Originally Posted by
dickstarbuck
Great thread. I'm not as wise as most of you guys here, but I wanted to share my thoughts as a relative noob. I bought my first non-poly camping specific tarp just a couple years ago, and I too was a little leery about which size, material, brand, (even color) etc to choose. After much deliberation, I pulled the trigger on one. At first I had second thoughts, was it too small? too heavy? too thin? should I have added doors? etc. BUT after using it a couple times and seeing some other folks's set-ups, I can say that I made a good decision and my tarp is perfect for me. That's when I realized something...
Tarps are all about personal comfort.
If you are okay hiding from the weather under a small tarp, then great. If you want to be closed in from the elements with doors and windows and a chimney, then great. I prefer a tarp that lets me get out of the hammock and move around a little without getting wet. I use a OES Maccat ultra which is a 12x10 cat cut style sil-nylon tarp. It's got plenty of tie-outs for finding just the right shape. Plus the pull-outs on the sides are super useful because they really make the space feel bigger. The only drawback to my tarp is the sil wets out in a long storm. So maybe cuben is my next step. I guess my point is you really won't know what you want/need until you get out there and use it for a while... and getting out there is really the point of it all anyway.
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