Over this past weekend I experimented a bit with making a DIY transparent plastic tarp - wanted something cheap, lightweight, and able to see the stars/lightning/etc through the roof.. tried first with .7mil painters plastic (horrible failure) - the stuff was really difficult to work with and tore really easily when a little extra tape adhesive would stick to the wrong spot, etc...
So, after that fail, I built Mk. II with two transparent PEVA shower curtain liners from Walmart that were around $2 each + seamed together with fiberglass reinforced strapping tape that I also used along the ridgeline, edges, and diagonally to make it a little more ridgid.
Bought a grommet kit also from Walmart and put in 6 grommets for tieouts as well as two grommets to attach the ridgeline via prussik knots on either end of the ridgeline. I used mason's line for the tieouts and then since I had some reflective tape lying around I put some on the tarp at the tieouts and ridgeline, and made little reflective tags on the mason's line for an anti-midnight-tripping effort...
Slept in Mk. II last 2 nights - great success! It is pretty sturdy, and I think will hold up to windstorms well, and I haven't weighed it yet but it's pretty light also...
Anyway, here are some pictures of the final product:
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