View Full Version : Newb Question ... What Size Tarp?
I've read that 10ft is important. I am a fair weather summer camper ... could almost skip the tarp entirely. If I do get a tarp, would 10x10 be the suggested or is 6x10 suffecient to keep the rain off?
Arkwater
04-12-2009, 14:21
If you do not expect heavy or windy rain I would go with an 8x8 hung diagonal like the JRB 8x8.
Rockdawg69
04-12-2009, 16:02
IMHO you will probably end up with 2 or more tarps if you keep reading this forum. We are gear junkies.
Seriously, what you need depends on your personal comfort and whether you plan to do winter hangs. Some folks get by with smaller tarps and others like the extra space provided by the 10x10s or larger.
Preacha Man
04-12-2009, 16:38
If I am by myself and in the Summer with little rain predicted, I like an 8X10. That said, I almost always carry my 10X12 ;)
Dwight
If you take too much tarp and the weather turns out to be better than expected, you can always make a big tarp into a smaller tarp (or no tarp). If you take too little tarp and the weather turns out to be worse than expected, you can never make a small tarp into a bigger tarp. With ultralight materials you can get a big tarp that doesn't weigh much.
FarStar
SmokeHouse
04-24-2009, 00:03
If you camp enough times, your going to get rained on. Personal, I would use a 10x10 at least. Rockdawg69 is right, before its over you will have at least 2 tarps.
So what is the difference between a 10x10 vs 8x10 (aside from 2 ft:shades:)?
I'm guessing that they stake differently ... Which one is more versitile re: setting and staking? And which is best fit for a beginner?
http://www.rei.com/product/766383
This should do the trick? I have a gift cert that would put this right into my price range of $5 plus shipping.
:)
Ramblinrev
05-03-2009, 13:22
1.5 lbs for a tarp is kind of heavy but $5 is hard to beat. Grommets are less trust worthy IMO that web pull tabs if for no other reason they cut the fabric to put them in. Thus in a hard wind you might experience some failure. It would not stretch as nicely and so be be noisier and more prone to catching wind and sailing. But $5 is tough to beat. I have a lightweight DIY tarp for sale that weighs less than a pound and would likely provide as much rain coverage where it matters for less weight. But it is more than $5. That's hard to beat. Personal choice comes in long and hard in this area. What is fabulous for you might be an albatross for some one else.
Take-a-knee
05-03-2009, 15:09
A Macat Deluxe will keep you DRY in anything short of a hurricane, IMO. You start needing a larger tarp than that in the cold to stay WARM. Something like the Warbonnet Superfly or the Speer Winter Tarp.
HappyCamper
05-03-2009, 15:58
I have never regretted getting the larger JRB 11 X 10 cat cut tarp. Good weather I tie up the ridgeline between 2 trees and keep it in snakes skins. Or put up in the Baker Hut setup. Bad weather or winter, stake close to ground and tie off an end. All of the recommended large sil tarps on this forum by JRB, Speer, OES, Warbonnet are great investments.
titanium_hiker
05-03-2009, 18:05
I am person of the smaller size, (5ft 4, maybe?) (I think I'm about the shortest of all my friends) and I find a tarp any bigger than ~8x10 just too big to handle.
TH
Zul, as a AZ resident I can tell you to get a minimum of the MacCat Standard for summer, even if to provide shade- at 11-12oz its worth the protection. For winter, A JrB 11x10 is a great choice. I have used JrB products in the past and the stitching and construction of their products is top-notch. (same with OES)
having one tarp is nearly impossible.. thats like having one fishing rod, one favorite beer, one Porsche.. etc
I vote so I can *****...and I really like to *****!!
Take-a-knee
05-03-2009, 18:54
If you camp enough times, your going to get rained on. Personal, I would use a 10x10 at least. Rockdawg69 is right, before its over you will have at least 2 tarps.
I also subscribe to the two tarp theory (more gear!). Others here have posted that a hammock sock worked well enough with something like a Macat Deluxe in the winter. If you make the sock yourself from Walmart DWR fabric, it's a lot cheaper than a second tarp.
Ramblinrev
05-03-2009, 19:01
I have a gift cert that would put this right into my price range of $5 plus shipping.:)
All the comparisons of all the wonderful tarps out there are very revealing. The problem I get hung up onis the quote above. I've been there and done that. Got the t-shirt, hat and working on the tote bag. A $100+ tarp is a real piece of gear. But there are those of us for whom that is simply not a reality. Any chance of lookiing at this from a real world cost stand point? I'm set for now but I know a number of people who are having to scrounge for alternatives.
Peter_pan
05-03-2009, 19:04
Zul, as a AZ resident I can tell you to get a minimum of the MacCat Standard for summer, even if to provide shade- at 11-12oz its worth the protection. For winter, A JrB 11x10 is a great choice. I have used JrB products in the past and the stitching and construction of their products is top-notch. (same with OES)
having one tarp is nearly impossible.. thats like having one fishing rod, one favorite beer, one Porsche.. etc
Mike,
I know that song, "More is Better" by oncore...:D
pan
Take-a-knee
05-03-2009, 20:58
I am person of the smaller size, (5ft 4, maybe?) (I think I'm about the shortest of all my friends) and I find a tarp any bigger than ~8x10 just too big to handle.
TH
It isn't how long you are but how long is your hammock? My daughter is 5'3" and I've thought her ideal set up would be a hennessy racer with an OES Macat Standard custom ordered a bit wider, say, in between the width of the standard and the deluxe.
titanium_hiker
05-06-2009, 04:44
my hammock is as long as I want it to be- I'm DIY for cost reasons- I splurge on lovely JRB gear sometimes though. :D
(darn it, I'll make that 8x10 work!) :)
TH
All the comparisons of all the wonderful tarps out there are very revealing. The problem I get hung up onis the quote above. I've been there and done that. Got the t-shirt, hat and working on the tote bag. A $100+ tarp is a real piece of gear. But there are those of us for whom that is simply not a reality. Any chance of lookiing at this from a real world cost stand point? I'm set for now but I know a number of people who are having to scrounge for alternatives.
Amen! I started with just a cheap 8x10 Walmart tarp. It was a bit heavy, but it worked. Sure, it's not as sexy as a silnylon 10x13, but it can keep the rain or the sun off of you. Of course, I have upgraded, but there is nothing wrong with using what you can afford.
Someone suggested this in another post ...
http://www.bigrockoutfitters.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_67&products_id=8747
Looks good to me, and at $41, I can afford it. For now, it's gotta be cheap. I'm still saving up for one of those freakin expensive underquilts.
Gear. Is it good? Or pure EVIL???
How does this tarp work for hammocking?
http://www.rei.com/product/627834
The Kelty Noah's Tarp? Its $60 ...
I don't see any opertunity for a 'ridge line'. Never having used or set a tarp, I think that this will be challenging. Interesting.
Ramblinrev
05-08-2009, 01:33
If you're going to spend $60 check out my odd sized tarp (http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8147)still available. It's $50 including shipping nad weighs in at under a pound