's raining I'm not likely to be under the tarp anyway.
Alan
02/01/2017 01:12PM
What makes a tarp such a valuable tripping partner is it's versatility. Thanks mostly to Dan Cooke, I have learned a variety of ways to set up my tarp. The decision on how to set it up depends upon the season and the weather and the campsite.
That being said, my tarp is pulled out of the stuff sack with a center ridge line and ropes tied to each corner. The photo shows my most common set up, which is easily modified to match the circumstances. I generally like to pitch it high enough so I can stand up under the ridge line.
I usually lower one side as a wind and rain block.
That being said, my tarp is pulled out of the stuff sack with a center ridge line and ropes tied to each corner. The photo shows my most common set up, which is easily modified to match the circumstances. I generally like to pitch it high enough so I can stand up under the ridge line.
I usually lower one side as a wind and rain block.
I set a goal of losing 10 lbs. this year. I only have 15 left to lose.
02/01/2017 06:30PM
quote Ausable: "I prefer to pitch it high enough that I can stand under it, but if it looks like rain is coming, I want one side much lower to reduce wind-blown rain."
Me too. Here is a pic of a day when the rain was off and on. We tied off low in the back to break the wind and keep rain off.
LNT - The road to success is always under construction. http://hikingillinois.blogspot.com/
02/01/2017 06:35PM
quote jcavenagh: "quote Ausable: "I prefer to pitch it high enough that I can stand under it, but if it looks like rain is coming, I want one side much lower to reduce wind-blown rain."
Me too. Here is a pic of a day when the rain was off and on. We tied off low in the back to break the wind and keep rain off.
"
This is also what I try to achieve. Some pitches are better than others depending on the trees.
"So many lakes, so little time." WWJD
02/02/2017 06:44AM
quote newguy: "I'm a newbie, so I don't get it. butthead certainly didn't climb a tree to get his top line like that. So how'd you do it (or what don't I see off-camera)?"
Newguy.........once you learn a tarp method you will likely stick with it for the rest of your tripping life. Do yourself a humongous favor and get Cliff Jacobsons video "forgotten skills". Of course everyone believes their method is best........but Cliffs method actually is ;-)
Yup I know thems fighting words but if you want to rig a tarp quickly that is drum tight and will hold up in a serious blow without keeping you up all night by being noisy AND you want to forsake throwing ropes over limbs (can you say "hassle") then it is $25 well spent. You will also learn how to handle ropes and lines including simple useful knots as well as correct hassle free storage of said ropes and lines. No tangles! And you will learn how to take a tarp down in minutes via quick release knots.
The only conceivable disadvantage is a center pole must be employed. While an appropriate stick may be cut and used I prefer a shock corded collapsible center pole available at REI meant specifically for that purpose. CCS (Cookes Custom Sewing) is the type of tarp you will want to invest in and just by coincidence they have a "pocket" meant to accommodate a center pole. I make a few modifications to Cliffs method and use a cable tie to insure that the center pole is exceedingly snug and tight while inside its designed pocket.
I also like to use those plastic covered wire (Home depot) thing-a-ma-jigs to create hooks on my center pole by which I can hang various articles if I so desire. Very handy.......
Bada-bing my tarp is up.........bada-bing my tarp is down. And I can do it while in a bad blow to start with.
There are some other very strong tips as well including how to safely process wood etc. etc.
Lets Go!
02/02/2017 07:32AM
quote butthead: "quote newguy: "I'm a newbie, so I don't get it. butthead certainly didn't climb a tree to get his top line like that. So how'd you do it (or what don't I see off-camera)?"
I have several Granite Gear zippered mesh bags that their stuff sacks and bags are packed in, 2x3 inches or so. I use one for repair stuff, has enough weight to make a toss bag tied to 1/8 inch cordage I use. Couple of tosses targeting a limb, often use 2 20 foot pieces tied together for the suspended line.
butthead"
Ken would love to bring you along so you can see first hand. But his real motive is for you to carry that picnic table.
Nctry
02/02/2017 06:12PM
quote Ausable: "I prefer to pitch it high enough that I can stand under it, but if it looks like rain is coming, I want one side much lower to reduce wind-blown rain."
That's how we do it. If it's really windy and rainy we may lower it like this where you have to stoop and sit:
"Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." Mark Twain
02/02/2017 07:06PM
I always try to set up my solo 8 x 10 tarp as high as I can but it always seem to end up at about 5 feet or so after I tie everything down. It keeps out the rain at that height so I never really bother to adjust it.
I have a Kelty tarp that is 12 x 10 and that one I usually can get at about 6 feet or better on the "entrance side" of the tarp.
I have a Kelty tarp that is 12 x 10 and that one I usually can get at about 6 feet or better on the "entrance side" of the tarp.
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
02/02/2017 08:45PM
I can just reach 8', so on my tip toes, I can tie my tarp lines around a tree just a shade under that. I've never adjusted ridgeline height. I just adjust the sides to open it up or batten it down.
“It is clearly absurd to limit the term 'education' to a person's formal schooling.” - Murray Rothbard
02/03/2017 05:28PM
I have a 12x12 tarp and try to hang it at 6'3" - I am 6'2". I will bring the sides down if bad weather comes in. I have a bad back and walking around hunched over under a tarp does not help it.
"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit."
02/04/2017 03:17PM
quote mastertangler:
Yup I know thems fighting words but if you want to rig a tarp quickly that is drum tight and will hold up in a serious blow without keeping you up all night by being noisy AND you want to forsake throwing ropes over limbs (can you say "hassle") then it is $25 well spent. "
Thanks for the tip MT,
I took your advise (it isn't often when that happens :-) and ordered two of the center poles from REI.
May the rivers be crooked and winding, and your portages lonesome, leading to the most amazing view.
02/05/2017 05:47PM
quote mastertangler: "Hey linden glad your catching on.......do you guys miss me at the politics forum? Keep listening to Mark Levin and we can agree a bit more often ;-)"
MT,
I tried to E-Mail you a couple times privately to answer your question but it will not go through.
E-Mail me if you wish more clarification.
PS, It was a positive message.
klindy1@hotmail.com
May the rivers be crooked and winding, and your portages lonesome, leading to the most amazing view.
02/05/2017 11:21PM
I hate it when my head hits the tarp in the morning when there's cold condensation all over it. There's probably nothing in human history that matters less than that, but it still pisses me off.
"...And the days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, .......well, I have really good days". Ray Wiley Hubbard
02/06/2017 07:27AM
quote LindenTree3: "quote mastertangler: "Hey linden glad your catching on.......do you guys miss me at the politics forum? Keep listening to Mark Levin and we can agree a bit more often ;-)"
MT,
I tried to E-Mail you a couple times privately to answer your question but it will not go through.
e.
klindy1@hotmail.com"
Thats odd.......the address is correct. Must have something to do with an old in box that carried over to the replacement Mac that gives me fits and I no longer use and now just go directly to comcast. Thanks for the heads up.
Lets Go!
02/15/2017 01:21PM
quote Bannock: "I set the ridge line sightly higher than head height. Nearly all of the tarp I am not able to stand completely upright, but why do I need to?"
Dancing a jig in the rain??? Something I have been known to do.
butthead
"never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups" George Carlin
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