Cat Tarp worth the price?

[HanginLoose]

http://www.jacksrbetter.com/11%20x%2...Cat%20Tarp.htm

This is a seriously sweet tarp. But $130 for a tarp? At the risk of sounding like a cheapskate - what gives? I bought a 10x10 tarp from target and I think it was under $10. How can a 11x10 tarp justify being 13 times the price?

Obviously the materials are probably better as is the contsruction, but what's the general consensus? Is that kind of tarp more of a luxury item? Can I get similar performance from a tarp that's half the price? I just can't see spending $130 to put a tarp over my $40 ENO hammock.

But I do think it's a very slick tarp with several useful "modes". And I mean no disrespect to the seller. Just an honest question. Thanks.

[NewtonGT]

I believe the cat cut lets you pull it tighter. also its made of silnylon so its alot lighter and more durable then the cheap tarps. I mean there are people here with hundreds of nights under the same sil tarp. I mean you could check out the hennessy hammock hex tarp or the wilderness logics big daddy tarp.

[packeagle]

Looking into the material of the tarp Silnylon is running at around $8 per yard in 60" width. So that tarp would use ~7.5 yards. That is $60 in material alone. Add to that hardware, labor, and a margin for profit. It seems reasonable to me.

The benefits of silnylon and cat cuts are that the material is light weight, waterproof, and the cat cuts lend the tarp to pitch tighter.

[NFA]

IMHO, that's too much for what you're getting...although you'll hear lots of opinions to the contrary...19oz is pretty heavy for a sil tarp, and why get a really big light tarp?

I have a great little sil tarp that I got for around $50...it weighs about half what the JRB tarp weighs, and cost less than half too...

On trips when I don't care that much about weight, I bring my big HH hex tarp, but if I want a light tarp, then why go halfway?

Jamie - nfa

[HanginLoose]

Right on. Thanks guys.

I had no idea the material was so expensive. And obviously weight and packability really matter when you're backpacking. I live in Chicago so I don't have any cool mountains or national parks or anything nearby. When I camp, the wife and I just drive to a campground in WI, IN, or MI and set up shop. Our car is parked on site so weight isn't an issue for me, typically. I don't need an ultra lightweight hi-tech setup. But thanks to your comments I can see why others do, and why the tarp costs what it does. Like I was saying, I mean no disrespect to the seller. Anyone can sell anything they want for any price they choose. If I don't like it, I won't buy it. No big deal.

I really think it's a neat product but I don't have the $$$ to spend, primarily because I would only end up using it 5 or 6 times a year. But if I had more chances to use it I would gladly spend the $130.

I'll have to look into some of the other options mentioned. My main hang-up at this point (pun intended), is that my wife and I just recently bought a nice 3P Marmot tent. I like tent camping. But I also dig hammocks. I need to devise a rig that would allow my wife and I to sleep in the same tarp tent hanging in separate hammocks. I want to be able to hang next to each other under/in the same tarp basically. But that depends a lot on the trees, no?

[packeagle]

You mean you want a setup like this one?

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=30351

[Bubba]

The Kelty Noahs tarps are affordable. An Etowah 8 x 10 silnylon tarp is on sale for $75 right now. As you mentioned though, you could get by with a cheap blue tarp. Whatever works for your your needs.

[HanginLoose]

NICE packeagle! Yeah I need to rig something like that up. But you know, I'm not certain the wife would be down with sleeping in a hammock all night. She likes lounging in them but I'm not sure about sleeping overnight.

We have a few local parks here in the city that have plenty of trees. Me & the Mrs will have to go hang a bit. There are plenty of 3-tree spots where we can hang next to each other.

@Bubba - thanks for the Kelty suggestion. Good call.

[griesl]

You mean you want a setup like this one?

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=30351

That is one sweet setup. What size tarp do you use for cover?

[MAD777]

If you don't want to hang an expensive tarp over a $40 hammock, simply buy a Blackbird or Switchback, etc., then you can hang an expensive tarp over an expensive hammock and feel much better

Seriously, if you only car camp, I wouldgo with the cheapest tarp that will keep you dry.
There are tarps that cost 3 times what the JRB tarps cost and they are made for gram-weenie backpackers (like me)!
There is no need to spend money to lighten the load in your trunk - it won't help that much with gas mileage