Some of my musings on hex vs square tarps.
I recently decided to give a hex tarp a try, and it was working great until the first windy thunderstorm. My hammock stayed dry, but the things I hung at the head and foot ends were soaked, as well as the ground under the hammock and everything I left there.
Now, the tarp I used was 12 feet long, which is around 366 cm, which is already on the larger side, as many manufacturers make them 11 feet long and claim it's sufficient.
For comparison a 3x3m tarp will be over 420 cm diagonally. I wanted to visualize the coverage differences of a hex tarp vs square so I made picrel. I put one over the other then squeezed it to simulate it hanging at an angle. As you can see you gain some material in the diagonal corners, where it matters the least IMO (also the pic doesn't factor that most hex tarps will have catenary cuts). If the wind blows from the side, or along your ridgeline, a square tarp will offer more protection.
Of course you can improve the coverage by hanging the tarp right above your face like
>>2756651, but if I wanted to bend double to get into my shelter and feel like I'm entombed in a coffin, I'd just use a tent.
Some other quoted advantages of hex tarps is that they catch less wind (but when the wind it's failing to catch carries water, that's not exactly a pro) and that you can hang them more tautly, but I don't see it helping much beyond aesthetics.
I'm not trying to convince anyone that square tarps are superior, or that you should ditch your hex tarp, but as someone who likes to stand under his roof and also be able to look around from his hammock, I decided I prefer a square tarp in a diamond configuration.
