How are the Equinox tarps?

Douglas, I just received the 6×8 Globe Skimmer Tarp in the mail yesterday..I really like the smaller FOOTPRINT of the 6x8tarp(solo shelter). I set it up in the backyard and it looks great so far..I will be testing it next weekend in the Sierra's (Emigrant Lake)…I have set it up a few times already and it looks and feels very dependable…Time will tell!!

For a flat tarp, they are pretty good. A lot of armchair hikers will dismiss a tarp with grommets, but they regularly survice thru hikers. I pitched mine tight as a drum for years and they showed no wear at all. A really great begineer tarp. I just wasn't a fan of flat tarps because I like to pitch mine on ridges, which get windy. Screw camping in the tress.

Here I am dismissing tarps with grommets. Especially silnylon tarps where the grommet is stronger than the fabric and creates problems. Admittedly, most of my experience comes from grommeted "blue tarps", but also some from just normal nylon tarps. I don't ever use the grommets anymore, just go straight to tying "ghosties" because I've seen hundreds of grommets rip out.

Why buy this tarp, when I believe that you can get a tarp with tabs for the same price? Oware?

Another question about equinox tarps. How's the fabric? Not all silnylon is created equal. I like slightly thicker stuff as I think that it "mists" less.

Not to be a forum gate troll, but there was a posting on this as recently as about a week ago, too, so you might check that. The Equinox tarps come up frequently. Short version, I've had one for years, it's still going strong, it keeps me dry. No complaints.

I just got an Equinox 8×10 from campmor.com (best price I could find). I used it this weekend in the Big Thicket – East TX.

I was very impressed with how easy it was to set up, and how much shelter it provided. I didn't test it in rain. The material is very thin, but very strong. It feels similar to thick Saran Wrap, so I am very careful about exposing it to any sort of high temperature/flame. The workmanship appeared solid.

Each grommet goes through an extra patch of material that sticks out like a flap about 3-4 inches. I cut those off, but I think that was a huge mistake b/c that material was providing extra support for the grommet. It is quite possible that I reduced the lifetime of my tarp. I hope not.

I used an Alps Mountaineering Mystique 2 w/o rain fly (1300 g w/ 6 aluminum stakes, poles, ground plastic) under the Equinox tarp as a bug shelter. I dropped the 8×10 Equinox down diagonally to just barely cover my bug shelter; I think I would suffer splash moisture in a hard rain.

My Equinox 8×10 Specs:
363 g – Just tarp (no bag; no rigging)
475 g – Tarp with #48 260 lb nylon catfish line rigging, Equinox tag removed, 3" grommet flaps removed (foolishly)

My rigging:
https://www.bushcraftnorthwest.com/articles/tarp_dark_export.jpg

backpackinglight.com staff review:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00166.html

Previous backpackinglight.com forum discussion:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=17611

acronym 6/5/2009 12:39 PM

I had an Equinox 8X10 and had problems with it misting severely in the rain and the grommets loosening. I sold it.

You may want to consider Etowah tarps – better quality, no grommets, minimal misting and only in major downpours. I currently use their 6×10 size.

I had an Equinox 8X10 and had problems with it misting severely in the rain and the grommets loosening.

Grommets … just say no!

Unless they are made by a good sailmaker … but they'd be heavier than loops …

>A lot of armchair hikers will dismiss a tarp with grommets, but they regularly survice thru hikers.<

Apparently a lot of people who actually backpack will dismiss a tarp with grommets, too. Equinox makes good quality products, as does Etowah.

I prefer tabs/loops b/c I've had problems with grommets, but I'm sure others have had great experiences with the latter.

Check out the Alpinlite Tarps. They seem to be inexpensive for Silnylon and have tie outs.

http://www.alpinlitegear.com/[url]

>Apparently a lot of people who actually backpack will dismiss a tarp with grommets, too.

I guess I should have said a lot of people who have never used the Equinox tarp for long term will dismiss them. Anyways, all I can say is that I put a lot of nights on mine and it literally looked brand new when I sold it. This is not armchair speculation. This is fact based on my own experiences.

I stil haven't heard of a grommet failure in that tarp, other than the post above about the grommets loosening.

Not that I am saying this is the best tarp out there or that grommets are the best option. I am just saying that if you only want to spend $70, this tarp will work just fine.

Jeff,

We definitely agree that the Equinox is a decent tarp. As I've stated elsewhere I've owned a 10×10 Equinox for 18 years that still looks good. I guess it all comes down to opinion and experiences, and that's a good thing since so much beta comes from that.

Common ground is good, well worth finding and I wasn't intending to dis Equinox products or to dismiss anyone's first hand experience with their products.

It appears that several folks have good experience with Equinox tarps. As my initial reply hinted, it is possible to install pretty much bombproof grommets and that has been tested in centuries of sailing.

But my experience with grommets is that all the grommeted tarps I've had firsthand experience with have experienced grommet-tarp interface failures … and 99% of my camping is in deep woods flatland … there are much more exposed places in the world.

Have yet to have a loop fail … including once in a storm that send aluminum canoes airborne.

Nothing will get a gear junkie more riled than talking smack about their stuff :o).

I'm with you Jim when it comes to grommets, and I particularly like Etowah tarps. But that is just one gear junkie's personal opinion :).

Meh, with topics like this, a lot of people may get the impression that the grommets on Equinox silny tarps will fail based on speculation. I just wanted to put some facts out there. I know I appreciate facts when shopping for gear and that speculation can cloud the truth.

So far, the general opinion is that grommets work on racing sails but fail on cheap tarps, so people assume they fail on the Equinox tarp. My experience says otherwise. I just want people who are thinking about buying the Equinox silny tarps to have the facts from someone who has actually used that specific product. I have no experience with walmart tarps or racing sails :P

And for the record, I sold my Equinox tarp (flat) for one by MLD (cat cut).

Jeff,

Sorry that we had some sort of miscommunication. I agree that in the process of being helpful we can sometimes muddy the water.

BTW, can't go wrong with a MLD cat cut (oh there I go getting the cat cut vs flat tarp folks PO'd) :P.

Way to go George:-) I have flat tarps but am always consider cat cut tarps. I'd love hear the advantages / disadvantages / likes and dislikes from folks who have used both.

Having used both cat and flat tarps, I agree with the above post in that cat tarps excel above treeline when you have few pitch options (i.e. few trees or other landforms) and are in conditions where a no fiddle taut pitch is a big asset. I like to carry the flat tarp when I feel inclined to experiment with different pitches below treeline- and some of these pitches can be much more user friendly, especially in calm weather, than the standard cat pitch.

James