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mychal
07-16-2014, 08:55
Just a quick round of my thoughts on a sub-$100 13' tarp I found on Amazon.

http://www.aquaquestdrybagsystems.com/portfolio/sil-tarp-large/

http://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Quest-Guide-Waterproof-Lightweight-Silicone/dp/B005JEI932/ref=pd_sbs_sg_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TVAE5V9SE32P5BXPTQB

Note that the pictures on both the Aqua-Quest web site and the Amazon page show a smaller AQ tarp, with different tie-outs. The most important difference is that the tie-outs where the ridgeline would attach (the center tie-outs on the short sides) do not exist. We had to sew on a tie-out at those spots. Like the Chinook tarp which is famous for it's weirdly placed grommets, I have no explanation for why the AQ tarp doesn't have the two most important tie-outs. The AQ tarp has real webbing tie-outs, not grommets.

But the rest of the tarp is absolutely impressive. The tarp is very big, which works for me because I have a 12' hammock. Not only is it long, but with 5' of height on each side, it also provides a lot of coverage and privacy. The tarp is significantly lighter than my Kelty Noah 12, which I also love. Much, much lighter. The material and sewing both seem of the highest quality.

No rain test yet, so can't judge that part, but I'll add it to this as I go through. It seems that AQ actually specializes in waterproof bags, so I'd say that increases the odds of keeping you dry. Amazon reviews are positive, too, so at $99 for a 13' tarp, it was an experiment I was willing to try.

evilleotter
07-19-2014, 22:19
Keep us posted on this tarp. I also love my Noah's 12 but I've been looking for a lighter alternative that won't break the bank.
Thanks for the info.

dirkomatic
07-30-2014, 14:32
I considered this tarp, but went with the Chinook 12 x 9.5. I'd be really curious to see a comparison between the two.

mychal
07-30-2014, 14:48
I just so happen to have both. :)

I also have a very expensive 13' SLD Winter Haven. I won't be able to do it for a few weeks, but I'll do a detailed comparison of all three, and maybe even throw in the Kelty Noah 12 and a beautiful 12' SLD Trail Haven hex into my review. Yeah, I've gone a little crazy buying gear this year.

Here's a brief summary. I really like all 5 of these tarps. The Aqua Quest is much closer in quality to the Winter Haven than it is to the Chinook, but it's also about $30 or $40 more than the Chinook. The main weaknesses of the Chinook are a) grommets instead of tie-outs, and b) the strange placement of the grommets, which I suspect had to do with how the Sphinx is aligned with the pyramids and King Tut's tomb.

The quality of the Aqua Quest material is outstanding and it comes with, like, 92 tie-outs. But it's main weakness is that it's missing the most important ones: the ridgeline ties.

The SLD Winter Haven is just a work of art.

dirkomatic
07-30-2014, 16:50
Thanks. That's great for a short write up.

Rolloff
07-30-2014, 19:57
Aqua Teen Hunger Force approves this review. :lol:

John Barleycorn
07-30-2014, 21:04
Purchased the 10 x 13 AQ and was also disappointed with the lack of center tie outs , but it performed perfectly in a 5 hour downpour on the Manistee River Trail , I carried it along with my NX250 w/XL tarp just to try it out , set up independently , three of us stayed high and dry with plenty of room . My son and a buddy were in Henneseys and all were dry and comfortable the whole night .

BananaHammock
08-09-2014, 00:16
I may have been convinced just now to purchase the 10X13 AQ with an additional purchase on ebay of tarp tie outs.

AlteredMentalStatus
11-21-2015, 22:45
Just received my tarp, hope togged a review up on it soon...120047120048120049

mychal
12-20-2015, 11:10
Shortly after I bought mine, they added the RL tie outs centered on the short sides. I do not know why they ever sold these without those particular tie outs.

Insanely Bad
01-12-2016, 22:22
I just received my tarp in the mail today and I can't wait to test it out. I tried unfolding it in my living room to get an idea of how big it actually was and I couldn't even fully unfold it so I should get plenty of room out of this tarp! :laugh: After putting it back into its stuff sack i noticed that for being such a big tarp it pack together rally was as I managed to shrink it to about 2/3 the original size.122724122725122726

Insanely Bad
01-19-2016, 14:02
So I finally managed to hang up everything of mine the other day and I gotta say this tarp is pretty solid!

Pros: very large, lots of adjustability, extremely waterproof, strong, good for price

Cons: can be somewhat heavy compared to other tarps coming in around 1.5 lbs, it can also take a while to fold up so you can better fit it into its stuffsack.

I'd probably give this tarp an 8/10 since it's a large dependable tarp that isn't too pricey but it is a bit heavier than other's

EDIT: I'd also like to note that this tarp does have all of the middle tie outs for the ridgeline shown in the photos on Amazon for me although some users were saying otherwise earlier...

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160119/d32a94c65adc9a9c3657d2ced7f8b180.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160119/a7d0c37743cdcd0645489de5c5ba17f0.jpg

mychal
01-19-2016, 14:26
So I finally managed to hang up everything of mine the other day and I gotta say this tarp is pretty solid!

Pros: very large, lots of adjustability, extremely waterproof, strong, good for price

Cons: can be somewhat heavy compared to other tarps coming in around 1.5 lbs, it can also take a while to fold up so you can better fit it into its stuffsack.

I'd probably give this tarp an 8/10 since it's a large dependable tarp that isn't too pricey but it is a bit heavier than other's

EDIT: I'd also like to note that this tarp does have all of the middle tie outs for the ridgeline shown in the photos on Amazon for me although some users were saying otherwise earlier...

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160119/d32a94c65adc9a9c3657d2ced7f8b180.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160119/a7d0c37743cdcd0645489de5c5ba17f0.jpg
Yeah, they added that center tie out shortly after I bought mine. Ugh. [emoji15]