What kind of cover is this and where can I get one? The title of the picture says its a Cuben tarp? I did a search of amazon.com but did not find anything like it.
http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...tarp_thumb.jpg
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What kind of cover is this and where can I get one? The title of the picture says its a Cuben tarp? I did a search of amazon.com but did not find anything like it.
http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...tarp_thumb.jpg
You can find one here at Mountain Laurel Designs. A bit pricey, but super light. And MLD has a great reputation for UL gear.
Mountain Laurel Designs
Quote:
Originally Posted by ~kev~
Cuben refers to the material it was made from.. Cuben Fiber. Cuben Fiber was original developed as a high-performance sail cloth. It's very nice but very expensive. MLD is the only one currently in the US producing tarps using this material. The picture you reference looks like a homemade tarp.
The cuben fiber tarp is the $260 version called "Spectralite .60"Quote:
Originally Posted by drewboy
That is too expensive for me.
How about a regular tarp with the same shape as the one in the picture?? I would like to try something like that out, but I can not spend 1/2 a house note on a tarp.
That's easy:
MacCat Tarps
Ok, thx guys and gals that gives me the information I wanted.
I love my Jack R Better 11'x10' tarp. Only one rainy night so far but I didn't get wet at all.
sorry this is a bit late but I'm going to get a cuben 8 x 10 tarp from a company called z packs. You have to ask him to make you a tarp because he doesnt advertise it on the website.
http://www.zpacks.com/
Jay
The problem with Cuben is also the duribility. It is not something that I think would hold up to a lot of use. At least the way I use my gear, when I can use it.
How can they make sails out of it then? Millionare yacht racers aren't worried about what it costs, I would think they'd be concerned about it failing in the middle of a race. I don't know anything about it, maybe you are much more informed about it than I am. I have been eyeballing that MLD Cuben poncho though, it covers you and your pack and weighs about the same as a pack cover.Quote:
Originally Posted by Coffee
I heard the same thing about Spinntex. Made me super paranoid about set-up for a few weeks. But, you saw the limb fall on my tarp at Trail Days (I think you were in camp when that happened). It didn't even leave a mark, other than in my undies. :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Coffee
I saw a couple of folks on the Trail with DIY backpacks made with Cuben fiber. One of them was named "beershake" :lol::lol::lol:. The packs held up great and believe me, neither of these people were 'easy' on their packs.
Joe @ Zpacks.com is a great dude. He has helped me with custom gear before, and to this day I have had a few hundred miles put on his cuben "Blast" backpack that he made in a smaller size and sold to me. The cuben he used on the pack is about 1oz/yard. Read: strong
I have done dozens and dozens of miles of backpacking through catsclaw and shrub live oak with very little fraying (and only to the outside pockets)
so if he is charging a fair amount for a tarp (which he pro'lly is) Id say go for it.
The problem of durability in Cuben is when you start trying to make gear from the .44 or .33 stuff. As explained to me by Ron Bell of MLD, the .6, .7, and 1.0 is perfect for gear. Just hope tree branches dont fall on ya.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Take-a-knee
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeinfhaz
I should have added that my opinion was based on reviews on comments I read on other people's experiences. Basically I commented when I probably should not have.
As I understand it the lighter weights are strong in tensle strength (read pulling and forces from wind, use, and hanging). However the lighter weights have a history of reviews of being easily punctured.
I defer to people that actually use it more in depth. But if you are going with the 1oz per square yard you are only saving .3 oz per square yard over sil and paying a lot more. 1oz is probably inline with spinntex. Not sure though on the exact weights.
After seeing Cannibal's tarp at TD and talking to him about it, I am planning on going that route when I start up the hammock gear making.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coffee
yes, this is true. much consideration must be put into effect for any single item that is as most would consider very expensive.
however, if you look at the tarp and its accessories, you may just save a bunch of weight over sil. For instance, cuben has zero stretch and unlike sil, it wont sag in wet, rain, humidity, etc... so you may not have to carry tarp tensioners. that can be as much or more as a 4 ounce savings!
FWIW, puncture resistance of cuben is very low.. but us hangers are usually experienced not to puncture our hammocks too, so we already know how to care for fragile items. I have come to one conclusion tho... if i have done my math correctly I can replace my 19oz tarp with a same sized Cuben tarp and save 10 ounces! Even to a gram weenie like me tho, Im not going to pay the high $$ for cuben even in a DIY scenario. I admit, im cheap!
another thing i personally like is the color choices of sil. stealth is important to me. Cuben might be stealthy in snow, but I dont camp in snow.
otherwise, the weight factor is the only great thing about it. Plus, its easy to patch.
I love my DIY cuben tarp. Though saying so might make me an outcast, I don't spend all my nights in a hammock, as I am often going SUL these days and prefer the simplicity/lower weight and volume of a ground set up for those trips. I wanted to only make one cuben tarp for myself, so I settled on a 9.5' x 7' size, with a taped ridge (super strong in all tests I could do to it). I have seen zero need for catenary cuts with cuben, then again, I never had trouble with sloppy non-cat cut tarps before either, cat cuts just make life easier. But there is no stretch with the cuben, and it is way waterproof. On the ground I use the tarp usually in an A-frame or half A frame, but over my hammock I pitch on the diagonal, with the assymetry of it mirroring that of my HH clone. Lots of coverage, no issues in several heavy rainstorms. Best of all, 4.5 oz and the size of a beer can rolled up. Materials ran about 110 bucks, plus my time, but that's a heck of a tarp for the money in my opinion. And instead of having to pursue a poncho tarp option to really save weight, I can combine it with a driducks jacket and still be about 2 oz. lighter than most, plus have an additional full time layer and solve the "what to wear around camp in the rain" issue.
As an aside, my bivy sack bottom is also made of the same .6 cuben material and has maybe a dozen nights on it. Some on very wet ground, one night on gravel in Grand Canyon, and 2 nights on sharp gravel in Canyonlands. Nothing under it but a Gossamer Gear Polycryo groundcloth to keep the dust down. No leaks in wet, rips or tears. Cuben is cool.
I made my own cuben tarp,(as well as a C Speer H) no sewing ,used glue strips. it is incredibaly strong and if punctured a bit of duct or equivalent fixes it instantly, It requires no waterproffing, My cuben pack, again no sewing, I"m older and can't put much wgt on my shoulders so I designed it to have no ahoulder straps. it is kinda balanced with a rather small cuben front pad. darn it is light! and seems to work well, gnome
typo, that is a front pack (where is my spell check when I need it?)gnome
DIY Cuben projects, what weight Cuben have you been using? Can you easily cut Cuben with a rotary fabric cutter? Does cutting Cuben prematurely dull scissor blades?
smartcarpie,Quote:
Originally Posted by smartcarpie
Where did you buy your cuben? I haven't seen the .6 anywhere.
Thanks,
SlowBro
I saw Cuben fabric for sale at one of the outdoor fabric sites, (sorry forgot which), but it was $25 a yard and only 50" wide.... That would cost a good bit even to make your own. But it sure is light!
My homemade cuben tarp started failing (stretching) at the stitch lines two weeks into my hike. It was the lighter weight version and was not taped. If I were to do it again I would tape and then stitch through the tape. Therein lies the paradox for me. The tape is quite heavy compared to the fabric it is bonding. There is a specical tape that the sailers use that requires a VERY expensive machine to apply. The weight (say 1.0 oz/sqyd) does not include the tape and, as has been mentioned, makes me wonder what the advantage is between this and spinnaker fabric. The latter is a very durable material, waterproof, and puncture resistant as well. Puncturing is a major concern for hammockers when you are talking about a fabric that is so expensive. I had several punctures in my Cuben tarp from sticks and small branches falling from the trees I was hanging from. It is a well designed material for its intended purpose, but I don't think it was the panacea that we were hoping for. If financially you are in a position to consider this a semi disposable item (like the HH racer model) then I say go for it. For me, it was a very expensive mistake. Next time spinnaker, not cuben.
Brian, thanks for the follow up info. Saved me mega$$s. Maybe the magic tarp material will be Spinntex EXP with a P2i treatment when or if ever available. P2i would eliminate the need for silicone impregnation. Decrease the weight of an equal size silnylon tarp ~1/2 with the strength of Spinn.