View Full Version : Tarps for the light hike?
Hey everybody,
I'm thinking about buying a lightweight tarp that's big enough for 2 people and gear when pinned down tight in case of whipping rain and wind.
Does anybody have any recommendations in general or comments in regards to the following products I've seen:
http://www.granitegear.com/products/tarps/white_lightnin/index.shtml
http://www.golitestore.com/store/NS_proddetail.asp?number=AC0206
Thanks...
I believe that BackpackingLight did a pseudo-review of the 8' x 10' White Lightnin' a while back, but you need a membership to view it.
Brian
OES
Nearly Normal
02-04-2006, 01:56
I have the White Lightnin. It's a very good article. Pitches as tight as a drum. As a solo I have the 8x10 but wish I had gotten a 10x10 for a little more height. The only thing I don't like is the cloud white color. It lets to much light in at night and keeps me awake. Camo or a earth color would suit me better as I really prefer blending into the surrounding vs standing out. Not many other pitch options other than pup.
Dries very quickly.
Very well made.
pete
Thanks...thanks for the tip about the larger-sized White Lightnin'.
You mentioned color...that's something that I've wondered about too. If a manufacturer like Granite Gear that has only one or two models, why don't they produce them in colors like dark green, brown, or stone?
I notice this is the case with hammocks, too...as far as I am concerned if you're doing a lightweight hike, possibly stealthing much of the time (e.g.,GSMNP), would prefer not to get caught, and are generally doing around 20 clicks a day on the down low, I don't understand why you would want to attract a lot of attention.
Hey everybody,
I'm thinking about buying a lightweight tarp that's big enough for 2 people and gear when pinned down tight in case of whipping rain and wind.
Does anybody have any recommendations in general or comments in regards to the following products I've seen:
http://www.granitegear.com/products/tarps/white_lightnin/index.shtml
http://www.golitestore.com/store/NS_proddetail.asp?number=AC0206
Thanks...
http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/silnylon_tarps.htm
http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/silnylon_tarps.htm
Thanks. Good color choice and good price...the 8x10 model especially.
~~~ If a manufacturer like Granite Gear that has only one or two models, why don't they produce them in colors like dark green, brown, or stone?
~~~I don't understand why you would want to attract a lot of attention.
Marketing
Brand Recognition
Do manufacturers really care what color you like, or do they want to be noticed? That was the major philosophical difference between Jardine and Golite, wasn't it?
check out the flat tarps and cat tarps at http://www.owareusa.com/. i have a cat tarp and is the best built tarps i have seen. it has reinforcements at every tie out and has no grommets. it looks similar to the ones mentioned above but not as heavy.
JoeHiker
02-06-2006, 13:40
If I were you, I would go and order a custom tarp from the Outdoor Equipment Supplier guy (google that name, you'll find it). I have his tarp for the Hammock and it's the best constructed piece of equipment I own, super strong and super light
rusty075
02-06-2006, 14:20
For 1-2 people and a couple of packs the Golite UL Tarp 4 you linked might be oversized. That's a 10'x12' sheet of fabric flapping in the breeze. I would look at their Lair 1 & 2 tarps. I've got a lair1, and have slept either me and a pack, or two people under it comfortably. The lair2 should be big enough to throw the packs under there with two people. Besides being lighter, the Lair's have the closed rear beak and cantanary ridge which should make them more weathertight. If you've got anyplace close to you that sells Golite it might be worh the trip to go see them in person.
If I were you, I would go and order a custom tarp from the Outdoor Equipment Supplier guy (google that name, you'll find it). I have his tarp for the Hammock and it's the best constructed piece of equipment I own, super strong and super light
You're talking about Brian. Nice kid...after I posted this thread he emailed me and offered to send me a sample tie-out. I haven't gotten it in the mail yet but if the photos are any indication they are reinforced pretty well.
Also, I think he's an Eagle Scout and since he's a young person with his own business I'm pretty impressed. Everybody I've talked to who has every bought a tarp from him has good things to say.
peter_pan
02-09-2006, 09:38
Thanks...thanks for the tip about the larger-sized White Lightnin'.
You mentioned color...that's something that I've wondered about too. If a manufacturer like Granite Gear that has only one or two models, why don't they produce them in colors like dark green, brown, or stone?
I notice this is the case with hammocks, too...as far as I am concerned if you're doing a lightweight hike, possibly stealthing much of the time (e.g.,GSMNP), would prefer not to get caught, and are generally doing around 20 clicks a day on the down low, I don't understand why you would want to attract a lot of attention.
... green 8x8 here http://216.83.168.206/index_files/Products%20List_files/8x8%20SilNyl%20Tarp.htm
Pan
tlbj6142
02-09-2006, 10:37
Color does matter a bit. I believe light colored tarps, besides allowing more light through, have less radiant heat loss which reduces condensation. Even Jardine mentions that on his site that sells purple tarps. Made with...
We have developed a process that prevents our silicone nylon from passing a fine mist in a heavy rain. This process adds no weight, and is proprietary, meaning available only from us.Good thing he gave us the definition of that big word "proprietary" otherwise I might not have known what it means. We're not worthy. We're not worthy.
Most folks think the mist-through effect is a result of condensation not fabric penetration.
Also, GG always seems to have a bit of winter in their thought process so maybe that's why they are white. Its not like they put a bit logo on the tarp.
Speaking of Ray, did you notice on his page talking about his tarps....
"And even though this tarp is open all around, it is probably warmer than the tent you are currently using. Why? Because of the tarp's superior ventilation. A tent traps moisture, and this moisture saps body heat."
Maybe its just me, but that statement doesn't seem to contain much truth in regards to warmth?
A little smaller, but a full pound lighter than most of the other tarps...
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/stealth_one_nano_ultralight_tarp.html
Hey everybody,
I'm thinking about buying a lightweight tarp that's big enough for 2 people and gear when pinned down tight in case of whipping rain and wind.
Does anybody have any recommendations in general or comments in regards to the following products I've seen:
http://www.granitegear.com/products/tarps/white_lightnin/index.shtml
http://www.golitestore.com/store/NS_proddetail.asp?number=AC0206
Thanks...
this is much better:cool: neo
http://trailquest.net/dlgctaclight.html
http://trailquest.net/dlgcponchotarp.html
http://trailquest.net/dlgctacomatarp.html
tlbj6142
02-10-2006, 16:50
Maybe its just me, but that statement doesn't seem to contain much truth in regards to warmth?Well, moisture does make for a colder night. But what about the dramatic increase in convectional heat loss due to wind? Most folks will tell you a tent is warmer, but Ray has this "thing" about moisture that is his motivating factor in that quote.
What I always find odd is that he seems to be the only one that has an issue with all of these moisture issues in a tent. He makes it sound like if you spend a couple of nights in a tent, you'll be dripping with water. Can't say I've read that from anyone else but him.
That said, I'd rather sleep under a tarp than in a tent. I love the breeze and the "open" feeling.
Site selection is probably the biggest issue with moisture, if you setup your tarp down in a grass meadow, I don't care what kind of shelter you are using, you are going to feel damp in the morning.
Dont get me wrong, I use a tarptent for my hiking excursions. I recognize that moisture and condensation can be an issue in tents & at times tarps as well. But in the end, I dont think there is any question that people sleep warmer in a tent than they do in a tarp (given the same rating on the sleeping bag they are using.)
dstenberg1
02-14-2006, 22:35
I have a new Oware 1.5 Cat Tarp for sale. It is very large for one person. www.backpackinglight.com did a review of the smaller version of this tarp and really liked it. You can go check out the review. Look at www.owareusa.com or the gear for sale section on whiteblaze to see the posting for the tarp. The tarp is for sale for $86. The catenary cut makes it very stable in wind and rain.
There is always the Gossamer gear SpinnTwin
http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/Spinn-Twinn.html?id=FaK7AaXy:68.224.93.189
I have the GoLite Hut one. Even though they say it is for one person, it's huge! My girlfriend and I hiked 400 miles on the AT together and it was plenty big enough for the both of us, gear and all.
Cheesewhiz
02-15-2006, 08:38
You're talking about Brian. Nice kid...after I posted this thread he emailed me and offered to send me a sample tie-out. I haven't gotten it in the mail yet but if the photos are any indication they are reinforced pretty well.
Also, I think he's an Eagle Scout and since he's a young person with his own business I'm pretty impressed. Everybody I've talked to who has every bought a tarp from him has good things to say.
I own the Maccat Deluxe for my hammock set up and it is THE best tarp I have ever seen constructed. This tarp pitches as tight as a drum and is bombproop during storms. I added my own tarp tensioners(same as JRB, but homemade) These added a little weight to the already 15 oz tarp but it wasa so worth it, I get NO SAG at all with dew covered silnylon.
wilderness bob
03-08-2006, 23:36
The biggest problem that I saw overlooked by tarp users was the bugs along the trail. You can use a head or body net however, they are hot. If the net touches your skin, you will get bitten there. Things crawl all along the ground on the trail as well as on your face. Interupted sleep through out the night sucks. I went a week in a tarp like tent and will never go back to one if I have a choice. FYI, many cases of Lyme disease were repoted along the trail as well as one case of West Nile. Netting is the way to go in my opinion. WB, class of 05
KirkMcquest
03-08-2006, 23:45
The biggest problem that I saw overlooked by tarp users was the bugs along the trail. You can use a head or body net however, they are hot. If the net touches your skin, you will get bitten there. Things crawl all along the ground on the trail as well as on your face. Interupted sleep through out the night sucks. I went a week in a tarp like tent and will never go back to one if I have a choice. FYI, many cases of Lyme disease were repoted along the trail as well as one case of West Nile. Netting is the way to go in my opinion. WB, class of 05
Bob I saw you on the trail in CT in '05. You were camping out south of salisbury, not far from the water plant I think ( if your the same Wilderness Bob). This was back in july during some pretty hot weather. You asked me and Longshank to give a message to some dude ( I can't remember the name, something like a flower) who we never ran into.
wilderness bob
03-28-2006, 15:01
KirkMcquest, Yes I do remember you. The man's trail name was Dandylion. He finished about a week before me. Thanks for trying to get the message to him. July last summer sure was a hot one. I lost 32 pounds before the heat finally broke. See you up the trail. Wilderness Bob
ppereira007
03-29-2006, 14:36
http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/silnylon_tarps.htm
quick question from an unexperienced tarp user. what's the difference between a "normal" tarp and the "cat" cut. yes, i can see the difference in the pictures, but why:confused: stronger? is the ridge line higher?
thx,
:-?
RockyTrail
03-29-2006, 14:50
A caternary is the shape formed by a rope loosely tied between two fence posts, similar to the drooping cables that hold up the Golden Gate Bridge.
If a tent or tarp is designed with this shape for the ridgeline (as opposed to just a straight ridgeline) it will result in a more taut fabric surface and generally not sag as much. It's sort of like building-in the sag before it happens...is this what you are asking?
ppereira007
03-29-2006, 14:52
lol sorry, i think i already answered my own questions.
i'm just trying to find if one style is better than the other.
ppereira007
03-29-2006, 14:53
A caternary is the shape formed by a rope loosely tied between two fence posts, similar to the drooping cables that hold up the Golden Gate Bridge.
If a tent or tarp is designed with this shape for the ridgeline (as opposed to just a straight ridgeline) it will result in a more taut fabric surface and generally not sag as much. It's sort of like building-in the sag before it happens...is this what you are asking?
yes, yes. cool THANK YOU
this is a great tarp:cool: neo
10x12
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=88644&memberId=12500226&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1
12x12
but i like this one better:cool: neo
http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=97247
betic4lyf
03-29-2006, 22:19
the golden gate bridge is not a catenary but a parabola. when a string does not support weight except its own, then it is a catenary, but when it is supporting a set weight, evenly along its horizontal length, like a cable stayed bridge, it is a parabola.maybe they would be what works for a tarp, but maybe not, as the forces are funky
ppereira007
03-29-2006, 22:31
the golden gate bridge is not a catenary but a parabola. when a string does not support weight except its own, then it is a catenary, but when it is supporting a set weight, evenly along its horizontal length, like a cable stayed bridge, it is a parabola.maybe they would be what works for a tarp, but maybe not, as the forces are funky
yes, yes, right you are.
I thought most suspension bridges follow parabolic curves?
a good example of a catenary curve is the gateway arch in st. louis (been doin my homework:eek: )
For many years I used an assortment of tarps. It was when I got nailed at my eye by a scorpion that I realized very lightweight and breathable tents where now on the market. I got a Walrus Swift and have never looked back. I now stay warmer, dryer, and less bug bitten than before. The extra weight was a negative, but you can only go so light before you start taking big risks with your health &/or life.
Footslogger
05-11-2006, 14:14
[quote=wilderness bob]The biggest problem that I saw overlooked by tarp users was the bugs along the trail. You can use a head or body net however, they are hot. If the net touches your skin, you will get bitten there.
==============================
Discovered that the hard way. Found a product by OR called the "Bug Bivy".
http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/tentdetail.cfm/OR208
About 11 oz and has a waterproof floor and a small hoop pole that keeps the netting off of you. Don't need a ground cloth either. Ended up getting another one for my wife. When we hike together and use a tarp that's the way we go. If it's really pretty out at night we sometimes dispense with the tarp all together and just use the bivys.
'Slogger
'slogger, if you're going to carry an 11 oz net with your tarp, why not just carry a tent? just wondering.
Footslogger
05-11-2006, 14:41
'slogger, if you're going to carry an 11 oz net with your tarp, why not just carry a tent? just wondering.
===========================
I do most of the time when I'm solo hiking. I have a Lunar Solo-e that weighs 23 oz and that includes the floor and mesh.
But sometimes we just as soon take the tarp. We have the GoLite Cave 1. Plenty of room for 2 underneath and the Bug Bivies (like I said earlier) give us the opportunity to sleep "under the stars" on really nice nights without having to concern ourselves with bugs or creepy crawlies.
'Slogger
Some years ago, before tarps evolved and became so popular, I bought some camouflage ripstop nylon, then paid a seamstress with an industrial sewing machine to make a couple of tarps. Very effective but significantly heavier than silnylon.
I have a couple silnylon tarps from Integral Designs, but I'm not familiar with tarps from other makers.
Is anyone familiar with more than one tarp, who has developed preferences and can offer comparisons?
i've used tarps for a while, and it's only been lately that you have any real choices. now, there's a lot to think about. some are shaped and some are rectangles and some have tie-outs and some have grommets and some have doors and some are covered only on one end, etc.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-11-2006, 16:27
The male dino won't sleep under a tarp alone and I need a lot of protected space because I can't squat down to cook and have to crawl to something for support to get up. We've got the 10' x 12' campmor tarp mentioned by Neo in post #30. It is a great tarp - many pitching options, tons of dry space in rain, excellent wind protection and weighs only 19 ozs. We also carry a very small tent (3 lbs)
'slogger, if you're going to carry an 11 oz net with your tarp, why not just carry a tent? just wondering.
Also, to stay as warm as being in a tent you need to have more sleeping bag when you tarp. I know, been there done that. You also use less insect repellent when you tent. I'm not opposed to the tarp, I would rather tarp than stay in a shelter. However, since the evolution of light wt tents and the fact I don't want to be bothered by snakes, deer ticks, other bugs, etc...I only tent.
tlbj6142
05-11-2006, 20:16
Also, to stay as warm as being in a tent you need to have more sleeping bag when you tarp.But you can't say the same about lightweight tents vs. tarps. Ex. a Tarptent, or SMD Lunar, are "just as cold" as a tarp. To get a "warmer tent" you need a double walled shelter, which is significantly heavier than 4oz of down.
Regarding tarps, bugs, etc....
To do it "right"(?), either get a big tarp (8'x10' or bigger) with bug bivy like thing (A16) for those times when bugs are an issue or to use in a shelter alone. Or go with smaller tarp (8'x5' or smaller), and a sleeping bag shell (aka breathable bivy). The later also doubles as your bug netting and ground cloth. Resulting in a shelter setup as "warm" as a tent (no convectional heat loss), no bugs (mesh screen in bivy) and far lighter than a traditional tarp setup.
Honestly, for the AT you have 2 options for shelters, tarp setup (one of the above) or a hammock. Everything else is too heavy, overkill or both.
I don't know about a tarptent, but a tarp won't keep 100% of the wind off of you, blowing rain out. I can't imagine the time one would need to spend on setting up a tarp to do the same thing my tent will. Granted, I'm carrying about 2.5 lbs more than my old tarp setup, but I stay dryer, warmer, and without the critters in my tent.
To add to my last post. The main reason I switched from tarp to tent was the BUGS. I never used my tarp in times of winter conditions and regretted having a tarp when I got caught in high winds and blowing rain/snow when I did use it. The tarp has its place, I find it nice to camp close to nature. I discredit no one for using them and I will probably break mine out again one day, although I would never consider taking one on a thru type hike. I really like the seam sealed tent I have, a single person Walrus Swift. The reason I got it is because it was the lightest most bombproof tent I could find at the time. I see some hikers carrying these heavy tents and no way would I do it, that to me is overkill.
bigcranky
05-12-2006, 21:43
The thing I like about carrying a tarp and a bivy sack is the flexibility. I can sleep out under the stars (bivy only), or in a shelter (again, bivy) with no bugs, no mice, no wind, etc. If it's raining, I can pitch the tarp and use it over the bivy. I don't need a ground cloth, and I never roll off my sleeping pad.
The bivy is an older model, not at all waterproof on the top, just very breathable with a large mesh panel over the shoulders and face. At some point I need to replace it (and the tarp) with a lighter model. Time to break out the sewing machine.
Using a tarp well in bad weather takes some extra work. But that's worth it to me to get the weight savings and the view.
HikeLite
05-21-2006, 23:52
Saying someone who tarps is going to have more ticks is silly. On my last trip, I tarped and had one tick. My buddy tented in his hubba and had 4 attached ticks. And I bet none of them were acquired while in a shelter. That tick arguement is nonsense.
12x12
but i like this one better:cool: neo
http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=97247
Also comes in 9 X 9, & that is huge. Set up right, 2 or 3 people (maybe more) AND gear can fit under my 9 x 9.
Cool camo pattern too.
Doctari.
Twofiddy
05-30-2006, 22:17
Etowah Outfitters Sil Nylon 8x10.
8x10 is plenty for 2 people the packs and the dog even on rainy and windy nights.
Etowah makes a great product here in the US that is cheaper price wise than the others.
My second choice would be Granite Gear White Lightening.
I am currently waiting on back ordered Etowah Tarps, but I have White Lightening in stock ready to ship.
Golite Hut1: http://www.golitestore.com/store/NS_proddetail.asp?number=SH6014
Golite Lair1: http://www.golitestore.com/store/NS_proddetail.asp?number=SH6005
Offer great protection, and it don't lighter than that unless you go with a home made or cutom maid smaller tarp.
I have a hut1.
Burkeman
07-07-2006, 18:16
I love my MacCat tarp - fantastic construction quality, and pitches tight as a drum! I'm a HS band director, so I know how tight a drum can get - gotta love this tarp!
Burkeman
Johnny Swank
07-17-2006, 16:08
We use an 8x10 tarp most of the time when the bugs aren't rocking. We also have a integral designs tarp that we use quite a bit in the cooler months. Here's a shot of it set up.
http://sourcetosea.net/MississippiRiver/files/page3-1010-full.html