SURVEY REPORT: THE MYTHS OF TARP DURABILITY

Hi James, that's a fair comment. There's definitely a lot of tradeoffs to be made on techniques and everyone has a slightly different spin on things. BTW, I should have also mentioned that I really enjoyed your article and analysis and my comments were in no way meant to be critical.

"I always keep my tarp easily accessible so that it can be put up quickly in the rain and keep the rest of my gear dry"

+1

In addition, if it’s raining / snowing when I break camp, the tarp is the last thing I put in the pack.

"Nah, you just stuff it in the bottom, then in goes the pack liner, then in goes your stuff."

So it's pouring rain, and I want to pitch my tarp, and I have to unload my pack to get to it? Um, not for me, thanks. My tarp rides in a mesh stuff sack in the outside mesh pocket of my (SMD) pack. Last thing I pack, and first thing I take out, especially in bad weather.

That was the one "finding" of this study that made me go, "Huh?"

What Ken stated is especially true. The wet tarp is the last thing to be packed away for carrying, so it tends to be in a top pocket or outside pocket. Then when you get to a sunny place a couple of hours along the trail, you can pull it out, dry it while you snack, and pack it away again.
–B.G.–

Maybe Mike C! pulls out the whole "sealed" liner (trash bag) to get to his tarp??? Would sure seem like a pain to put back in if you were just drying rather than stopping for the day. I also load my tent above my trash bag as well as the food and cooking gear.

"So it's pouring rain, and I want to pitch my tarp, and I have to unload my pack to get to it?"

"Maybe Mike C! pulls out the whole 'sealed' liner (trash bag) to get to his tarp??"

Exactly what I'd do.

I normally keep my tarp at the bottom of my pack, because I usually don't need it. Why touch any gear you do not need?

If it looks like rain, then it goes higher up in the pack.

Stuff I need a lot goes into outside pockets or at the top of things in the back, as long as I balance my load, which is really of little concern with really light equipment.

If I used the tarp during the night, and it is wet when I break camp, it goes into an outside mesh pocket. I never set up my tarp, unless I expect precipitation.

"Nah, you just stuff it in the bottom, then in goes the pack liner, then in goes your stuff."

Not me. My tarp always goes on top of my pack or in the kangaroo pouch, readily available for pitching if the weather turns foul. The LAST thing I would want is to have to spill the contents of my pack out on the ground when it is pi$$ing down rain just to get at my tarp. Much better to get 4 corners pegged, put the pack underneath the tarp and finish pitching. But, in deference to BPL philosophy, PYOT. ;-)

My tarp goes in last, on top, if it is dry. If it is wet, in an outside mesh pocket.

I have pitched my tarp for breaks or a nap in the sun or rain.
So I wouldn't ever put it in the bottom of my pack. I want quick access to it.

Hi James

> It would also be great if one of the scientists on the form (Rog C????) would
> be willing to act as peer reviewer / advisor over time.
Delighted to help. Contact me direct at
roger@backpackinglight.com

All that lovely real data to play with … drool! :-)

Cheers

James, thank you for the outstanding effort for collecting and analyzing the data, excellent work!

I'd be delighted to help out testing the hypothesis you're going to formulate for the longitudinal study. My email is hendrik.morkel@gmail.com – feel free to contact me there (the BPL.com PM system sucks).

I wonder if the answer to the question "where do I pack my tarp" has to do with the hiker's usual location. If I hiked in a place where rain was infrequent, and I planned to cowboy camp most of the time, then having my tarp at the bottom of my pack would make sense. Unfortunately, where I hike it's often raining, and for long periods of time, leading to packing a wet tarp on a regular basis, and needing said tarp when I stop for the night (and sometimes for lunch.)

Guys,
Good morning. You know, I think the "tarp on the top"/"tarp on the bottom" debate was started by a comment I made. I have to say that I certainly don't want this to be a "religious" debate (we'll save that for chaff). I think this is a preference, and anyone with any judgement is going to make a call based on the weather, as to which storage method to use on any given day.

For example, my normal practice (until now, anyway) has been to fold my tarp into a stuff sack and insert it in my pack… in the fall, I was hiking in the Whites and it was absolutely p'ssing it down in the morning. My tarp was muddy and very wet (although I was nice and toasty under it). I changed my normal practice and loosely folded it and put it in the outside pocket of my jam 2 – otherwise I would have had a pool of water in my stuff sack. We all exercise good judgement every day on the trail, or we suffer the consequences!

The questions was intending to capture what you "normally" do, nothing more. If we go forwards with a longitudinal study, we will examine what were you doing immediately before and after each incident of damage. This will give us REAL data on causes and implications of our behavior…

Judgement really is the whole deal with these things. Happy trails, my friends.. ;-)

Cheers, James.

The best place to pack your tarp is in the pack of the person that you invited to hike with you. Great ultralight practice. For instance just ask your wife/girlfriend to carry the tarp. If they object I'm sure they will tell you where to stick it… or should I say stuff it?

thanks so much, i know you worked very hard on this. I would disagree on one apspect though, 25lbs is still considered lightweight. I would not consider it traditional, as traditional backpackers/novices being sold traditional gear fall more in the 40-60lb range. That being said, great info, will benefit the forums greatly.

The results refer to base weight where the standard determination for "lightweight" is a base of less than 20 pounds.

I am willing to help with your longitudinal study.

All I need from you is 9 different tarps (3 cuben, 3 spinnaker, 3 silnylon). The rest I can take care of myself — using the tarps extensively over a 5-year period, using each of three tarp packing methods equally for each tarp fabric.

Now, the tarps I think should be tested this way are:
– MLD Duomid cuben
– Zpacks Hexamid cuben
– MLD Supermid
– GG SpinnTwin
… …

LOL. Funny man.
Would love to have your assistance, but, erm, no gear provided! ;-)

I was talking about full weight at the trailhead.

the packing style seems an odd choice as criteria for evaluating tarp damage unless we are talking about damage while the tarp is packed. If it's about damage while in actual use, it'd be much more meaningful to state packing style at home which is where the tarp is stored most of the time for most of us.

If we talk about potential damage while the tarp is up: after years of folding and rolling (both on the trail and at home) tarps and tents, I see no sign of wear accountable to this. I would imagine stuffing (unless done loosely) would create more sharp bends in the fabric than folding and rolling but nylon fabrics seem quite forgiving anyway. When choosing between the orderly or disorderly packing fashion, I think it comes down to personal character. There's those who drool over the compact, perfectly shaped stuff sack and wouldn't stand the thought of a wrinkly mess; and those who wouldn't stand the thought of spending any time in something they see of no practical use. I see no significant, practical advantages or disadvantages to any approach.

Good job anyway. Stats based on real data are always a nice thing to have.

Interestingly enough, I found that there are not many tarp users thru-hiking the PCT year. Most folks set up a tent each night. There are quite a few single-wall tents on the trail and Tarptents seem to be the most common.

Also, I have not met another woman using a tarp and most hikers are amazed that I enjoy "cowboy camping".