tarp size 8x8 vs 8x10?

[tailwind105]

howdy,

i'm new to the forum and have been reading and scaning over alot of the posts here in the past few days. so, here is a very short background.

i've been backpacking and camping for many years now, mostly PA and north. Have done a few week trips in canada canoeing. I've been been becoming more and more interested in hammock camping and in this early spring i would like to try a few over night / 2 night trips using a hammock. I've been pooring over sites and no one seems to compare square vs rectangle tarps, so .....

I have a question about tarp size, what do people prefer square (8x8) or rectangle (8x10) and why?




what i'm really trying to figure out if a campmor 8x10 would be a good tarp coverage wise or should i spend a little more money and go for a JRB (8x8) or something similar. all in all i would like to keep it under $100. it seems as though the cheaper tarps don't come square.

Thanks in advance.

[Seeker]

i've used both the stock HH tarp and an 8 x 10 in both a-frame and diamond configurations... i prefer the a-frame over trying to twist the 8 x 10 into a diamond (corner to corner is just too long, and if you turn it one notch off, using the first tie out from opposite corners, it results in yet another corner to tie off somewhere or it flaps all night).

the a-frame configuration, if you offset it toward the foot end, will cover the entire hammock, but gives you a vestibule at the foot end, where you can stand, upright, remove wet gear, hang it up, and then get into the hammock... very nice. but heavy (17oz or so) compared to the stock tarp (7oz or so).

i'm waiting for walmart to get some silnylon to make myself an 8 x 8. as i said, i like the smaller stock tarp, but it's just a little too small... in rain, you have to be in the hammock, or out in it. yes, you can cook underneath, but there's little room to spare. with an 8 x 8, you have a little more wiggle room to walk around under the tarp, and a larger margin of error as far as rain goes... it's got to be blowing almost horizontally to get in, and site selection eliminates a lot of that, but it's just nice to have a little more room, especially if you want to cook or sit with a hiking partner. so to answer your question, i like the 8 x 10, but want to try an 8 x 8 to see if i can get comparable coverage with less weight. it seems like a good compromise between the stock tarp and the 8 x 10.

i like making my own stuff when i can. but if the JRB quilt i got for christmas and the suberb customer service that came with it are any indicator, you won't go wrong with a JRB 8 x 8 tarp. what i couldn't figure out from pictures and email was resolved in not one but TWO phone calls, including a surprise followup to the first one about a week afterwards, just to see how i was doing, since silence doesn't necessarily mean you solved the problem. great guys, the Jacks.

[peter_pan]

Here is a link to some tarp info.... some options...comparisions.

[URL="http://216.83.168.206/index_files/Articles_files/Tarps.htm"]

Pan