To cut a long story short, a DPM basha isn’t suitable for use with a large hammock. It’s not square and therefore cannot be used properly in a diamond configuration, More importantly it’s not quite big enough.

In October last year I attended an event at the trees, for this I decided that being off the ground was preferable to being a “floor dwelling heathen” due to my mistaken belief that the site was in Mid Wales (And as we all know, It always rains in Wales). It turns out that the site is literally right on the Welsh/English border and as such I’d be passing through “Border Control” several times on the way up from the South West.

After my first adventure using the ENO DoubleNest in conjunction with an issue DPM basha, I realised a more suitable Tarp was needed. Although I managed to stay dry and comfortable throughout a very wet weekend, I knew that the next time might be different if I didn’t have ample coverage.

Looking at the various options open to me, I decided upon a DD Hammocks 3×3 Tarp in their own iteration of MultiCam (I’m not sure how Mr Crye would feel about his trademarked name being used for another pattern, But it appears to now be a phrase in common usage even when it’s not a Crye Licensed product… So Buyer Beware!)

Having said that, the pattern although nothing like the Crye pattern it does seem to work alright in British woodland. I’d like to have seen less colours than the 7 (Yes 7!) within their pattern, and a larger overall print might have made the camouflage more effective… the pattern as it stands seems a little too small to be effective, although many digital patterns effectively work with a small pattern.

The preferred set up for a hammock is to use a diamond configuration, The reasoning is simple… You’ve already got 2 anchor points for the hammock itself, A Diamond requires only another 2 to complete a full canopy. How you go about this is up to you… On my first go using the hammock I decided on pegs into the ground, However the terrain on the last op dictated all four corners being hitched to trees. The plus of this being a larger area to move around in under cover, The downside being that the wind will pass through unchecked, Making you 5-10 degrees colder than you be in a full enclosure.

Also there’s the tactical element to consider, If we were going full “Hard routine” we’d be looking at digging in around a foot deep and using bivvy bags to keep dry in your shell scrape. As this is Airsoft, allowances are thankfully often made.

Hammocks being off the ground can be seen long before a well disguised Basha or Sanger, The shape alone draws your eye to it from far away...

Straight lines are only natural when they follow terrain or trees, Going against the grain means your more likely to spot it at distance.

The Tarp is pretty good at its primary purpose, Water will bead and roll off of it due to its 3000mm PU coating (effectively meaning you could put 3 metres of water above the tarp before it started to leak… Butif you’ve got 3 meters of static water above your head your not camping… your scuba diving.

Weight wise the Tarp comes in at a feather like weight of 790g (around 2lbs in old money), Which for the coverage and strength you get is astounding.

All 19 attachment points are reinforced and backed with a thicker, Tougher material… The central ridge being taped to give it a little extra waterproofing.

The full specs are available on DD Hammocks Website but the long and short of it are as below:

• 19 tough reinforced attachment points: 16 around the sides and corners, and 3 along the centre (ridge line)
• 4 x pegs and guy lines included in their own bag
• Made from 190T polyester with PU 3000mm waterproof coating, and has a taped central seam
• Includes Stuff sack with drawcord closure
• 780g weight (Tarp only)
• Total dimensions 3m x 3m (9sq/m)

All in all, A perfect accompaniment to the ENO DoubleNest I reviewed last month. A great Tarp for hiking, Camping and weekends under the trees… Maybe a little too big for some things but for Hammocks it’s a great size.