Tarp recommendations

[shewhorn]

Anyone have a recommendation for a tarp? I'm looking for rip stop nylon. Not interested in the Kelty taffeta "isn't the most compact stuff in the world" tarps. I'd like to to be as compact as possible as this would be something that becomes a permanent part of my regular kit (and I've already been accused of paddling a "brick boat").

Integral designs has a 10'x8' that packs to 4"x8". $145 seems to be the going rate for this (strikes me as a bit much... I mean... it's two pieces of nylon sewn together with a few grommets thrown in).

http://www.rei.com/product/655941

UBG Lightweight tarps... 1.1 oz silicone coated ripstop nylon:

http://www.albionsmo.com/pr-backpacking.asp

Scroll down a bit, there's a 10x12 for about $95 and an 8x10 for $70.

Equinox - 1.9 oz siltarp.

http://www.backcountrygear.com/catalog/acc...tail.cfm/EQ1310

8x10 for $40, 10x12 for $52

I'm thinking that the UBG looks good. From what I can find I think that's as light as you can practically get and the price doesn't seem too outrageous.

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on the above products (differences in build quality... I mean there's really not much that can go wrong with a piece of fabric but ya never know).

Cheers, Joe

[EEL]

Anyone have a recommendation for a tarp?

You might want to consider these from Campmor

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20069

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___22220

I have used a tarp as my principal shelter while camping for many years and prefer them to tents.

In my opinion it is good to have one with many tie points on the surface of the the tarp. That way you can adapt the shape to almost any setting and end up with a spacious yet surprising weather resistant shelter. In the past you could get them with D rings, but now they tend to have ties instead. They and the grommets should have reinforcing fabric as these are stress points and if they rip out in a blow it will ruin your day. I would not go too light as the difference between a robust tarp and an ultralight tarp is not that great, but the difference in durability can be high. I would not consider a tarp a substitute for an emergency shelter that is always part of a kit s for that purpose I think you need something that is quick and easy as in pullout and get in where you are now.

For that I like survival bivy bag or one of those dome jobs made for kayaking kits.

I have this:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___89033

The tarps seem expensive for what is basically some nylon cloth, but the higher quality cloth and thread costs and good stitching/reinforcing does too.

Ed Lawson

[PeterB]

You might want to consider these from Campmor

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20069

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___22220

I have used a tarp as my principal shelter while camping for many years and prefer them to tents.

In my opinion it is good to have one with many tie points on the surface of the the tarp. That way you can adapt the shape to almost any setting and end up with a spacious yet surprising weather resistant shelter. In the past you could get them with D rings, but now they tend to have ties instead. They and the grommets should have reinforcing fabric as these are stress points and if they rip out in a blow it will ruin your day. I would not go too light as the difference between a robust tarp and an ultralight tarp is not that great, but the difference in durability can be high. I would not consider a tarp a substitute for an emergency shelter that is always part of a kit s for that purpose I think you need something that is quick and easy as in pullout and get in where you are now.

For that I like survival bivy bag or one of those dome jobs made for kayaking kits.

I have this:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___89033

The tarps seem expensive for what is basically some nylon cloth, but the higher quality cloth and thread costs and good stitching/reinforcing does too.

Ed Lawson

The Campmor lightweight ripstop nylon tarp is excellent. It is pricey, but is very lightweight and compresses into a very small bag. Given the importance of staying dry and comfortable on a long trip, I would say it's a very important item that should't be scrimped on.

I put a grommet right in the middle of mine so I can prop with a pole or stick in the middle and have a peaked shelter that does not collect water anywhere. The four corners can have cords with quick tie off plastic thingies (don't know their name, but you can get them at REI and probably other places, in the camping accessories department), and the whole thing sets up in less than a minute.

[Deb Millar]

Well, there's always this tarp: www.superiorkayaks.com/superiorkayaks017.htm

Eeeek.

(but they make beautiful carbon fiber greenland paddles....)

Deb M

[shewhorn]

Thanks everyone. I ended up ordering an Equinox 10x8 silicone impregnated tarp (1.1 oz ripstop... similar to the first item Ed listed, in fact I believe that Equinox is probably the OEM for that tarp) from Hilton's Tent City. Deb... that tarp you listed is a pretty cool idea.

Cheers, Joe

[Suz]

Thanks everyone. I ended up ordering an Equinox 10x8 silicone impregnated tarp (1.1 oz ripstop... similar to the first item Ed listed, in fact I believe that Equinox is probably the OEM for that tarp) from Hilton's Tent City. Deb... that tarp you listed is a pretty cool idea.

Cheers, Joe

That will do you! For others thinking about the same thing, a few years back, I decided to make one so ordered the material from Seattle Fabrics - at about $10 a yard as it seemed to be the economical choice. I found the material very difficult to work with, very slippery and hard to get the end seams rolled nicely. Also made a few emergency hatch covers out of it which were OK but needed to be sized exactly so not a universal emergency hatch cover which would have been better.

Anyway - the point of my writing was to point out the cost of the material itself so you could see that a DIY tarp might not be worthwhile.

Sir Godfrey is supposed to come over Tuesday night to try his hand at using my sewing machine to make the very same thing - we can have him report back in afterwords to let us know what he thinks.

Suz

[Phil Allen]

Joe seems to have gotten what he needs, but for others looking I'll recommend a pyramid type tarp shelter such as a black diamond megamid, Mountain hardware Kiva, Sierra designs origami and golite hex. While more constrained in setup options than a flat tarp, all they require is a central pole (paddle) and anchoring, and they're really quite bombproof. I know many folks who have waited out blizzards in them quite comfortably during winter skiing trips, so a small gale shouldn't be a problem.

Phil

[thief]

That will do you! For others thinking about the same thing, a few years back, I decided to make one so ordered the material from Seattle Fabrics - at about $10 a yard as it seemed to be the economical choice. I found the material very difficult to work with, very slippery and hard to get the end seams rolled nicely.

i would recommend using a walking foot and also an OEM rolled hem foot for making your own....

walking food is necessary to get the fabric to feed easily since the bottom feet with just slip on the sil coating.....

rolled hem foot just makes life easy!!!! good for SMALL hems....

for a hem bigger than 1/8th i would just make up my own edge binding by folding and creasing then folding again....then sew it flat......

there is lots of info to be found about sewing coated ripstop nylons here....

rob

[shewhorn]

Anyway - the point of my writing was to point out the cost of the material itself so you could see that a DIY tarp might not be worthwhile.

You could always duct tape everything together.

[John Martinsen]

http://www.owareusa.com/ has pretty cool tarps, and some heavier more durable lay ups for cheaper money. IMO the ultralight tarps aren't worth it for sea kayaking, as weight is not a major issue, and they don't wear as well as heavier\more durable designs.

Painter poles work great for setting up tarps, just bring two or three to set up the ridgeline, and another to open one side. Pack easily in the back hatches of most boats as well. And always bring a few extra hashes of p-cord, comes in handy when extra creativity is required when setting up your tarp.

[shewhorn]

IMO the ultralight tarps aren't worth it for sea kayaking, as weight is not a major issue,

Weight may not be an issue but pack size is, especially on an extended trip and some of the tarps don't pack all that well. I go camping about 2 or 3 times a year and only really need a tarp if it's raining so ultimately it's only something I'll use a few days a year. For my needs I'm really not too concerned with how it wears as I won't be using it a lot, I just want it to pack tiny so there's more room for food and water.

Cheers, Joe

[gyork]

Painter poles work great .......

The name suggests the obvious, but I can't picture what these are?

Gary

[chetpk]

The name suggests the obvious, but I can't picture what these are?

Gary

You can find them in the paint section of Home Depot or any equivalent place. They are light weight aluminum poles in which the inner pole slides in or out of the outer pole to extend or shorten the length of the pole. There is a collar where the inner pole slides out of the outer pole that you can twist tight to lock it into the desired length. Painters attach their rollers to them to reach higher sections of a wall. They aren't expensive and work well with tarps.