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  1. #1
    Senior Member cavscout's Avatar
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    Tarp Test - Fail

    So with the "unexpected" (what do we pay weathermen for anyway) snow last night, I ran out to setup my tarp to see how it would handle it. This is what we had when I finished staking it out


    here's what we had about 2 hours and 3" - 4" later


    This tarp has tie out laces that are stitched on with a bit of webbing on the underside for reinforcement which is pretty good for most purposes at a $40 price point (and quick availability). It's a Campmor

    At roughly 1/4" - 1/2" of snow the far ridge line tie out ripped off. I ended up putting a full ridge line under the tarp to try see further results. The tarp managed to survive the night but just look at that sag! I'm glad I was testing this at home and not out in the bush. Good lessons learned. I now need to get some reinforcing panels stitched to the primary tie out points.

  2. #2
    Senior Member plowhorse's Avatar
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    what kind of tarp was it?
    I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane. - Waylon Jennings

  3. #3
    Senior Member cavscout's Avatar
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    This was the Campmor 10X10 shown here
    http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___22220

  4. #4
    Senior Member angrysparrow's Avatar
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    That's a good reminder that the tarp is often the most important piece of gear we carry with regards to 'shelter'.
    “I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy

  5. #5
    Senior Member Frawg's Avatar
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    Thanks for the report. Was that a wet & heavy snow? I've been using paracord loop tieouts on my DIY tarps. Based on your experience, it looks like I should do some destructive testing.
    - Frawg

    {generic tagline}

  6. #6
    Senior Member Ekul's Avatar
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    here two pics with and without snow load. The snow around the atl was def wet and heavy but the pole mod works wonders. Side tie outs would help also.

    http://shelter-systems.com/gripclips/

    the jacks are selling ^^ 4 for *$ works great for side tieouts
    Attached Images Attached Images

  7. #7
    Senior Member cavscout's Avatar
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    The snow was the wet heavy snow so common in the South. The stitching on the laces was always a concern as they were a single row of short stitching right in the center of the 1/2" lace. So there was a lot of force being applied to a very small point. The positives are the stitching on the tab did not give (the nylon fabric just ripped right thru) and none of the seams ripped, so all in all the tarp is well made, I just need to reinforce the primary tie out points with one of the methods I've seen here. It's probably a given that from here on out this tarp will have a full ridge line when used. I'll just use the ridge tie outs with a prussic knot to keep it from sagging to the center a la photo 2.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by cavscout View Post
    This was the Campmor 10X10 shown here
    http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___22220
    sometimes you get what you pay for, looks like this was the case here. was that a grommit at the rl, or a sewn pull tab?

    that wouldn't have ever happened on a properly reinforced silnylon tarp

  9. #9
    Senior Member SmokeBait's Avatar
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    I always pitch the tarp OVER a full ridgeline in snowy conditions. It just takes a lot of strain off the tie outs. Bummer on your tarp but lesson lesson learned anyway.

    stumo

  10. #10
    swampfox's Avatar
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    Last fall, I took my MacCat Deluxe and Ultra on the Foothills Trail and set up the Ultra as a cooking area. Had a horrendous thunderstorm during the night. Next morning, I found the tarp full of water because I didn't have enough slope on it. Here it is before the storm.

    I don't have a pic after because I was in such a hurry to release the strain. There was a huge ball of water collected on the right hand side and the tarp was touching the ground. The ridgeline, which was connected to the d-rings, not continuous, was tighter than ****'s hat band. So were the side tieouts.
    Bottom line, there was NO damage to the tarp. It looks as good now as the day I got it. Yeah, you get what you pay for.
    He is your friend, your companion, your defender... he is your dog. You are his life, his leader, and master. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of that devotion.

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