I'm trying to get this dialed in with the half pyramid setup. Here is the best I've gotten so far:

But the front extends beyond the pole:

I just don't think I'm doing it right. For what its worth, the bottom front corners are maybe 6" off the ground and the pole is about 39".

Could you give me some feed back? I have more pics too.

On the MLD site Ron has the monk staked to the ground on 4 corners....I can not replicate that set up for the life of me.

Thanks!

The back looking a little flat....

Anyone?

Don't use guy lines on the corners, stake it as close to the tarp as you can, you may need to shorten the length to raise the pole up. Length meaning the linear direction of the way you sleep.

Edited by KalebC on 03/30/2012 18:20:41 MDT.

I kinda tried that before it got too dark....how much to shorten? Man it sure was a pathetic attempt when I tried to direct stake....thanks kaleb. I'm open to any info or feedback!

The front corners should be more inward compared to the rear corners. On my 8x10, this amount is about 15-18".
I lay the tarp out flat, stake the rear corners directly to the ground, stake the front corners directly to the ground but even with the next most inward tie-outs on the rear, insert the center pole, guy the center pole, and then use a 2nd pole and guy-out about 2-2.5' from the edge along the center seam to make the rear wall bow outward.

Do you mean just the back corners or all 4? I'm starting to feel a bit defeated....but I'm looking to get this tight.

What height are people using for the top of this as a half pyramid?

I think you might be overthinking your tarp pitch. One of the advantages of a tarp over a tent is that there is no one hard and fast way to pitch it. The ultimate goal is to erect it so that it will protect you from rain and a bit of wind; if your pitch is taut and leaves enough room for you underneath, then it's good. So I don't think there is a "right way" that you have to get the tarp for it to count as a half pyramid. If I saw your tarp in the woods pitched how you have it, I'd describe it as a half pyramid.

That said, here's how I personally pitch a half pyramid with my poncho tarp. The rear corners get staked to the ground. My trekking pole goes up similar to how you have except with the handle up to keep it clean, typically about 120cm/47". I guy out the front corners next, keeping the lines as close to 45 degrees as I can to keep the tension even. Their length is a bit shorter than what you have. Next I go around and tighten everything and fiddle with the pole to get it taut and to angle it so I have room to get in and out. That does mean I have maybe 44" at the peak, so my interior room is less than that. Finally, I tie off the hood and guy it out, which gives one side a bit more room, which is the side my head goes towards.

And I always vary the pitches based on what's around my campsite and the weather. I actually haven't used a "pure" half pyramid pitch in the wild even though I love it in theory. My most common way to pitch is to vary an A-frame by tying off to trees in order to get some height so my living space. Obviously, practice is most important, of which you seem to be getting plenty, so I think you'll be fine.

Jeff, I really took your words to heart....

After fussing so much about this i finally decided to do what I saw another dude on this forum do: make a model. I found some heavier paper in the recycling at home and shaped up the 'ideal' pitch i was trying to achieve...Well you cant fight geometry.

The monk tarp I have is the discontinued Spinn version which matches the size of the newer cuben version 4.3'x 9'. the only way i can see to have all 4 corners touching is to have a very (very) low height, OR if staked to the ground to have the front corners 'winged'/offset closer to the pole quite a ways resulting an odd looking tarp.l

FWIW I'm able to get only about 41" at the peak with the front corners guyed out at an acceptable height (at least for me; i'm trying to keep the tarp edges as close to the ground as possible).

The only mystery left is just how Ron was able to get that pitch on the MLD website...that thing is clearly staked to the ground on 4 corners! It may be an order of operations thing or that because it is the Sil version its almost a full foot wider (5.2 feet) and the geometry is more conducive for this. I tried Kaleb's method of setting one side in lengthwise and staking it that way but still I ended up poor results. I had thought about contacting Ron, but its seems so trivial and he's so busy as is.

If I have some sort of revelation i'll post my results, but i'm also happy for any feedback people have.

Thanks to everyone!

There's no way you can raise the entry without moving those front corners toward the pole in order to keep them on the ground. You could get the perfect pitch you're looking for if the tarp were a true pyramid shape, but not with a flat tarp. At least I can't see how.

Edited by klahne on 05/16/2012 12:59:12 MDT.