Cat Cut Hex Tarp on the Cheap

[Sterwee]

This is awesome!

[Steve D]

I love this for a nice budget starter tarp.

My wife just got me a WL Tad Pole for Christmas, but my 9 year-old son needs a tarp for his hammock. I am thinking of going this route or doing something similar with Tyvek. I could check the Harbor Freight tarps or go with an 8x10 blue poly tarp at REI for $7 that weighs 18 oz. The Tyvek 9x9 looks like it weighs 16.2 oz.

Which is going to be a better cat-cut hex tarp, blue poly, or Tyvek? The Tyvek doesn't require sewing, just use Tyvek Tape, but the blue poly is definitely cheaper to make.

yakbuilder,

somehow I missed your post way back when

I made cat-cut asym tarps for my girls from 8x10 blue poly tarps similar to my Blue Cat. I didn't make the cat cuts very deep to avoid losing coverage. I also made myself a 9x9 tyvek tarp to play with different construction methods. The coverage between the two is slightly different but probably not significant.

I will say that I haven't has much luck with tapes of any sort (tyvek tape or other) unless the tarp suspension is run under the tarp, which sorts defeats the purpose unless your tarp is just for shade). Pebble and string method for attaching tie-outs and suspension connections is a much better way to go.

[kayakbuilder]

Went to get the lightweight blue poly tarp from REI and they were out. I found a Quarter Dome T3 Plus Footprint that was on sale for under $25. It is just the right size on the diagonal for my son's Grand Trunk UL, and it only weighs about 13 oz. Is is not as nice as my WL Tad Pole, but it is just about perfect for my son.

My daughter wants to use my heavier Kelty Noah's 12.

Looks like the Blue Poly Cat Cut wont be happening for me.

[p0key]

I made cat-cut asym tarps for my girls from 8x10 blue poly tarps similar to my Blue Cat.

That's not a bad idea... I cary a poly tarp with me when I'm hunting, just in case I'm lucky enough to drag something home with me. I was trying to think of a way for it to pull double duty.

[DemostiX]

I found a Quarter Dome T3 Plus Footprint that was on sale for under $25. It is just the right size on the diagonal for my son's Grand Trunk UL, and it only weighs about 13 oz..

Yes, this is a fine bargain-hunting approach: Search the internet or your local outdoor store for footprints of discontinued tents. Some sellers hope to sell for a sizeable fraction of MSRP price. Others are smarter and realize they just have too much $ tied up in dead inventory and will sell the same footprint for much lower prices, such as kayakbuilder found.

You'll have to research the tent sizes and footprint materials so you are not pursuing a 4lb rubberized canvas floor, but that research is not difficult.

[sporehead]

Im looking into making something like this.Thanks for the concise writeup. Why did you sew two sheets together?

Muahahaha zombie thread cannot die.

[BrianWillan]

Im looking into making something like this.Thanks for the concise writeup. Why did you sew two sheets together?

He didn't sew two sheets together. You can find poly tarps that are different colours on each side. I have one that is blue on one side and white on the other.

Cheers

Brian

[Steve D]

Brian is right on the money. Seems that most tarps have a one side a different color from the other. No idea why...

[sporehead]

Thanks for clearing that up. I have a brown one that is silver on the other side.

[tightwad]

I used these instructions as a template for a tarp made from a "10x12" tarp. Worked great, took about 4 hours to cut and sew.