Kelty Noah's 12x12 Tarp

[djminnesota]

My new tarp-the Kelty Noahs tarp 12x12- arrived in the mail thursday. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&h...A10&nomobile=1 ) After buying some line (braided masons line- $12/ 500 ft. at local homedepot) I took to the yard and set it up. It comes with the tarp, 4 black lines about 6 feet long, 4 night ize for the lines, and 4 shepards hook stakes.

My first impression was that this thing was HUGE. With me sitting in my hammock , I could easily put two folding chairs inside, with room to spare for gear. This would make a wonderful winter tarp. Also, the stakes were actually of great quality! They were lightweight, and did bend even when i purposely smaked them with a hammer into a rock.

I set up the tarp as a rectangle, instead of a diamond like its ment for
(picture 1). With a thirty foot ridgeline and four ten foot tie outs, It set up nice and quick. However, this set up would turn into a wild beast in the slightest bit of wind or rain because it was so loose. So, I added line to the tie outs that were in the middle of the tarp (picture 2).

I left it up Friday night and through this morning during some really heave T-storms. It held up just fine, and I found no leaking like some claim the tarp to do. Over all, I am very happy with this tarp. It is a little on the heavy side, but you can easily get two hammocks under it plus gear for two or three people. It will work wonderfully as a winter tarp or a summer tarp for someone (like me) prefers tons of coverage

(sorry for the sideways pictures... not sure how to fix that)