Cuban fiber tarps....

[R00K]

Love the cuben - review in the sig.

[MAD777]

Good research there PDA!
I made my own silnylon hex tarp that covers my WBBB for less than $30 of materials and it weighs 7.5 ounces with tie-out (but not guyline).

For a winter tarp that goes to the ground, with doors that is significantly larger than a typical backpacking tent, the cost ratio would feel less important as the miles wore on.

Of course, cuben wouldn't even be on the radar if I car camped.

[tiredhiker]

I have a question about the cuben tarp....
when the heavens open up how does the tarp sound? anything like spinn?

[Shug]

I have a question about the cuben tarp....
when the heavens open up how does the tarp sound? anything like spinn?

A bit between spinn and silnylon......
Shug

[Mike_O]

I'm knid of with Mad on this one. I have both a Zpacks winter tarp and a MLD Hex in spin. From my perspective the cuben MLD was 100 more and only going to save me an ounce or so. I have notice what everyone fails to mention about the big winter tarps in the need for more stakes. If you are truly counting grams then the extra 6 or so stakes starts to add up.

My Hex and Cuben weigh almost the same when you factor in the number of stakes to carry but the advantage goes to cuben when looking at total coverage.

[stefprez]

I'm knid of with Mad on this one. I have both a Zpacks winter tarp and a MLD Hex in spin. From my perspective the cuben MLD was 100 more and only going to save me an ounce or so. I have notice what everyone fails to mention about the big winter tarps in the need for more stakes. If you are truly counting grams then the extra 6 or so stakes starts to add up.

My Hex and Cuben weigh almost the same when you factor in the number of stakes to carry but the advantage goes to cuben when looking at total coverage.

I feel like throwing stakes into the equation makes the comparison a bit like apples to oranges. True, you need more stakes for a winter tarp, but we aren't comparing small tarp to big tarp, we are comparing cuben fiber as a tarp material to other available tarp materials.

For smaller tarps (and assuming the same number of stakes) it seems that many would agree that the small weight savings by going with cuben does not justify the cost increase. With larger tarps, however, for some, the much more significant weight savings does justify the cost increase. If we compare two identical, large winter tarps with doors to each other, meaning they require the same number of stakes, but one is cuben, and the other is let's say silnylon, the weight savings would be quite significant.

When you try to compare a small, sil tarp to a large cuben fiber, the only conclusion you can really make is for around the same weight (including the stakes) you can get more coverage with cuben, at a price.

[knottin]

I'll wait until they are 2 oz and cost $500.00.

[MAD777]

If I were looking for maximum weight savings in winter conditions, I would go with a hammock sock. It's less material and a smaller space to heat up inside. And of course, it could be made out of cuben along with some breathable panels of nylon.