An open letter to tarps

[J.Andersons]

GOOD gear cost Money.....
no way around it ,it's like any hobby you get what you put into it
you buy a $10 blue tarp ,don't cry when it rips apart in the first wind storm
cause it will happen... trust me on that LOL

if you price the cost of Sil-nylon by the yard most vendors are not making a lot of money off there tarps

there are cheaper options out there
look at the Kelty Noah tarps there around $60
the OES Micro is only $65
warbonnet has a tarp for $75 if i remember
if you can find a guidegear tarp they are around $30 ... but they are very hard to find
keep an eye out in the For Sale sections for deals they do come up,just need to be fast and jump on them right away

OES does not sell Micro anymore, smallest can be bought OES Standard for $95 without seam sealing and $101,50 with seam sealed option.
As for OP, You get what you pay for and imo if cuben are on expensive side than silnylon quality tarps from cottages are worth every penny to get it.
Fo me OES MacCat Ultra had been for me hi end price but glad I picked it.

[saniun]

I bought this thing at sports chalet once that was 9 by 11 I think and it's a solar shield sheet that has Velcro ties and would be way better than a harbor freight tarp. Your still better off making a tarp out of reflective emergency blankets- light weight and provides warmth.

[Bubba]

For lower prices (and incresed weight) look at PU coated polyester teffeta. Silnylon gives a decent balance between cost and weight. If you want a heart attack, look up cuben fibre tarps.

[invisiblejules]

I'm using a $20 tent footprint as a tarp.
http://www.kelty.com/p-140-trail-dom...?category=sale
It's about 9x9 and has corner webbing tie-outs. Lighter and more compact than a blue poly tarp too.

[mountainhanger]

all i have to say is that my first tarp ( and still have it ) is the DD Hammock 3x3m tarp. Good coverage, alot ALOT of rigging options comes with its own sack and for its cost and durability cant be beat .. and they ship it right away.. take a look . I actually had mine in the backyard and had a small branch come down during the storm..pointed end first and while it came from about 30 ft as far as i can tell it only punctured about a inch! I thought thats what ya call bomb proof! good luck

[Bic]

You should also price the tarp material and see how much it'd cost you to make....you'll see that these cottage industry folks aren't charging ridiculous amounts.... The silnylon just costs a good amount. The tadpole from wilderness logic is a great tarp that is fairly affordable.

[Ramblinrev]

Just to be clear.... You don't _require_ a tarp to go hammock camping. It simply makes the experience more pleasant in inclement weather. But ultimately the choice is yours. You can use heavy gauge painting drop cloths if you want to. There are lots of alternatives that people have come up with. Find a near by building site and negotiate some tyvek. It ain't the prettiest solution but I understand it works very nicely.

[Paulie]

I've found the Kelty 12 to be a great tarp! I got mine from AustinKayak.com & used the coupon code "FB15" for 15% off the order...total came to less than $50...oh, and did I mention free shipping?! :-)

[hammock_monk]

LOL! Glad I'm not alone in being bothered by having spent more on my simple flat plane of JRB sil than I did on my hammock and suspension, and the best nights are the ones when I don't use it.

[angrysparrow]

(Seriously, after spending the past hour pricing tarps, it's kinda ridiculous. It may be the way of things, but I just can't justify spending more for the tarp than I spent for the bleedin' hammock. Ugh.)

Hmm...I wonder if you've thought that through.

When you hammock camp, the tarp is your primary shelter. It keeps you dry, it blocks wind, it gives some privacy. If anything, the hammock is an accessory to the tarp, rather than the other way around. Hammocking is essentially tarp-camping with a suspended bivy.

That's not to say that you *need* an expensive tarp. I just wanted to provide a little perspective. There are options for inexpensive tarps, and many of them are great choices. Some are more suited to car-camping situations where there's a bailout option. Others are more rugged and heavy. You should weigh the options of all the choices in light of what kind of camping you'll be doing. Just don't forget that if you are going to *rely* on your tarp to shelter you in the backcountry, make sure it's up to the task.