Flat Tarp vs. Catenary Tarp

[Philip Strickland]

I’m about to buy my first tarp and have been trying to decide between flat or cat. I really like the variable pitch options of a flat tarp but the apparent ease of setup and taughtness of the cat tarps. My question is can the catenary tarps be effectively set up in any other pitch besides the usual A-frame?(Flying Diamond, Lean To, As tube tent,etc,etc). There is a great article by David Macpherson at equipped.com that demonstrates many of the variations in which a flat tarp can be pitched. And without intending to be redundant my question again is can a cat tarp also be pitched in these variations?

[Vick Hines]

There are 2 reasons for catenary cut, leading to 2 outcomes. Reason 1 is to make ANY tarp set up tighter. Homebuilders use a mild catenary (1/8 to 1/4 inch per running foot) to make up for seams that are not as straight as we would like and to pull some natural sag out of the bias of the fabric. [Bias is the angle that cuts 45 degrees across the yarns of the weave. Woven fabric stretches on the bias and therefore sags on the bias.] And remember, nylon absorbs water and sags so a mild catenary helps keep things tight. So a little catenary is always a good thing and DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH SETTING A TARP UP IN ANY CONVENTIONAL CONFIGURATION.
Reason 2 is to reshape the tarp. The extreme example is the Moss ‘parawing’ which is cut on the bias with extreme catenaries pulling against the bias. The result is a tarp that can be used in ONLY one configuration.
The tarps you mentioned in your inquiry show a greater or lesser degree of catenary.The only way to find out how a particular tarp will behave is to talk to the manufacturer and/or set one up and see for yourself.

[Mike Storesund]

I have an 10×10 flat tarp and a 8×10 catenary tarp. I like the tautness of the cat tarp, but have had problems with setup versatility beyond the ‘A’ frame. I enjoy the flexability of the flat tarp over the cat tarp. Since I have both, if I know where I am going will offer open space, I would bring the cat tarp. If I am unfamiliar with the area, I bring the flat. My flat is made by Oware, so it has 4 more tie outs in the center, which offer more options.
Not everyone can afford both. If I had to choose only one, I would buy the flat only, without question.

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