View Full Version : New to tarps
Like the idea of a tarp in rainy summer weather, just have never used one before. I would be ground sleeping, not hammock. I currently use a Henry shires rainbow tarptent which is great, but can get very moist/ stuffy in weather. Several questions for you fine folks.
What is a very cheap practice option? Maybe plastic sheeting or shower curtain and Walmart twine?
resonable size for 1 person ( 5'6" ) and lg dog.
How do you keep the lines from getting all in a tangle?
If I like this option, what tarp to get? Cuban fiber is so light but pricy, am considering ray jardine kit with beak and batwing option. Would like something in a moss green or cameo to stealth camp and be less visually intrusive to others.
Other questions i should be asking? Thanks in advance for your input.
Feral Bill
06-12-2017, 18:26
Experiment with the classic blue tarp from your lobcal hardware store. 8x10 is a generous size. For me, a one corner up, three corners down setup works well. When you are ready, consider a silnylon tarp for best cost/weight. Have fun experimenting.
mister krabs
06-12-2017, 18:37
Old video, but still my favorite tarp setup (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkBeZqXU4zk) for sleeping. There are lots of different setups for different conditions and uses, that's part of the fun of tarping.
I have both a polyurethane coated tarp and a silnylon one. I like both, though the silnylon one saves 10 ounces. Equinox and Etowah outfitters have decent cheap options for both. For multiday trips, I leave the tieouts attached and wrap them around the tarp after I've rolled it up.
davesailer
06-12-2017, 19:31
I don't have much experience, but since you mention Ray Jardine, he did recommend trying a tarp made of 3-mil polyethylene film.
I did this once, and it's an eye-opener - better to explore one's clumsiness with a setup like this than by spending big bucks and then doing the fumbling. You can tie it out with cord and sheetbend knots on the corners and tie out to intermediate points using small stones or pine cones.
According to Jardine, this might be durable enough to get you through the summer, which would give you a lot of experience.
If you have a large carpeted room, you can also get one of the super-light plastic drop cloths and try different setups indoors, using large safety pins as stakes.
As far as the cordage, you could try wire twist-ties or rubber bands to keep it under control.
Just as a for-instance, Equinox (http://www.equinoxltd.com/the-gear/tarps-and-bivis-and-ground-cloths/egret_nylon_tarp.cfm) has some cheap tarps that might get you started.
BuckeyeBill
06-12-2017, 21:21
For a tangle free light ropes or light ridge lines, watch this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLupiOygs0s) by Derek Hansen. He shows how to wind these in a figure eight fashion which eliminates tangles.
MuddyWaters
06-12-2017, 22:39
For a tangle free light ropes or light ridge lines, watch this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLupiOygs0s) by Derek Hansen. He shows how to wind these in a figure eight fashion which eliminates tangles.
Or use zpacks 1.25 mm zline. It has stiffness, dont tangle. Only thing I use. For this reason.
Feral Bill
06-12-2017, 23:02
I may have to try that one. I have the that tarp and really like it.
Old video, but still my favorite tarp setup (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkBeZqXU4zk) for sleeping. There are lots of different setups for different conditions and uses, that's part of the fun of tarping.
I have both a polyurethane coated tarp and a silnylon one. I like both, though the silnylon one saves 10 ounces. Equinox and Etowah outfitters have decent cheap options for both. For multiday trips, I leave the tieouts attached and wrap them around the tarp after I've rolled it up.
Definitely start with the big blue tarp. Ollie's has all kinds of them cheap. You can tape on extra tie outs. 10 x 12 is probably bigger than you need but a little extra room is nice when starting out. Cuben would be awesome. I have made several sil nylon tarps they are fine but sag during the night. My current go to is a polycro window insulation 7 x 10. I have gotten more use out of it than I thought possible. It stays tight for days in the yard... poor man's cuben fiber ☺ I do most of my trips on the AT, so if it ever lets me down I can hit a shelter.
I think my biggest mistake early on was site selection. Avoid grass. You will end up with condensation, dew, whatever you want to call it.
Camping with my dog, I like to find 2 trees to run the ridgeline from. That way I don't have to worry about him taking one of the poles out in the middle of the night.
A good ground cloth - lots of folks use polycro. I am an active sleep and when I wake up in the night I am never certain I am on the thin, clear stuff. I go with tyvek. The bright white is easy to see. Tyvek is heavier.
Good luck!
ggreaves
06-13-2017, 18:05
I currently use a Henry shires rainbow tarptent which is great, but can get very moist/ stuffy in weather.
I know you said it would be for ground sleeping only but, keep in mind that a hammock (hung beneath a hammock tarp with doors) would keep you high and dry and condensation free in any weather. The tarps can be pitched low to the ground if you wanted a little more protection for the pooch.
Think of hammocking as a variation of tarping where....
1. you don't get wet
2. you don't have to deal with condensation
3. you sleep in the same comfortable position every night - no matter what rocks and roots you're hanging above.
4. you are being true to LNT principles
Figure 8 for tangle free. Genius
Kentuckyhiker18
01-09-2018, 16:58
I’ve used the Etowah 8x10 tarp for many nights. It is a great shelter and is massive for one person. I can easily set it up with my poles in a couple of minutes. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to tarp camp.
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...How do you keep the lines from getting all in a tangle?
Yes, "...use use zpacks 1.25 mm zline. It has stiffness, don't tangle. Only thing I use. For this reason."
Or, the 2.0 mm Zline. Plus, keeping the side guy out lines relatively short will reduce tangles. Even with Micro line locks on 26-30" long 1.2 mm side guy out lines after lightly stuffing the tarp and lines into a stuff sack I get very few tangles when pulling the tarp back out. On the ridge line lines, which I keep at 5-7 ft, I Figure 8 them as shown or simply stuff them loosely last. Lastly, I try to or never let lay a packed wet tarp with lines. Doesn't hurt to wipe down lines with a damp cloth and let dry either.
Gambit McCrae
01-10-2018, 09:06
I started in college due to necessity carrying a good ol fashioned blue tarp. Looking back it was the best choice I had to make. It taught me the importance of camp site location, pitch and probably ended up bringing me closer to the trail early on in my hiking career. From there I got a henry shires tarptent SS2 which when the doors are left open, is not much different then a tarp tarp. Since then I have gotten myself a HMG echo ii tarp which IMO is a pretty technical tarp due to its size being so small. Now with the weight of the duplex, and still being able to use the "doors open" concept during nice weather, I will probably not go back to the HMP cuben tarp unless it is a nice, winter weekend locally.
wordstew
12-24-2018, 11:15
Buy yourself one of these it will give you a ton of options https://www.2gosystems.com/products/trifecta?variant=1911811899401
Experiment with the classic blue tarp from your lobcal hardware store. 8x10 is a generous size. For me, a one corner up, three corners down setup works well. When you are ready, consider a silnylon tarp for best cost/weight. Have fun experimenting.
Good idea to experiment before you shell out the bucks, and since you thought the Ray Jardine tarp with beaks seemed like a good idea, check out the Warbonnet minifly ( and their guylines): https://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/product/minifly-tarp/
That's what I use with my hammock and my bivy.
Experiment with the classic blue tarp from your lobcal hardware store. 8x10 is a generous size. For me, a one corner up, three corners down setup works well.
Exactly this. Before the advent of silnylon I literally lived under a 6 x 8 blue plastic tarp for years, using this exact setup configuration. 8x10 should be plenty of room for you and a malamute. Very dry, airy, easy.
P.S., these days they also come in brown, green, and even camo.
The rain fly of my first tent had 8 guy lines and resembled most of the fancy ready made fitted tarps on the market today.
The guy lines never got tangled up. I just tossed them on the fly as straight as possible. Folded and rolled the fly and unrolled and unfolded the fly to set it up. I’ve done the same with several subsequent rain flys.
In my experience, it is impossible to get the guy lines tangled up.
YMMV.
Wayne
Five Tango
12-25-2018, 09:22
You can get an excellent tarp from hammockgear.com called the Quest 2 for $60.Works for hammocks or ground sleepers.You can get excellent hammocks from Dutchweargear.com that are reasonably priced if you ever decide you want a really good nights sleep out of the "spider and flood zone".
Or you could find an old shower curtain like Grandma Gatewood had and hang it over a piece of twine stretched between two trees and experiment before spending the big $$$.
..Or you could find an old shower curtain like Grandma Gatewood had and hang it over a piece of twine stretched between two trees and experiment before spending the big $$$.
Shower curtain sizes are a standard 72"(6Ft) X 72"(6Ft). The tall versions are up to 72" X 84"(7 Ft). Both have too little coverage, especially for one new to tarps. Inadequate coverage is one of the primary reasons why sheltering under a tarp can become a miserable wet east coast experience.
Grandma Gatewood spent time in homes a lot. She was a survivor accustomed to rough times and doing what she needed with what she had. What Grandma Gatewood experienced on her 1955 hike and two later thrus in the early 60's poorly mimics in some ways what AT thru hikers currently experience. I would have loved meeting that resilient woman.
Five Tango
12-25-2018, 17:17
Shower curtain sizes are a standard 72"(6Ft) X 72"(6Ft). The tall versions are up to 72" X 84"(7 Ft). Both have too little coverage, especially for one new to tarps. Inadequate coverage is one of the primary reasons why sheltering under a tarp can become a miserable wet east coast experience.
Grandma Gatewood spent time in homes a lot. She was a survivor accustomed to rough times and doing what she needed with what she had. What Grandma Gatewood experienced on her 1955 hike and two later thrus in the early 60's poorly mimics in some ways what AT thru hikers currently experience. I would have loved meeting that resilient woman.
A nice HG Quest for 60 bucks would be my first choice but the OP did mention plastic sheeting and shower curtains.Of the two,shower curtain hands down.I have always wondered how Mrs. Gatewood got thru her hike with a shower curtain but apparently she did it,PF Flyers and all.
Plenty of people have experimented with the Walmart Blue tarp so it apparently works and can be had for under $10. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sigman-10-x-12-Blue-Tarp/381371486