Connecting 2 Small Tarps / Ponchos

[G Dup]

I've got a 5'x8' poncho tarp made from some bullet-proof fabric complete with metal snaps and webbing tie-outs. I was planning on making 2 silnylon copies.

I remember seeing somewhere 2 poncho tarps linked up – maybe on the gossamer gear site or some affiliated personal site.

Since i'm going to be making them, i'd like to incorporate the 'connection' into the design if possible. I'd like to use at no more than 2 sticks for the ridgeline so that makes overlapping them tricky as I understand. We will be sleeping together in one quilt so I don't want to worry about water dripping down from the center.

I'm thinking maybe a combination of plastic snaps and omnitape along the contact to prevent drips.

Have you done this? We plan on using this as an 'everyday' shelter so i'd like to come up with some kind of sturdy connection. Got anything better?

[Jason Brinkman]

Sounds possible. You will probably need to make the connection be along the ridgeline. You could run a double row of snaps on each poncho – say one right along the edge, and another 4 to 6 inches in from the edge. That way you will have a little overlap to prevent leakage. And you will need to find some way that the guylines pull on both of them equally – maybe a pair of aligned grommets or webbing loops?

Please post pictures of what you come up with – but you might put it in the G Spot or MYOG forum if you want more responses.

[G Dup]

Yeah I was definitely going to have them connect along the ridgeline. Good idea to stagger the snaps. That whole guylines on the ridgeline is the tricky part, maybe i'll try out tying knotting the extra-long webbing loops together.

I've got a trip deadline to meet so i'll have it made in the next 2-3 weeks. If I end up doing a decent job i'll be sure to post pictures.

[Author]

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