Has anyone used a Kelty 12x12 Noah's as a winter trap?
and does anyone have pic's of it setup for as a winter trap?
Has anyone used a Kelty 12x12 Noah's as a winter trap?
and does anyone have pic's of it setup for as a winter trap?
I was wondering the same thing, I saw they were on sale at REI and I am in need of a tarp.
It's a good quality, durable tarp with many tieout options and plenty of coverage. You could do a lot worse. A bit heavier than other sil/spin/cuben options, but a good value. I normally use mine when going out with the wife so we can both hang under the same tarp. You should be able to lock your pitch down tight and get plenty of winter protection.
Someone here posted a great pic for me about 3 weeks ago of a Noah12 in "storm mode." I did a quick search but could not find it. I will keep searching.
Two weekends ago I had a borrowed Noah12 and set it up in like a tent. To do that, you have to pitch it on the square, not the diagonal. It worked very well. Sorry, I should have, but didn't take pics. You can also set up the Noah like a Baker's tent, which I have done as well. It is a versatile little piece. I ordered one and it just arrived on Monday. After work today, I am setting it up with my new UQ on my hammock. I will take a minute to set it up and take pics for you if no photos materialize before then.
“Indian builds small fire and stays warm, white man builds big fire and stays warm collecting firewood”—unknown
“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea”—Karen Blixen
Maybe this is what you were referring to?
(Posted on another forum)....I have been using both a 12x12 and a 9x9 Noah tarp for years and I would hate to give up either one of them. I bought the 12x12 first for base camping and then the 9x9 for backpacking and canoe trips.
Then in 2000, “Doc” on www.backpacking.net ran a series in Shelter Reviews on how to set up and accessorize the 9x9 Noah and do it right. Everything works out of the diamond fly pitch. This is the easiest and fastest pitch and gives you a great amount of headroom and visibility at one end and about 35/40 sq. ft of sleeping/living space and about 20 more for gear storage.
Following Doc’s advice, I like to rig the high end downwind and about 5 to 7 feet high using my hiking staff or a tree and the low end about 2 feet high. He recommends two solutions for nasty weather.
One: Lower the high end a little and tie the “door” partially closed with the top loops that are about 1/3 down from the top. You can go down to about 4 feet if things get really bad and restake the sides to reduce the catenary side gaps and stake the bottom door ties to the ground to really button things up. You lose a lot of headroom, but you should be snug and dry. Any remaining gaps and rain trickles should be over your unfloored side storage and front door cooking areas.
Two: Use a poncho “storm door” to seal things up. This is what I like to do as I usually carry a poncho anyway and I can keep more headroom. Simply face your door with your poncho help out horizontally. Center on your tarp peak and under the guy ropes and wrap around and over the peak. Snap together the poncho along the ridgeline. Use light bungees to run both bottom poncho corners to your side stakes. Unhook either bungee to enter or exit. Those small triangular openings at these corners help with ventilation and any rain spray will fall on the side storage areas.
If the wind is really bad you can tie the sides of your poncho to those top loops. And also if the top of your poncho over the ridgeline wants to balloon, run a line from it to the foot of the tarp. You can also tie off the top grommet of your poncho door to the pole top if it wants to slide down. Most of the time you won’t have use these last steps, but if you think you might, it is really nice to batten down the hatches beforehand.
Three more tips. The foot end of your tarp shelter narrows down pretty fast, so don’t crowd it. Keep the lower part of your ground cloth/sleeping area well within the drip line. And if you pitch the tarp upside down you have 3 interior loops for bug nets, drying lines or whatever. Four stakes will do to get your tarp up, but 8 will really nail it down tight.
Doc has compared his setup to the GoLite Cave tarp. The Cave is about 6-8 ounces lighter, but the Noah is a lot cheaper and a whole bunch easier and faster to set up. He suggests that you try a paper model. Cut a 9-inch square and fold diagonally for your diamond fly tarp. Cut and fold a 5 by 8-inch piece the long way for your poncho. Open and fold two corners like the nose on a paper airplane. Tape these folded edges to make a four-sided pyramid. This is the top of your storm door that fits over the tarp peak.
Have fun.
I took a piece of paper like they recommend and tried. Once you do you can see all sorts of configurations open up.
I have a Noah's 12x12 that my daughter uses in "winter" mode when we hammock. It looks like the picture myles_to_go posted but is usually opened a little wider. It's a nice tarp. I also have a Speer Winter Tarp and I consider the two about equal except for the weight.
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