I just upgraded to the Blackbird XLC from my cheap DIY set up I have been using the past 5 years or so. I am looking at upgrading my rainfly as well, and am curious about the Thunderfly or ENO House fly. There are plenty of cheap (~$30 to $40) options on Amazon that I am considering ( Cheap Amazon Tarp ), but is paying up for the Thunderfly or ENO House Fly worth it? I specifically am looking for one with the extra end-coverage, any recommendations are appreciated!

Additionally, Warbonnet's website states that the 11' Thunderfly provides plenty of coverage for the XLC. Does anyone prefer to use the 13ft for additional room?

I have the Warbonnet Superfly and Warbonnet Minifly that I've used with my Blackbird XLC and Dutchware Chameleon. I've always felt like the 11' length has been adequate to stay dry. If I had to chose one I'd go with the Superfly since it offers the option of much more wind and rain coverage.

My wife and I have even had a double hammock setup under the superfly using Dutch's Beetle Buckle suspensions and a spreader bar. Even with two hammocks (the XLC and Chameleon) under the superfly at the same time we've stayed dry in some pretty seriously windy thunderstorms.

The ENO Housefly is only 10'8" as ENO hammocks are quite a bit shorter than an XLC so I would probably go another route.

I have an 11’ Thunderfly for my BBXLC. I’ve found it to be a great balance between staying dry and having a view with the flaps down. That said , you can always tie the doors up and rig up up in porch mode with a Superfly or any Warbonnet tarp that has doors. Very happy with the Thunderfly. I have a 13’ Thunderfly I use with a Ridgerunner (longer bridge style hammock) but I don’t think the 13’ is necessary for an XLC. The longer tarp may give you more sheltered space but it can limit you on where you can hang if trees are too close.
I’m not familiar with the tarps on Amazon, they might be fine. When buying quality but expensive gear (like CCS packs, tarps, Warbonnet gear etc) I’ve heard people on this site use the phrase “buy once, cry once”. This isn’t an option for everyone but if it is I think it’s the best option and I do believe in supporting cottage industries when I can.

I’d go Thunderfly on this one. A hammock tarp is one of the items I would not skip on for quality.

Lawnchair107: "I’d go Thunderfly on this one. A hammock tarp is one of the items I would not skip on for quality."

+1

Lawnchair107: "I’d go Thunderfly on this one. A hammock tarp is one of the items I would not skip on for quality."

The thunderfly seems like a good compromise between weight and coverage. Whichever tarp you choose, I'd recommend silpoly over silnylon as it has a lot less stretch when it gets wet.

I have my minifly in silpoly and my superfly in silnylon (it's old so it was purchased prior to warbonnet offering poly) and the difference is noticeable when they get wet.

I'm a "buy once cry once" guy, but where are you hanging? If you are talking about hanging in the BWCA then I would go with the Warbonnet Superfly instead of the Mountainfly. You will be grateful for the extra coverage when it's raining sideways for a few hours, and you can go to porch mode and/or clip the doors back when you want to be wide open. Go with the silpoly as it doesn't stretch when wet, unlike silnylon.