chris
02-05-2003, 10:34
This is my first foray into the realm of tarping. The Tacoma tarp is a shaped tarp constructed out of silnylon. The shape is roughly a rectangle, with a triangle jutting out from the long side to make a beak. More specifically, the tarp is roughly trapezoidal (like a rectangle, but with one longer side) with extra fabric on the long side to form a beak. The tarp has only one main seam, and this is along the center of the beak. Seam sealing is required.
The tarp sets up quickly, but it has taken me some practice to get it rigged in a way suitable for me. The two back corners are staked out, followed by the front corners. The closer together you set the front corners, the higher the tarp will ride. The further apart, the lower. Put a trekking pole into the provided cup near the beak and raise the tarp, staking out the pole with the provided guyline.
This procedure did not work well for me, for several reasons. First, I am 6'4" tall, while the tarp designer is, I believe somewhere around 5'. The tarp sags enough that I cannot sleep under the tarp without parts of it sagging onto the head and feet of my sleeping bag, despite a 9' length along the backwall. Second, I don't use trekking poles. To overcome the second of these problems, I bought a 48" carbon fiber pole from Fibraplex (www.fibraplex.com), which weighs in at around 1.8 oz. and costs $22. It comes in 3 sections. Stiffness is, despite fibraplex's claims, a little less than a normal tent pole. The pole comes in 3 sections, shock corded together, with tips. To deal with the sagging issues, I used a bit of utility cord to form tie out loops for each corner and the loops that are midway between each short side (the sides where the sagging occurs). By pulling the tarp out, the sagging is relieved and I can sleep comfortably beneath the tarp. I also use small (6-8") sticks that I find on the ground to raise various points along the tarp. This does raise the bottom edge of the tarp, which means that the tarp will probably not be as weatherproof as before.
With the tieouts and the included silnylon stuff sack, the tarp weighs 11.1 oz. It is available at http://www.trailquest.net/store.html
and costs $75 for the model I have. Pictures are available at the above website. My tarp is grey and took around 10 days from ordering it to receiving it last August/September. You can get addtional options for the tarp: Bug netting, storm doors, a floor, and, now, lift loops for the sides to prevent sagging. The lift loops were not available when I ordered the tarp.
I have used the tarp on five nights in the Smoky Mountains during the fall and winter. Rain was seen on only one of these nights. Construction appears good, with lots of small loops at various points to add guylines, a clothesline, and stabilizers. There is a loop on the back with a guyline which helps to form a rear wall. With the addition of another trekking pole (or a stick from the woods), one can rig a more solid rear wall. I have found, though, that with the tie outs this isn't really necessary I am a bit concerned about the durability of the beak stitching. The cup for the support pole is directly at the base of the seam. It seems like the stitching is being placed under a lot of stress at this point. However, no detrioration of the stitching has been noticed at this point. The only other concern is performance in the wind.
Overall, I would recommend the tarp. It is light and spacious enough for a tall person, once tieouts are installed. At $75, it is fairly inexpensive for a formed tarp. Dancing Light is run by two thruhikers (Brawny and Rainmaker) and so they have a good idea of what works and what does not. Also, I have a feeling that they would make any customizations that you might ask form. If you use trekking poles, then you have nothing else to buy, except for stakes (I use 9), to complete your shelter. If you do not use trekking poles, consider the carbon fiber pole. They also come in 36" and 42" lengths, as well as a tri-pole (three poles in one), which weighs more, but should be very ridid.
The tarp sets up quickly, but it has taken me some practice to get it rigged in a way suitable for me. The two back corners are staked out, followed by the front corners. The closer together you set the front corners, the higher the tarp will ride. The further apart, the lower. Put a trekking pole into the provided cup near the beak and raise the tarp, staking out the pole with the provided guyline.
This procedure did not work well for me, for several reasons. First, I am 6'4" tall, while the tarp designer is, I believe somewhere around 5'. The tarp sags enough that I cannot sleep under the tarp without parts of it sagging onto the head and feet of my sleeping bag, despite a 9' length along the backwall. Second, I don't use trekking poles. To overcome the second of these problems, I bought a 48" carbon fiber pole from Fibraplex (www.fibraplex.com), which weighs in at around 1.8 oz. and costs $22. It comes in 3 sections. Stiffness is, despite fibraplex's claims, a little less than a normal tent pole. The pole comes in 3 sections, shock corded together, with tips. To deal with the sagging issues, I used a bit of utility cord to form tie out loops for each corner and the loops that are midway between each short side (the sides where the sagging occurs). By pulling the tarp out, the sagging is relieved and I can sleep comfortably beneath the tarp. I also use small (6-8") sticks that I find on the ground to raise various points along the tarp. This does raise the bottom edge of the tarp, which means that the tarp will probably not be as weatherproof as before.
With the tieouts and the included silnylon stuff sack, the tarp weighs 11.1 oz. It is available at http://www.trailquest.net/store.html
and costs $75 for the model I have. Pictures are available at the above website. My tarp is grey and took around 10 days from ordering it to receiving it last August/September. You can get addtional options for the tarp: Bug netting, storm doors, a floor, and, now, lift loops for the sides to prevent sagging. The lift loops were not available when I ordered the tarp.
I have used the tarp on five nights in the Smoky Mountains during the fall and winter. Rain was seen on only one of these nights. Construction appears good, with lots of small loops at various points to add guylines, a clothesline, and stabilizers. There is a loop on the back with a guyline which helps to form a rear wall. With the addition of another trekking pole (or a stick from the woods), one can rig a more solid rear wall. I have found, though, that with the tie outs this isn't really necessary I am a bit concerned about the durability of the beak stitching. The cup for the support pole is directly at the base of the seam. It seems like the stitching is being placed under a lot of stress at this point. However, no detrioration of the stitching has been noticed at this point. The only other concern is performance in the wind.
Overall, I would recommend the tarp. It is light and spacious enough for a tall person, once tieouts are installed. At $75, it is fairly inexpensive for a formed tarp. Dancing Light is run by two thruhikers (Brawny and Rainmaker) and so they have a good idea of what works and what does not. Also, I have a feeling that they would make any customizations that you might ask form. If you use trekking poles, then you have nothing else to buy, except for stakes (I use 9), to complete your shelter. If you do not use trekking poles, consider the carbon fiber pole. They also come in 36" and 42" lengths, as well as a tri-pole (three poles in one), which weighs more, but should be very ridid.