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What's the benefit of using a ridge line for a tarp?
Just got back from a camping trip in the "hundred-year rain storm" that Upstate New York just experienced with 7+ inches falling in 24 hours. I learned the hard way a downside to the ridge line that I hung my tarp over: the ridge line gets wet, water runs down the ridge line, under the tarp, and finds a place to drip. For reference, this is a massive tarp. I don't remember the exact length, but it's easily 50 feet long and heavy enough that there's no way I can get the ridge line pulled so tight that it doesn't sag, which means the lowest point of the line is always going to be under the tarp, so that's where it's likely to drip.
Researching a bit since we got back, I see some people hang the tarp *under* the ridge line, for instance hanging the end grommets from a carabiner and connecting those to the ridge line using a Prusik knot. Pretty clever, and it makes a lot of sense if you want to move the tarp around on the ridge line, but I have no need for that, and it's not really practical considering the size of the tarp.
Which got me thinking, wouldn't you get the same results (other than mobility) if you just tied the two end grommets directly to the trees, and didn't bother with a full length ridge line? It seems like either way, the tarp is only hung at the ridge by the two end points, so the middle is going to experience the same amount of sag either way. Or am I missing some other benefit of the full-length ridge line?
Thanks, and happy camping!
#activity #camping
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Just got back from a camping trip in the "hundred-year rain storm" that Upstate New York just experienced with 7+ inches falling in 24 hours. I learned the hard way a downside to the ridge line that I hung my tarp over: the ridge line gets wet, water runs down the ridge line, under the tarp, and finds a place to drip. For reference, this is a massive tarp. I don't remember the exact length, but it's easily 50 feet long and heavy enough that there's no way I can get the ridge line pulled so tight that it doesn't sag, which means the lowest point of the line is always going to be under the tarp, so that's where it's likely to drip.
Researching a bit since we got back, I see some people hang the tarp *under* the ridge line, for instance hanging the end grommets from a carabiner and connecting those to the ridge line using a Prusik knot. Pretty clever, and it makes a lot of sense if you want to move the tarp around on the ridge line, but I have no need for that, and it's not really practical considering the size of the tarp.
Which got me thinking, wouldn't you get the same results (other than mobility) if you just tied the two end grommets directly to the trees, and didn't bother with a full length ridge line? It seems like either way, the tarp is only hung at the ridge by the two end points, so the middle is going to experience the same amount of sag either way. Or am I missing some other benefit of the full-length ridge line?
Thanks, and happy camping!
#activity #camping
source
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