View Full Version : Tarp
What do yall think of this tarp?
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0045518517605a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntt=XPG+Wing+12&Ntk=Product_liberal&sort=all&Go.y=7&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&_D%3Asort=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&Go.x=19&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
My .02--don't buy this tarp. Even if you get it on sale I think you would be very dissapointed and frustrated with this item. Instead-check out Campmor. You want a flat tarp. Regular polyurathane coating is OK for your first tarp. Actual dimensions will be a bit smaller than what they list-so 8X10 would probably be about 7'6"X 9'6". That is probably about as big as you want to go at first. As you get good at setting up your tarp you will want one smaller and lighter. When you are really happy with your tarp skills you will probably be able to go ultralight with as small as a poncho tarp. Check out the tarping threads here on WB. There are some really good links to help you learn different ways to set one up. Also You Tube. If you want to practice for cheap you could get one of those blue plastic tarps but they are not so easy to use as nylon-or as durable-and they last a long time in a landfill. Have fun. Tarps are the way to go but practice near home.
Thats not a bad looking tarp, a little bright for my tastes :D, but still looking good.
I'd pass. I'd rather have a silnylon tarp than a PU coated tarp.
It is a little heavy though.
Snowleopard
01-11-2010, 22:53
8'x9.5' coated nylon tarp $19.95 is a real bargain. http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___90552
If you want lighter get a silnylon tarp.
pyroman53
01-11-2010, 23:12
If I had my druthers, I would have a 10x10 tarp. Since I couldn't find one that size, I got one 10x12, but I can make allowances for the oversize. Of course, I use it for two people. For one person, maybe 8x10. Weight isn't much difference for the bigger sizes, so it comes down to footprint limitations.
Defintely silnylon...not coated nylon. Keep it lightweight.
Quite possibly more than anyone need know, though not everything there is to know, about tarp set up designs may be found at: http://www.equipped.org/tarp-shelters.htm
My favorite homemade tarp is a variation of the Forrester pattern. I made the tarp 8'6' square with the seam on the diagonal. It is roomy for one and very weather resistant. My 10X10 set this way could sleep three comfortably.
The more ideas you have considered, the better you can adapt the shelter to the site. You may be able to make a marginal site comfortable and with a bit of creativity camp in a space that would not fit a tent.
srestrepo
01-12-2010, 00:12
if you want a tarp, why not support some cottage gear manufacturers and go with backwoodsdaydream.webs.com or with brian at outdoorequipmentsupplier.com. granted both of these tarps are much more expensive, but you get EXACTLY what you want and you get more than what you pay for in my opinion. you can't go wrong with those guys, better to spend the bucks now than to keep spending little chunks of money all the time...
bigcranky
01-12-2010, 08:27
SSR -- that looks like a perfectly nice tarp for the price. As far as I can tell, it's a flat 10x10 foot tarp, for 20 ounces total weight for $60. Not bad. You'll have plenty of options to pitch this using trees or trekking poles.
Pedaling Fool
01-12-2010, 08:52
I only have one question about tarps: What do you do when you're in wind-blown rain?
bigcranky
01-12-2010, 09:47
I only have one question about tarps: What do you do when you're in wind-blown rain?
You choose your campsite with care, and set up your tarp to handle the rain. A good tarp can provide a lot more rain protection than a tent, while letting you cook out of the rain and keep all your gear dry.
A 10x12 foot silnylon tarp weighs about 20 ounces and provides at least 80 square feet of well protected living space. You get to see the sun set and rise, and watch wildlife at dawn and dusk. You are *part* of the woods, not separate from it.
A very light 2-person tent weighs at least twice that much, and provides half as much living space, and you shouldn't cook inside it. As an added feature, some tents are designed to allow rain to pour inside when you open the door to get in or out. :mad: (Ask me how I know this. Grrrr.)
Tarping requires more careful site selection and a little more thought and effort in proper pitching. (If you are hammocking, it requires two good trees. In some ways, hammocking may be the easiest and best way to use a tarp.) But the upsides to tarping make it worthwhile, IMHO.
(Do I use a tent? Sure, when it's appropriate. Summer bugs, hiking with my wife, etc. I also like my hammock on warm solo trips, and my tarptent in the winter. I just take whatever shelter is best for a given trip. A lot of the time, that's a 6x10 silnylon tarp.)