I currently have an ENO Profly which weighs roughly 20 ounces and appears to be made out of 1.9 oz ripstop nylon, as well as a Equinox 8' x 10' rectangular tarp which weighs roughly 14 oz and is made out of what I perceive to be 1.1 or 1.3 silnylon. The amount of money that I can sell each for is roughly 54 for the ENO, and 80 for the Equinox. I like the durability of the heavier material of the ENO, as well as the cat cut, but I like the obvious weight savings of the Equinox silnylon.
Part of my decision is wanting to get the most versatile setup without spending much more than I already have invested. I am willing to spend more if the situation warrants it. I have no problem stepping down from two tarps to one tarp, nor do I have a problem having two tarps for 2 separate conditions. The worst conditions I have faced in the past year were 25F weather, heavy rains, and moderate wind, so I am looking for a tarp that can deal with those conditions, 3 months out of the year. The rest of the year is pleasant.
I had briefly considered getting a WL Tadpole and a Equinox Egret 8' x 10', the Tadpole for the 9 months of the year I have pleasant weather, and the Egret for the 3 months of heavier weather, the cost of those two which I can manage for about what I have invested already. However I started wondering if I could get by with a single more expensive tarp. I had briefly looked at the WL Big Daddy, and decided that I definitely need some input from some of you guys.
Most of my outings are in the southwest below 10,000 feet. Snow has not been present on any of my trips in the past 2 years. Weather has never dropped below 20F, rain has been heavy a few times, winds have been moderate from time to time. So I guess my question is what is out there in the way of 3.5 season tarps, since my 4th season isn't really that bad.
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