ATTN: CatCut Tarp Users

You get quite good protection under something like the Q-Twinn but I'd pick one with beaks in front for added protection. if you don't mind making it yourself then I'd look at the tarp in the "5 yards to SUL" article here on BPL (you have to be a paying member to access it).

I prefer cat cut tarps vs. flat tarps. You do have less pitching options with a cat cut, but I've never felt I really needed multiple configurations. All I need is height adjustment to adjust appropriately to the weather. Cat cut tarps will set up in their specific configurations better (tighter).

In terms of coverage, I think they offer very similar amounts as long as you're comparing apples to apples in terms of size and configuration. I would argue that cat cut tarps can handle nasty weather better since they generally pitch tighter.

Getting a larger tarp would allow for plenty of livable space while in "storm mode." I agree with Thomas that a beak is a good addition. I used a HMG Echo 2 with beak for a couple years as a solo shelter, and it was very weather-worthy and very spacious. The modular beak adds tons of covered space. Definitely not the lightest solo setup though.

I use a flat tarp. 90% of the time it's pitched as an A frame. 9.9% it's pitched as a half pyramid. 0.1% of the time it's pitched as a flying diamond. A square tarp works better for both of the non A Frame pitches.

Based on the beaks I saw on the HMG site – I think that looks like the best solution. You'd only need 1, and you'd get all the benefits of the half pryramid and flying diamond – but with lots more space to move around.

The HMG site had a good pic of an echo II tarp set up on a rock with a guy reading a map under it. It showed how much the cat tarp edges are elevated versus the corners.

Based on that; I wouldn't worry about storm sealing on the long edge. My flat tarp doesn't seal any better – because the ground isn't flat, so the dips allow wind to blow in anyways. Put the corners in dips and the middle will seal on both types of tarps. If there is vegetation, or leaves on the ground, then nothing blows in anyways.

I've used both cat cut and flat tarps over the years (currently using the flat tarp). I've found both types to be fine in rainy conditions. I think tarp size is much more of a determining factor in weather-proofness than flat vs cat cut. I like a two-person sized tarp (~8×10) in either version. This provides plenty of real estate to get away from the edges of the shelter if there's windblown rain. It's also big enough to still allow some headroom under the ridge even when the sides/rear are battened down close to the ground.

I mostly use the flat tarp in some version of an A-frame. I agree with others that the cat tarp is much easier to get a taut A-frame pitch, but I like the added flexibility of the flat tarp to play around with other pitches depending upon the conditions/terrain. In my experience, the cat tarps only do the A-frame pitch well.

If you go with a cat tarp, I like the idea of adding an entry beak to it but have no first hand experience with one.

How much extra line and stakes do you guys bring, to change the configuration of flat tarps? With the lines available now, I'm guessing bringing extra line does not add much weight. Also, do you have multiple lengths, making a rats nest when stored in the pack?
Duane

Ha! Yes, my tarp lines are sometimes a tangled mess after stuffing the tarp back in my pack. I don't take the time to manage my lines. Instead I accept I'll have to take a minute or two to sometimes untangle the mess before setting up the tarp.

I don't recall off hand what lengths I have attached to the tarp, but I carry probably four or five extra ~4-6' lengths of some super thin 1.25mm spectra cord in my repair/toiletry kit that I can add to any shelter tie out or other guyline for extra length. The cord can also be put to service for any other need that comes up (clothesline, lashing, etc.). At 1 gram/meter, a few lengths of it doesn't even register on a scale.

I usually carry about 10 shepherd hook stakes (four corners, two ridgeline, and four extras for mid panel or whatever). I can tie off to vegetation, pile rocks, use sticks, etc if I need to.

I allow 3' of on each corner and side hem tie out points,
6' on the two most often used as ridgeline and any mid panel tie outs.

I also bring 50' of spare cord, a mix of jute and 1mm cord for all kinds of uses including extending a tie out to a distant rock or tree.

I keep them coiled until needed.

Use the OB method for coiling.
Helps when weather is bad and fingers are cold.
No ratkings.
http://blog.owareusa.com/2015/02/27/control-those-tarp-cords/

Thank you. That may apply more to car camping, where I rarely set up a large tarp.
In SEKI last summer, I had to set up my shaped tarp on a slight grade. Bad thing, the high end had to point uphill, into the wind. Did not like that.
Duane

Thanks everyone for the responses. Lots to think on that I hadn't considered. I never even thought about all the extra line for flat tarps.

I'm definitely leaning towards a cat cut tarp; getting a beak is an excellent idea. But holy crap HMG stuff is uber expensive for cuben. I thought MLD was bad, lol.

I don't think I mentioned in the OP that whatever I get will be cuben. I'm trying to drop as much weight as possible for a sub 12 day CT next year. It's getting bad when I consider my 16.2 oz solomid as "too heavy."

I think the MLD Patrol Shelter Solo may fit the bill. Looks to be a Grace tarp with added beaks? Only 1.1 oz heavier than the Grace Solo.

A cat cut tarp will have greater storm resistance than a flat tarp as long as the cat tarp gives you enough coverage.

how do people feel about using a rain skirt as a beak, as opposed to an attached beak? No doubt a fully shaped tarp like the MLD Patrol is nicer, but does the versatility of a skirt make up for it?

Several have used skirts as a beak.

Should work fine, IMO. The main drawback I see is added setup difficulty.

HMG sells a cat tarp with removable beak that you can bring, leave at home, or have your hiking partner carry.

I have a grace solo but no rain kilt and it does not have a beak. I've yet to pitch it in epic conditions. I have little doubt that the kilt would work just fine. I also have little doubt that an integrated vestibule/beak would work better. But again, I get along just fine without either of them.

If the weather is looking really sketchy, I'd personally try to work with the terrain, instead of against it to protect my shelter from the brunt of the storm. Seems like a nebulous concept online but easy enough to sort out on the ground. Clouds start rolling in and my barometer starts diving, I dig out my map and start formulating a plan.

I have a rather large cuben tarp for my hammock (11'x7.5' hex with doors on one end only). It has a cat cut ridgeline, but the side panels do not have a cat cut.

I think the cat cut ridgeline on the tarp helps a bit in getting a tight pitch, but I'm not sure. The side panels with their straight cuts have fared very well in bad conditions. I have weathered a night of consistently changing wind direction, torrential downpouring rain, with 80 mph wind gusts with no issues (no flapping). I was worried that the straight cut side panels would flap in the crazy wind but the whole thing held tight with very little movement. I gained a lot of confidence in my cuben that night.

Now I wonder if the cat cut on the ridgeline is necessary.

I think cat cuts were a byproduct of working with stretchy silnylon. The first time I saw cat cuts was on some of Henry Shires tents (which are almost exclusively sil).

So if I were buying a tarp right now, I would get cat cuts on silnylon. But if I were buying cuben, I would not get cat cuts. I think my annecdotal experience has given me confidence that cuben preforms fine even in adverse conditions. But then I would have the added flexibility of being able to set up my tarp in multiple different pitches, not just A frame.

"I think cat cuts were a byproduct of working with stretchy silnylon. The first time I saw cat cuts was on some of Henry Shires tents (which are almost exclusively sil).

So if I were buying a tarp right now, I would get cat cuts on silnylon. But if I were buying cuben, I would not get cat cuts."

IME, the opposite is true. Cat cuts are more important to have with cuben *because* it doesn't stretch. The curves are essentially trying to become straight when you tension them, which tensions the panels. Since silnylon can stretch, it doesn't need the assistance from cat cuts as much. However, they're still helpful with a silnylon shelter because they help keep the pitch taut even once the silnylon becomes wet and stretches even more.

Personally, I'd get a cat cut tarp in either material, but I think it is less important with silnylon.

I've been using a cuben fiber cat-cut solo tarp from MLD for years (bought in early 2008) with a bivy sack. Use it in the mountains out west all the time (though never Colorado). I found that I never used most pitches when I tried them and usually stayed with the a-frame so a cat-cut made more sense as its easier to get a tight pitch that holds in wind (avoids that flapping noise all night).

I set the height high or low (by changing trek pole length) and use 3 lengths on my guylines (no linelocs), full length, line doubled up at half length or tarp tieouts staked directly to the ground. One side may be up with long lines while the other side is staked directly to the ground. I may overlap with a boulder, log, or low brush on one side to provide some protection. I may tie one end (usually the taller head end) directly to a large tree trunk which blocks wind/rain. I've been in some really strong winds in rain and snow and usually stay dry. Because I'm a lazy camper that hates camp chores like setting a shelter up, I normally just cowboy camp in the bivy. But when the weather is bad, the tarp comes out, but I may be too lazy to repitch it when the wind shifts or I guessed wrong on its direction. The bivy has served me well though I have used my rain jacket and pack with cover to block the end off to some rain. Once I gave up and just threw my rain jacket over the upper part of my bivy because I just didn't want to get up and change the pitch during the night.

I'm currently planning a CDT hike and the cat-cut tarp is going since its already survived on the PCT and AT and has always worked in the Sierra Nevada.

That said, if you really are fond of some of the other pitches, changing to a Catcut tarp may not be enjoyable to you.