Tarp suggestions

[JBo6]

I got the chance to play around with a 8x5 Integral Designs silnylon tarp and they seem pretty slick. Any opinions on tarp usage for winter ski touring through summer backpacking. Something like a 8x10? Or go with a Megalight or other fitted tarp? What do you think?

[EastCoastBastard]

I have a betamid (bought it before the betalite was around.. shit that tent's almost 10 years old!) that I've used for everything from ski touring to car camping or long alpine climbing trips. I really like a tarp (preferably one with a floor in the spring).

If you like to set your tarp up in multiple ways, maybe a non-fitted tarp is better.

 

If you are going to be using it as a tent, then I'd get a "fitted" type tarp. I think they're more weather resistant, easier to set up and less of a cluster.

[mattp]

I have carried a 10 x 12 tarp for many years on ski, kayak and hiking trips. It is nice to have extra coverage, in my opinion. Unless there is a bug problem, mice, or on any trip where you will be camping above timberline, I prefer tarps to tents.

 

I have been on a lot of group trips, particularly winter ski camping trips, where my friends were skeptical at first but by the second night of the trip everybody was hanging out under my tarp and using their tents only for sleeping.

[DPS]

I have carried a 10 x 12 tarp for many years on ski, kayak and hiking trips. It is nice to have extra coverage, in my opinion. Unless there is a bug problem, mice, or on any trip where you will be camping above timberline, I prefer tarps to tents.

 

I have been on a lot of group trips, particularly winter ski camping trips, where my friends were skeptical at first but by the second night of the trip everybody was hanging out under my tarp and using their tents only for sleeping.

 

Count me as a skeptic converted. In February one year, Alex, Matt and I climbed the NE Couloir on Colchuck. We dug a big pit in the trees and put up Matt's tarp as a roof. It was really nice to hang out in and I slept in a +40 degree sleeping bag, so I have to believe it traps at least some heat.

 

As for fitted tarps, Mountain Hardwear has some interesting, and incredibly light designs for four and six people. They say the material is a little stronger than standard SilNylon. The GoLite Shangi Las are pretty sweet looking. My BD Betamid has been workhorse for 10 years. Too bad the Megamid is no longer available in the heavier nylon version.

[jared_j]

I've had good luck with an 8 x 10 flat tarp from Oware . Haven't used it in winter much, more as a 3-season shelter when bugs aren't a concern. Though there are myriad options, I've gotten down four pitch options that work for me ranging from open and ventilated to fairly hunkered down.

 

w.r.t. tarp selection, there's a tradeoff. The fitted tarps cited above give you a more secure structure that can keep away blowing snow or precip more effectively than a flat tarp can regardless of pitch. They're also "set it and forget it" - one way (more or less) of pitching just like a tent.

 

The flip side is that a flat tarp can be configured in a number of ways, which can be handy in summer / spring conditions if you want different pitching options.

 

To have success with the flat tarp route requires some nominal amount of practice figuring out what pitch configurations work for your needs; some people are turned off by this. After a long tiring day some may not want to eff with the extra energy / thought required.

[mattp]

That Oware tarp looks pretty good. It has the center pull-outs that make a tarp work, and the description says all of the pull-outs are reinforced. I worry about the super light fabrics, though. If you set it up in the bushes and get hammered by a windstorm - a likely event of you are camping on the coast for example - how will it hold up to being poked or chaffed? Everything has its limits, of course, but I often worry about the durability of light weight gear.

[JeffreyR]

I have logged somewhere around 20 nights around the PNW in the past couple winters under one of those cheap blue tarps from the Home Depot. It works fine for me, but one of those nice silnylon tarps would be a lot more packable. Maybe try one while you decide which nicer one is best to blow the big bucks on...

[DPS]

I worry about the super light fabrics, though.

 

I have the original Betamid. It is 10 years old and had been my go to shelter for all those years. It looks as good as new aside from a few stains. My buddy bought the SilNylon version and inside of 2 years grew huge holes in the perimeter. It saves a pound of weight, but in a storm I worry about the fabric coming apart. Seems like they could use a techy fabric that saves some weight yet is still plenty strong. I will personally never buy a tarp that uses SilNylon.

[downey]

spend the $100 or so and buy a silnylon tarp like the betalite or megalite (i'd vote for the megalite for 3 person versatility. Your knees will be happier on the down at least which has some dollar value. Also, silnylon holds up great in my experience so long as you don't let your anchors (rocks, limbs) come in contact with the fabric... in fact, they have surprised me with their durability and stormworthyness - hard to imagine a blue tarp would perform near as well in that department.

 

 

 

[hydroman]

SilNylon is actually very strong in terms of tensile strength. Many high end tents use it now. The trick is that it is not as abrasion resistant as urethane coated nylon (which is typically heavier material). SilNylon works great in tarp or tent fly form but you need to be a bit more careful in products where it's used as floor material (which is pretty common these days). I've been using it for years and have had virtually no issues, though I'm careful about making sure things don't come in contact with the material.

[Water]

if money is no issue and worried about durability of silnylon, consider a look at cuben fiber tarps.

[montypiton]

I prefer a plain tarp to a fitted version like a mid -- more versatility. 8 x 10 is generous; 10 x 12 is luxurious unless you're a group of 4 or so. I've used 'em year round, pitched over a snow trench on winter tours, or between trekking poles on light summer trips. Light material should not be an issue unless you plan to use it for a groundsheet...

 

[chris]

Brooks Range makes a great version of an 8'x10' tarp with a velcro lining that seals it into an 8'x5' "envelope" bivy sack that easily fits one, fits two in a pinch, and fits three long-wise sitting up. I take it with me on most trips.

 

Note: They're now made 10'x10', 9'x6', or 8'x5'. There's also a KISS groundsheet that's really reasonable. LINK: http://brooks-range.com/tarps/

[JBo6]

Funny. The Brooks Range tarp was exactly the one that prompted this post.