Is an expensive tarp worth it?

**hutzelbein** · 04-17-2018, 11:36

Is an expensive tarp worth it? That's a question only you can answer for yourself since it's about your taste and priorities.

The tarps you listed are completely different from each other.

The DD is a 300cm x 300cm rectangular tarp and made from 190T polyester with a PU coating. It has 19 tie-outs and can be set up in lots of different configurations. It's not really hammock-specific, and it won't work well with the 11' / 335cm hammocks most people use on HF.

The Wilderness Logics Tadpole tarp (also sold by Dutch) is a hex tarp made from 1.2oz silnylon. It's made specifically for use with 10'-11' hammocks, that's why the ridgeline length is 11' (335cm). It is very narrow to save weight - that's why it doesn't provide a lot of coverage. While some use it even in winter, it really is a summer or 3-season tarp.

The Warbonnet Superfly is a 4-season tarp made from either 20D silpoly or 30D silnylon / silpoly. It's a hammock tarp, too. However, it is a proper winter tarp with doors, and it's very wide.

The price reflects the cost and amount of the material used as well as the manufacturing location. Heavy PU-coated polyester is cheap, and the DD-tarp is probably NOT made in the UK but in China or some other place were labor is cheap. Lightweight silnylon or silpoly is more expensive, and both Wilderness Logics as well as Warbonnet gear is made in the US.

So you have to decide

how important weight is to you,
how much coverage you need (which depends on the size of your hammock as well as the weather you want to camp in),
if you want to use your tarp only with hammocks,
and which working conditions you want to support.

For what it's worth: I have never heard anyone complaining about their tarp being too high quality, but I have seen many people being unhappy with an unsuitable tarp.

**curlymaple42** · 04-17-2018, 12:22

I just grabbed one of those Yeuge tarps off Amazon as it was a lightening deal for $26 and we needed an extra for our guest hammock. Going to set it up at the MAHHA hang this weekend to hang out under. We will see how it is. All our others are custom jobs from www.coloradooutdoorgearsupply.com and we love them!!

**OneClick** · 04-17-2018, 12:39

The good thing about tarps is I don't recall anyone here reporting a major failure. Maybe some leaks here or there due to improper setup or no seam-sealing, but for the most part the $100-$150 tarps we generally use seem to be very reliable. And once you start pinching grams, the upgrade to cuben is worth it since ~5oz is huge (yuge) when you start hitting that ceiling.

**QFT** · 04-17-2018, 13:51

It really depends on your goals. If you're not backpacking with it, a $40 Chill Gorilla tarp long enough to cover your hammock is probably great for your needs.

You start spending money when you want to lighten up. Stage one of that is the silnylon/silpoly stuff that you see from $80-140; Cuben Fiber tarps are the lightest and most expensive you can go.

The cheap tarp is still going to be just as tough waterproof as the others.... weight is the main difference. There is a quality difference at that price level, but not one that will likely effect the performance of the tarp.

So basically, buy whatever is cheapest that fits your needs.

**GadgetUK437** · 04-17-2018, 14:33

If you want a DD tarp (and they are sturdy and cheap, but heavy), I'd go for the 3.5x3.5m. Better size for a hammock, and not a lot more expensive.

--
Gadget

**Tyroler Holzhacker** · 04-17-2018, 15:22

For car camping, a wally world tarp or heavy sheet of contractor plastic would work in a pinch. Not every one needs Cuben fiber, even if they could afford to. HYOH. My experience so far has been that if you or someone you know who is good at sewing and has a machine, the DIY option looks great, and is relatively affordable in comparison to a ready made tarp from the leading brand cottage vendors. RSBTR has some nice kits, as does DWG (Dutch). Also Kitsap Cowboy (not a vendor?) has some great threads on DIY tarps. I like his designs, though I have never seen one up close in person.

**m00ch** · 04-18-2018, 17:04

Years ago someone explained bike parts to me this way- there are 3 things to consider: price, weight, durability.......pick 2. I have found this to be true in many things including tarps. My cheap tarps are heavy and my expensive tarps are light (given the same coverage) but both keep the rain off.
I, as many others, pay a premium to shave ounces. You gotta ask what an ounce is worth to you.

**GadgetUK437** · 04-19-2018, 01:51

We're a generous bunch ain't we?
16 suggestions for a chap who's made one post and never returned!

**James Fowler** · 04-19-2018, 07:05

Originally Posted by GadgetUK437

We're a generous bunch ain't we?
16 suggestions for a chap who's made one post and never returned!

Thankfully yes, because even if the OP is long gone there are others watching this thread.

Others who have yet to acquire their first "expensive tarp" (a Hennessey Hex doesn't quite count IMHO) and are gratefully soaking up the shared experience. Others who have pitched a Harbor Freight tarp over their hammocks and found it barely acceptable for hanging in the backyard. Others who may or may not wish they had just gone ahead and added that Superfly to their WB order before Dutch introduced them to a whole new world of options - and even more expense - with printed tarps and tandem hang suspensions.

I mean, I suppose there must be a few others like that somewhere watching this thread. Personally, I'd recommend they bite the bullet and invest in a good tarp. As to which tarp, well that's an other question...