View Full Version : 8'x10' sil Tarp
I'm looking at both the Equinox and Etowah sil tarps. The Equinox has grommets and appears to be about $20 cheaper while the Etowah has tabs/loops. I'd like to save the $$ but have heard the grommets can rip the sil. Just wondering if anyone has had first hand probs w/the grommets...or any other comment on either tarp. :confused:
Phoenixdadeadhead
06-05-2009, 20:42
Sorry man, I scored my 6x6 for free on the side of the road lol. I prefer grommets though if that helps at all
Wise Old Owl
06-05-2009, 21:05
I would be surprised if grommets held even if the corners were re-enforced. Regular tarps appear to have a problem with grommets.
bullseye
06-05-2009, 21:13
As soon as you place a hole in a high stress area you're bound to have a failure under a tight pitch. Even if that weren't the case, replacing a torn loop in the field is much easier than replacing a ripped out grommet.
FWIW worth, I sell the Etowah tarps and if the quality wasn't top notch I wouldn't bother.
It's your site, Bullseye, that I've been looking at for the Etowah. Quick question...the seam appears to be 8', how does that hold up if being pulled using the 10' length as the ridgeline? Any probs w/the seam being over stressed?
TwoForty
06-05-2009, 23:48
A lot of people like to speculate about grommets and "how they they think they will hold up" without ever using them. In reality, they work just fine. I pitched my Equinox 8X10 tight as a drum for years and never saw any hints that they grommets were pulling out. People have done entire thru hikes with these tarps.
Actually, I have never heard of someone with an Equinox that had a grommet failure, only people speculating.
Anyways, It's a great tarp.
bullseye
06-06-2009, 02:46
It's your site, Bullseye, that I've been looking at for the Etowah. Quick question...the seam appears to be 8', how does that hold up if being pulled using the 10' length as the ridgeline? Any probs w/the seam being over stressed?
No worries, that's how they're made. If it were a problem Paul at Etowah would've changed it years ago. I haven't had seam pull on one of his tarps yet, and I pitch them pretty tight.
A lot of people like to speculate about grommets and "how they they think they will hold up" without ever using them. In reality, they work just fine. I pitched my Equinox 8X10 tight as a drum for years and never saw any hints that they grommets were pulling out. People have done entire thru hikes with these tarps.
Actually, I have never heard of someone with an Equinox that had a grommet failure, only people speculating.
Anyways, It's a great tarp.
I wasn't "speculating" about tarps w/ grommets having problems, I've had grommets rip out. I agree that Equinox makes a great tarp, I own a 10x10 that I bought at Campmor 18 years ago. I also agree that people hike the AT and never have problems with grommets. It wasn't an attack on Equinox tarps, just a comment on my experience with tarps with grommets over the past 20 years.
bullseye.....under what condition did the grommet give? I often push my gear to the limit and am curious to what caused the failure.
bullseye.....under what condition did the grommet give? I often push my gear to the limit and am curious to what caused the failure.
Jim Adams
06-06-2009, 07:04
Grommets are no weaker than sewn in ties or loops. Most people that end up having a problem with grommets ripping out do so because they don't tie off enough of them. You wouldn't consider setting up your tent in high wind with only one stake yet alot (most) people will have the tarp tied only at the corners and then when a gust rips out a corner grommet they complain about how weak grommets are. Tie off EVERY grommet that you can and you will not have grommet problems. I have had sil nylon tarps pitched in 70mph winds from a hurricane and not had failures. It is all in your set-up.
geek
Walking Dead
06-06-2009, 08:32
BTW the Campmor brand of nylon tarps, while not sil, are actually Equinox tarps. Got a 9x9 for $33 that works great for me. I've also never had a grommet rip out even on cheap poly tarps and high wind.
boarstone
06-06-2009, 09:16
I made my silnylon tarp...used grommets...work good for me...each his own
bullseye
06-06-2009, 10:56
bullseye.....under what condition did the grommet give? I often push my gear to the limit and am curious to what caused the failure.
Just a freak thing, no high winds or crazy weather, just a tight pitch. It was on one of the first tarps I owned many moons ago and a grommet pulled out under tension. That's why I bought the Equinox with the tabs back then. FWIW, tabs/loops can fail too (I haven't had that experience), but they're easier to fix in the field.
Jim, I agree that an improper pitch probably destroys more tarps than product failure ever will, but just as with any other piece of gear, there are from time to time material/manufacturing defects that pop up in use in all products. Thankfully that isn't as predominate as consumers demand higher quality goods.
As far as the cheap poly tarps go, I've seen plenty of those lose grommets. I've been through 2 on a party tent and I tie off every grommet.
If anyone thought I was disparaging Equinox tarps, I wasn't. They make many great products and I still have one from my early backpacking years. I only conveyed that I've had past issues with grommets. HYOH, if it works for you, great.
TwoForty
06-06-2009, 12:08
Have you ever had the grommet in the Equinox silny tarp tear out?
bullseye
06-06-2009, 12:52
Have you ever had the grommet in the Equinox silny tarp tear out?
No, never had an Equinox with grommets, just tabs. Never said I did.
Tipi Walter
06-06-2009, 18:35
I don't know if Two Speed is still on this forum, but he uses an Etowah 8x12 tarp and has some experience with the thing.
Just tie out all the grommets and you won't have a problem. see this dude's video he used 4 stakes and has a good way of distributing the load using all the grommets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjMmla9DSzo
I may be wrong, but I don't believe Equinox existed 18 years ago. It may be a Eureka you're referring to with three pieces, the middle dark blue and the two ends light blue. I owned one of these dating back to the early 1990s. It was polyurethane coated 1.9 oz. nylon with pull tabs. The coating finally delaminated a few years ago and I threw it out. It had something like 26 tie off points.
I also believe that silnylon didn't exist then - again, I could be wrong.
Btw, I replaced it with an Equinox 10x12 tarp with grommets. I've used it extensively in all kinds of weather including winter hammocking (winds up to 35 mph) with no problems. Pitch it tight and you'll be all right.
FWIW, I used the 8x10 silnylon Equinox tarp (via Campmor) on the my PCT thru-hike back in 2002.
A good bread and butter tarp. Nothing fancy, fairly light, gets the job done.
It is now retired as a backpacking shelter. I have it rigged up so it extends away from my truck bed/camper shell for true dirtbag camping. :)
If are newly experimenting with tarps as possibly full time shelters and are not yet decided you want to spend the money for a higher quality tarp than the cheaper tarps with grommets will give you an intro into using tarps. Certainly, by properly distributing the force throughout the tarp by properly pitching it(this is the key and often comes through experience) by using all the grommets it will lengthen the life of a less expensive tarp. But, better tarps, that have a tendency to last longer, when all other things are equal, are almost always made with properly reinforced tie outs.
rootball
06-12-2009, 20:26
I have a green 8x10 equinox - never had a problem both times I used it. I seam sealed it on both sides.
Do you want to buy mine?
bullseye
06-24-2009, 16:05
I may be wrong, but I don't believe Equinox existed 18 years ago. It may be a Eureka you're referring to with three pieces, the middle dark blue and the two ends light blue. I owned one of these dating back to the early 1990s. It was polyurethane coated 1.9 oz. nylon with pull tabs. The coating finally delaminated a few years ago and I threw it out. It had something like 26 tie off points.
I also believe that silnylon didn't exist then - again, I could be wrong.
I called Equinox to make sure I wasn't going nuts. Equinox has been making tarps since 1986, and the Campmor tarp I bought was made by them. It was nylon, not sil, but i never said it was. You're correct, there weren't sil tarps back then that I am aware of.
If are newly experimenting with tarps as possibly full time shelters and are not yet decided you want to spend the money for a higher quality tarp than the cheaper tarps with grommets will give you an intro into using tarps. Certainly, by properly distributing the force throughout the tarp by properly pitching it(this is the key and often comes through experience) by using all the grommets it will lengthen the life of a less expensive tarp. But, better tarps, that have a tendency to last longer, when all other things are equal, are almost always made with properly reinforced tie outs.
What he said:D.
Two Speed
06-24-2009, 16:43
Got an Etowah Outfitter's 8' x 10' tarp. The loops are tacked once, and are showing signs of pulling out after minimal use. I hate having to say this, got a couple of Etowah Outfitter pack covers and they're the bomb.
Also have an Oware CatTarp. The loops are double bar tacked, and a piece of reinforcing cloth is sewn in at every tie out. Much happier with Oware's product.
bullseye
06-24-2009, 16:47
Got an Etowah Outfitter's 8' x 10' tarp. The loops are tacked once, and are showing signs of pulling out after minimal use. I hate having to say this, got a couple of Etowah Outfitter pack covers and they're the bomb.
Also have an Oware CatTarp. The loops are double bar tacked, and a piece of reinforcing cloth is sewn in at every tie out. Much happier with Oware's product.
Oware makes great stuff! Did you try contacting Paul at Etowah? He'll definitely make good on anything that's a manufacturing defect.
Two Speed
06-25-2009, 12:56
If you have a way to contact Paul please PM it to me. I hate to bash his stuff without giving him a chance to address the problem. The pack covers have been the bomb.
I want to purchase a tarp to bring with me just as extra. I dont want it for my primary shelter but I would like it to pitch along with my tent, or more so for when its raining I can tie it out and maintain a somewhat dry area to set up my tent. However on just right nights I could use it as my shelter. I was looking at an 8x8 coated nylon tarp on Campmor
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___22228
I was wondering about the weight and the packed size on it though. Anyone have any recomendations on this tarp?
Two Speed
07-17-2009, 10:54
Just so no one gets the wrong impression I'm prepping to do a decent trip and have been to busy to contact Paul, so please don't make any judgments about his products and customer service until I get back to this in a couple of weeks.
Thanks
FTS
Two Speed
09-28-2009, 12:52
Okey doke, got a chance to talk to Paul, explained my issues with my Etowah Outfitters tarp and he offered to make some changes for me. Received the modified tarp this weekend and it looks good. I'm one of those "show me" types so I'm not gonna go on record and say the modifications are exactly what I was looking for until I get a chance to take it out on a couple of trips, but I am very impressed with Paul's approach to customer service. First class all the way.
bullseye
10-04-2009, 14:25
Okey doke, got a chance to talk to Paul, explained my issues with my Etowah Outfitters tarp and he offered to make some changes for me. Received the modified tarp this weekend and it looks good. I'm one of those "show me" types so I'm not gonna go on record and say the modifications are exactly what I was looking for until I get a chance to take it out on a couple of trips, but I am very impressed with Paul's approach to customer service. First class all the way.
And that is why I continue to carry his gear. He's a standup guy;).