Tarp Sizing

[smith29]

I'm just curious what size tarps everyone is using (for those who do)? I am around 6'4'' and am working on a tarp / bug bivy combo. The product I'm looking at is the:

Integral Designs Tarp

My concern is while lightweight it is a little under 8ft, and may be too small.

[smith29]

Minor problem with the link, here it is:

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Tents/...arp-1-tarp.jsp

[CarlZ993]

I've only used tarps when I wasn't expecting any rain (Grand Canyon, desert SW, etc). Usually, I'll just cowboy camp and keep the tarp nearby in case something develops during the night. I have an 8' tarp & I'm 6'1". I get nervous if it clouds up. Hasn't rained on me yet w/ the tarp. My next tarp will be longer (10'; this tarp might be the one: http://www.bearpawwd.com/tents_tarps/tarps.html). Unsure which width to go with.

[Razor]

I use 5 x9 tarp by Mountain Laurel and have found it to be perfect for me. Light with plenty of room. But it is not the best for everyone. Need experience with site selection,set up, and use. I do recommend a 8x10 or 10 x 10 to start with. They have more flexibility and are more forgiving in a bad weather situation.

[Mr Breeze]

I found my 10x10 Catenary Cut Tarp to be just the right size on my thru hike this year. It kept both me and my gear completely dry in bad weather. And stayed taught in some heavy wind and rain. I am 6'0", and had plenty of room underneath. I had mine custom made by Brian at Outdoor Equipment Supplier. And it weighed 18oz

[Dogwood]

I'm 6'4" so this is a factor for me too. Peruse the reviews of this tarp at the MEC link you offered. Look at the second review down. Also take Razor's post info into consideration. Take it from there.

[daddytwosticks]

I'm 6 foot. Have used an 8'X10' flat silnylon tarp every now and then. Light and provides flexible pitches. As been stated, site selection is important.

[10-K]

I have a few tarps and have fiddled with them a bit but honestly.... my cuben Lightheart Solo only weighs 16 oz and provides full coverage and I don't have to worry about what pitch to use and all that.

By the time I add a groundcloth to go with the tarp I'm heavier than if I just took the tent. Guess I could look into a cuben tarp but I bet weight still would be within an oz or 2 after the groundcloth.

(sorry... I didn't contribute anything of worth to your question - just wanted to comment on my tarp experience)

[Wise Old Owl]

Smith - the size is fine and so is the picture of the equipment, Keep in mind a Sill - Poncho would work too.

[smith29]

Thanks for the responses:

I've only used tarps when I wasn't expecting any rain (Grand Canyon, desert SW, etc). Usually, I'll just cowboy camp and keep the tarp nearby in case something develops during the night. I have an 8' tarp & I'm 6'1". I get nervous if it clouds up. Hasn't rained on me yet w/ the tarp. My next tarp will be longer (10'; this tarp might be the one: http://www.bearpawwd.com/tents_tarps/tarps.html). Unsure which width to go with.

I usually do the same with my hammock, though I've gotten sprinkled on a few times.

I use 5 x9 tarp by Mountain Laurel and have found it to be perfect for me. Light with plenty of room. But it is not the best for everyone. Need experience with site selection,set up, and use. I do recommend a 8x10 or 10 x 10 to start with. They have more flexibility and are more forgiving in a bad weather situation.

Noted. Is site selection generally: flat, no major protrusions, and not where water will come downhill pouring through?

I found my 10x10 Catenary Cut Tarp to be just the right size on my thru hike this year. It kept both me and my gear completely dry in bad weather. And stayed taught in some heavy wind and rain. I am 6'0", and had plenty of room underneath. I had mine custom made by Brian at Outdoor Equipment Supplier. And it weighed 18oz

The problem with the bigger tarps is I'm trying to get below 1lb (or very close), otherwise I would just use my hammock or tent. Also the tarp + bug bivy would pack nicer in my 35L then a chunky tent bag.

I'm 6'4" so this is a factor for me too. Peruse the reviews of this tarp at the MEC link you offered. Look at the second review down. Also take Razor's post info into consideration. Take it from there.

Noted, thanks. A thought though is I don't sleep layed out flat, usually on my side with legs bent: so I'm not 6'4'' sleeping.

I have a few tarps and have fiddled with them a bit but honestly.... my cuben Lightheart Solo only weighs 16 oz and provides full coverage and I don't have to worry about what pitch to use and all that.

By the time I add a groundcloth to go with the tarp I'm heavier than if I just took the tent. Guess I could look into a cuben tarp but I bet weight still would be within an oz or 2 after the groundcloth.

(sorry... I didn't contribute anything of worth to your question - just wanted to comment on my tarp experience)

No problem, responses are always good. The main issue with the tent is it cost 500 bones. My setup (tarp + bug net bivy) would be under $200 and under 16oz.

Smith - the size is fine and so is the picture of the equipment, Keep in mind a Sill - Poncho would work too.

Thanks been lookin at them too.

[pyroman53]

By the time I add a groundcloth to go with the tarp I'm heavier than if I just took the tent. Guess I could look into a cuben tarp but I bet weight still would be within an oz or 2 after the groundcloth.

+1 on this.

I've used a tarp for decades...since high school. I currently have a sil tarp, 10x12 from Campmor that weighs almost 2 pounds with sack, rope and stakes, that I continue to use with my buddy in the fall on the AT (no mosquitoes). We call it the hotel cause it is a bit spacious but the added coverage means we don't worry about bivies...just pitch it right and no worries. My opinion is bigger is better when you're under a tarp in the rain, although site selection for the larger footprint can be a bit more of a challenge at times.

In bug season, or solo, I have my Contrail that weighs 24 ounces with everything, packs the same size as the tarp, is bug proof and rain proof, and only costs $200. The footprint is small but sufficient and setup is easy. Having the bathtub floor makes site selection less critical.

Although I've never used a bivy, I've always questioned the wisdom of a bivy and tarp combo. Seems it would weigh at least as much as the Tarptent. But, I can see either option as having benefits. There are weather events that might require a bivy under a tarp, especially a small tarp, but I've always been able to handle everything I've faced with technique (with an 8x10 tarp). My setup would not do well in some of the situations that Tipi camps in, at least not for as long as he does, but then my style is a bit different.

The thing I like most about tarping is when the tarp is pitched normally, for regular rain, the tarp allows me to feel much more connected to my surroundings.

[Beast Mode]

I used a 8X10 $10 walmart tarp the whole way and while heavier than sil, the principles are the same. For size, I would recommend 8X10 or bigger, the extra space is really nice, it keeps you drier, and it doesn't weigh much more if you're using sil.

I did not use a bivy. I would think a tarptent would be preferable to tarp+bivy. It was a dry summer so bugs were not bad except from NJ to CT. I would probably try to figure out a solution to the bug problem on a future hike, or switch to a tarptent. But 95%+ of the time bugs were not a problem at all. Just zip up the sleeping bag and put something over your face. The only time it was truly a problem was if it was too hot to zip up the bag. 95%+ of the time I loved the space and weight for the money of my tarp, but that 5% of the time where it was too hot and bugy to sleep was hell.

[Beast Mode]

Also a quick word on siting, you are correct about flat and not where water come pouring through but in my experience it is even more important to avoid hardpack. Even if the ground slopes away from you in every direction (which would be the ideal but rarely actually occurs) water will still get under the tarp in hardpack. Whereas if you camp on dried leaves and absorpant soil, you will stay dry no matter how hard it rains.

[Dogwood]

Too many assumptions, snafus(is that really a word?), traps, what if's, and's, but's, well maybe, and it depends asociated with this thread and some of the posts for me to wade into the quicksand. Besides, I'm already in contention for posting the average longest posts over the last 30 days anyway.

[brooklynkayak]

I always use a tarp when solo hiking. I've used rectangular tarps from 9'x5' up to 10'x10'.
I have also used many shaped tarps, pyramids, ...

My most prefered all weather tarps are the ones like the GG Spinnshlter, MLD Patrol, Golite Shangri-la 1, ... They give the best coverage per ounce, at the cost of less flexibilty and more $ than a rectangular.
My current favorite is the MLD cuben Patrol Shelter becasue it weighs 7 ounces and is roomy enough for me and all my gear. I usually bring a bugnet to hang underneath the tarp. That adds 7 to 9 ounces to the weigh.

The current favorite right now on BPL seems to be the MLD Trailstar, but I consider this a bit big(and heavy), more of a two or three person shelter.

[brooklynkayak]

... and back on subjet, an 8'x5' is doable, but be prepared to fidle with it in blowing rain. The only time I used one was with a UL bivy(sleeping bag cover). If you need to pitch it in a tight half pyramid in a storm, your head and feet will be touching the tarp at both ends. If you pitch it lean-to or A-frame, you will have to keep pitching as the wind direction changes.

The small size does have the advantage of shedding wind better than larger tarps. I think an 8'x10' or 9'x9' a better choice for weather, but a SMD Gatewood would probably give even better coverage and would also shed wind well.

[ThreeRidges]

I picked up a used GG SpinnTwinn and haven't looked back. Great amount of coverage for the weight, only cost a little more than a new, top quality poncho tarp.

[Tinker]

Longer is better with a tarp/bivy combo. It allows you more room to strip off wet clothes before you get into the bivy, and keeps more of the windblown rain from getting to you should the wind change direction in the middle of the night and blow directly into the head end.

I recently purchased a SpinTwinn tarp, as ThreeRidges did, and it has a massive amount of space underneath for its 10+ ounces. The catenary cut minimizes flapping, too.

My other option (when the trip will be short and some wetness will not ruin the next day) is my MLD poncho. I had it made to my specs. and it is 9.5 feet long by the max. the fabric width (5 feet). It's just enough for reliable coverage, but touching the inside of the fabric while trying to change is a given, and condensation can be a problem.

Btw, sometimes I sleep on the ground or a tent platform with a tarp/bivy combo on fast and light short trips, where a good night's sleep is not absolutely necessary - otherwise I hammock whenever possible.

[FarmerChef]

Not sure if this is helpful or not but I've used a 10x12 tarp that weighs 20 ounces (I sewed it myself) and a tyvek groundcover that weighs 13. The 10x12 comfortably sleeps my wife, myself, 3 kids, all our gear and our 55 pound husky. I've even had an extra guy in the tarp during a flash thunderstorm with all of us. Obviously, one 5th of 10x12 wouldn't be enough to cover one person plus gear. I would think that 5x8 would do it okay but I agree with others that a little extra space would be most welcome when the wind is swirling or changes in the middle of the night.

For the bugs, we've been using head nets in the bad area. These don't work really well when you're sleeping since the mesh tends to rest on your face. We don't like chemicals so I'll be trying something new and cutting some nanoseeum netting to fit our most common pitch (flying diamond) and sewing that on to the relavant corners. We can still pitch wide open if we want to or can unroll the netting if the bugs are really bad.

[quilteresq]

I made my tarp BIG - I've camped in the Whites, which are basically a northeastern rain forest. I wanted to be able to stake it right down on the windward side of my hammock - that said, I'm not sure how big it is - maybe 10 x 8? I did make it asymmetrical, so it does have a shorter side.