Boundary Waters shelters

Hi Ed –

Oware makes big tarps, up to 12 x 18 (26 oz) in Silnylon; looks like that size is out of stock right now but they have others close to it and can probably crank one out at any size.

I have one from Dancing Light gear that's 10 x 12 that I use for similar purposes (big cook area cover for paddling or winter camping.) Alas, they stopped producing gear; Antigravitygear licensed their designs and may be able to make something like what your son wants as well.

– Steve

Ed,

There are some subtle differences between backpacking tarps (light as possible) and canoe tripping tarps (slightly more biased towards strength).

Some of the best light weight canoe tripping tarps are made by Cooke Custom Sewing:

http://www.cookecustomsewing.com/tundratarp.htm

The size you mentioned is unusually large. A 10' x 12' or 12' x 12' would be a good all around size that would work for a kitchen tarp.

If the tarp is bigger than that, they can become unnecessarily bulky to pack, a problem to pitch in a tight campsite, & a problem to guy out in a storm. Better to have two smaller – mid sized tarps.

Dan

Ed – I actually just put a 10×10 tarp up for sale on another forum for $15. 2.2 oz taffeta, bright yellow, made by Log House Designs; weighs about 2.25 lbs with guy lines. In very good shape; about 5 yrs old. I want to replace it with a lighter alternative but don't believe in letting accumulated gear sit unused.

Aside from that, I agree with others that two 10×10 or, at the largest, 12 x 12 tarps are preferable to a single huge one for reasons already mentioned – flexibility in pitching and storm worthiness. During my guiding years, I regularly had 6 to 8 people dining comfortably (sitting)under the 10 x 10

Dan Cooke at Cooke Custom Sewing has some great tarps for the BWCA. Both Sierra Designs and Mountain Hardware have some good 2-3 person tents.

Another vote for Dan Cooke’s tarps. If I didn’t make my own (borrowing most of his ideas), I’d buy his.

The dryfly is my favorite design for shoulder season canoe camping. here and there

His tarps are designed and built to stand up to extended use north of the tree line but are still not heavy.

I got to agree with Dan. Two smaller tarps are the way to go and bring plenty of parachute cord. You can not go wrong with Dan Cooke's tarps and packs.