DIY Winter Tarp Help

[Cold Butt Stephen]

Hey y'all,
I am planning on doing a DIY Winter tarp. Right now, I am thinking of 11' by 10' foot with cat cuts, similar to a scaled down version of winter dream from the Backwoods Daydreamer, Scott.

I was hoping that some of you would be able to help me with some questions.
1. What is the easiest way to seal the hems of the sil in y'all's (don't really know how to spell that word ) experience? Grosgrain? Some type of sewing?

2. Do you think I need to scale down the width since I am scaling down the length in order to get it to work well?

3. I want to do closing doors. What type of closure do y'all suggest? Velcro, Omnitape, zipper, some type of clasps?

Answers, to any/all of the questions would be awesome, as well as any general advice y'all have on making winter tarps or tarps in general (this is my first DIY tarp) would be really great.

Thanks y'all, this forum has been great to me for info an nice people in general.

[MAD777]

I don't bother to seal the hem around the edges. Nor do I use grosgain or other re-enforcement on the edges (except at the tie-out) because it's just added weight.

[Shug]

I made one three years ago ..... still going strong.
Sewed hem on my edges .... no grosgrain.
I used velcro on doors to keep them shut ....I was thinking blowing snow at the time. For me ... nice to be able to shut them all the way.
Here are some pix to give you some ideas.....

Shug

A few days ago .... pole mod and pull outs.


Tarp-Flaps-Velcro-Closed.jpg

Tarp-Flaps-tied-back.jpg

Tarp-Inside-Closures-.jpg

Tarp-in-Snow-close.jpg

Tarp-Flap-One-Closed.jpg

[Big Jim Mac]

I couldn't get a decent hem on mine so I gave up and just wrapped the edges with grosgrain, pinning it on first. Occasionally had to tear out seams because the edge slipped outside the grosgrain but it got a lot better as I gained experience. Gargoyle gave me some good advice on edge hemming in silnylon -- he says the experts use a tiny hem, I was shooting for 1/2 inch but next time will go much much smaller and see how this works. That curve really makes it tough. Got to say my cat tarp works great though. Toying with adding doors too, if so I will use velcro so I can remove for summer use.

[stevebo]

Shug, that tarps a thing of beauty-------wow! How much does it weigh?

[Shug]

Shug, that tarps a thing of beauty-------wow! How much does it weigh?

Thankee ..... 30 ounces without the pole .... have not weighed that but it is easton light aluminum.
Shug

[sclittlefield]

Hey y'all,
I am planning on doing a DIY Winter tarp. Right now, I am thinking of 11' by 10' foot with cat cuts, similar to a scaled down version of winter dream from the Backwoods Daydreamer, Scott.

I was hoping that some of you would be able to help me with some questions.
1. What is the easiest way to seal the hems of the sil in y'all's (don't really know how to spell that word ) experience? Grosgrain? Some type of sewing?

2. Do you think I need to scale down the width since I am scaling down the length in order to get it to work well?

3. I want to do closing doors. What type of closure do y'all suggest? Velcro, Omnitape, zipper, some type of clasps?

Answers, to any/all of the questions would be awesome, as well as any general advice y'all have on making winter tarps or tarps in general (this is my first DIY tarp) would be really great.

Thanks y'all, this forum has been great to me for info an nice people in general.

Great advice already.

1. Roll Hem. Bind if you want to - it really looks sharp and could give some edge abrasion resistance, but it's not technically needed.

2. No, full width is fine. Actually, you're really just building a Four Season Catenary tarp rather than a Winter Dream (if I understand it correctly).

3. Tough call. Velcro may be ideal, but I will testify that it's a pain in the butt to sew to silnylon. It goes on alright, but the stitching tends not to look all that good (slippery silnylon working against grippy velcro can make feeding at the same speed difficult).

Feel free to toss me an email or PM if you have any specific Backwoods Daydreamer design questions.

- Scott

[Cold Butt Stephen]

Thanks for the photos, Shug. That is a mighty fine tarp. Scott, I guess you are right about it being a lot closer to the 4-season. I do want to have the pull outs on the side and the doors, though. I really appreciate y'all's help (especially your willingness to help me out, Scott).

Another question, what are the advantages/drawbacks between velcro and omnitape?

[Shug]

Thanks for the photos, Shug. That is a mighty fine tarp. Scott, I guess you are right about it being a lot closer to the 4-season. I do want to have the pull outs on the side and the doors, though. I really appreciate y'all's help (especially your willingness to help me out, Scott).

Another question, what are the advantages/drawbacks between velcro and omnitape?

I find velcro has a more aggressive seal. My 1¢......
Shug