New Gear, New Blog - Hammock Gear Cuben Fiber Tarp

So I've collected quite a bit of additional hiking gear over the last year.  Since I get asked about such things a lot, I decided to start doing more formal reviews for my own amusement and for others to check out.  This seemed to necessitate a new blog!

First up, I decided to review a piece of gear of have gotten many nights out of already.  The Hammock Gear Cuben Fiber Tarp.

Hammock gear puts out some great stuff.  I also have two underquilts, and have a top quilt on the way.  The top quilts work just as well for ground dwellers, though they are obviously ideal for hangers.  Everything they make is top notch.  I can't recommend them enough.  You can get stuff customized just how you want it.

So, on to the tarp!

Pictured here in 'Porch Mode' - rigged high for better views and airflow.

The tarp, without lines, weights in at 6.4 ounces!  Mine is the 12' version, with doors.  The ridgeline is reinforced, as are all the tie outs (4 on the corners, 4 more on the 'doors', plus 4 more support tie-outs midway down each panel.

Pictured with the door flaps closed, in a very awkward hang!

It's worth noting a couple of things about cuben fiber, in case you aren't familiar.  It's natural to compare it to sil-nylon, it's closest competitor in weight and toughness.

First off, cuben does not stretch.  Not at all.  This might take some getting used to if you typically just crank down on your lines and stretch out a sil-nylon tarp.  Though it's not necessarily a bad thing.  One tip, you don't want your pitch to be too tight.  You can easily make your cuben fiber tarp play like a drum.  It might look cool but if you get a real down pour, you will experience a 'misting' effect.  Rain coming down with force can actually push it's way though the fiber, causing mist to fall on you.  This is easy to avoid, just something I had to learn along the way.

Hammocking with a trap is great in the summer!  Rig it a little higher for full coverage with lots of air-flow.

One trick I developed after being through a couple of downpours:  You'll notice that your ridge-line will tend to loosen up or sag sometimes.  I started using 1/8 shock cord (like this) for my tie downs.  Not only does this make setup easy as you can be less precise, but it will also automatically take up any slack that develops in the night so you keep a nice tight pitch.  On my last couple trips I switched to using Nite Ize Figure 9's for even easier and faster setup, and works perfectly with the shock cord. 

Speaking of rain, this is an area where cuben beats sil-nylon hands down.  Cuben Fiber doesn't adsorb water.  Not one drop.  Shake it off, and it's dry.  Pack it away and get on the trail!

While cuben is super tough, it can be easily punctured if you are careless.  Try not to poke it when you have it drawn tight.  That being said, mine has survived intact from some minimal abuse so far.  It's also easy to burn, so try to avoid setting it on fire!

Coverage of this tarp for either hammocking or ground sleeping is superb due to it's large size.  If you pitch it high, you can have a party under it.  I've lounged in my hammock during several downpours, staying high and dry while I cooked my dinner.  It does a pretty good job of covering a double hang as well - or even 3 if you are desperate.

I've had to tarp out in several winter scenarios, one were the temps dipped to -5.  The wind protection is fantastic do to the extra long panels.  You can pitch this thing just about down to the ground, and with the doors closed you have total wind protection.

For milder weather were you might want the doors out of the way, I either pitch the sides up in 'porch mode' to have open views, or simply tie the doors pack to the center of my ridgeline cord to keep them from flapping and annoying me while I sleep.  Really you can rig the tarp up anyway you want.  I rarely use the extra mid-panel tie-outs unless I know I'm in for heavy snow, or if I'm hanging my hammock as high as possible inside the tarp.  In that case, using the tie outs can give you some more shoulder room.

There isn't a whole lot more to say - the tarp design is great.  Other manufacturers make similar tarps, but I like the longer side panels and minimalist design of HG's that shaves a few grams off the total weight. Hammock Gear makes top notch stuff.  You can't go wrong with anything they make.