check out that 12X9.5 Chinook tarp mentioned above. You have to look for them but they come in green too. Bomb proof tarp.
Also the Kelty Noah 12 is excellent too.
check out that 12X9.5 Chinook tarp mentioned above. You have to look for them but they come in green too. Bomb proof tarp.
Also the Kelty Noah 12 is excellent too.
Hootenanny Hang June 11-13, 2021
Love many, trust few & always paddle your own canoe. American Proverb
Adventure is Calling... nolilearn.org
I have a Kelty Noah's Tarp 12 which I've owned and used since before I got a hammock. It's a solid purchase and handy as a group dining area.
I use the 70d Hennessy Hex for hanging. Relatively heavy and quite nice but I wish I had invested in the lighter one or one of the cottage tarps. That said, it's only $20ish more than the Kelty. I've never weighed either but it packs much smaller and seems lighter than the Kelty.
I think either of these would be a decent option for now. I think Hennessy does a yearly sale in October. If you could grab a Hex for cheap that might be a great option.
Either that or blue tarp it for now.
Agreed on the tarp being the most important piece of equipment.
I love my Warbonnet Superfly.
Palm made products a portrait of modern triumph
Don't get a "beginner" tarp. Get a tarp that will serve you for years, as others have said it's a vital part of your gear. Tadpole, Old Man Winter, superfly, MacCat, really any of the cottage vendor tarps here are great. Do a little research looking at profiles, reading the forums and get to a group hang or two, there will be all sorts of tarp selection, and opinions on them there. The For Sale section here is where I got started.......
I also vote tadpole. Great tarp for under $100
The Chinook served me well as a winter tarp or full coverage tarp. It's well made with reinforcements on all pull outs but it does have grommets on the ridge line. Typically grommets fail but these never have and I set my tarp up very tight and have been in big storms with high winds. It will close on one end because it has tie outs mid way between the middle and end. But for some reason it only has that feature on one end. I took the stuff sack (which is way too big) and made triangle reinforcements with grosgrain tie outs to match the other side and now it can be closed on both ends.
The Noh tarps are made just as tough but they are wing tarps instead of rectangular. The Noah 9 is minimal but I have never gotten wet with it. The Noah 12 is big enough to have full coverage and can be set up many ways and comes with lots of tie outs.
Hootenanny Hang June 11-13, 2021
Love many, trust few & always paddle your own canoe. American Proverb
Adventure is Calling... nolilearn.org
Thank you all for your suggestions and help. I understand the buy once, cry once thought. But I don't want to do that while not knowing what I want. I hear several people recommend the tadpole tarp and the Kelty Noah 12 among others, but, while being very green to hammocking, I want to be able to practice and work on a tarp setup without ruining what I would call a higher end tarp.
What you need to understand is materials. The Noah and heavier Hennessy hex are polyester coated with urethane. That puts the tarps in the two pound range but at roughly half the price of Silicone Nylon at roughly 1 pound and twice the price.
Urethane comes in either light or heavy weight coatings but if made well ages well. The tarps will be the lighter weight. Some military grade is significantly heavier. Either way it quickly becomes apparent if there is an adhesion problem as it flakes off.
Sil also seems to come in various quality levels hence the issues with some of the low cost sil tarps. The "bad" sil feels right but leaks in heavy rain.
Just some points to consider when making a decision.
YMMV
HYOH
Free advice worth what you paid for it. ;-)
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