Help me pick my first tarp

[Will Webster]

I've been reading a lot of postings about how great tarp camping is and I think we (my wife and I) are ready to give it a try. We're currently using a Big Agnes Fly Creek 2 (45.6 oz trail weight including footprint); we live in PA but we do venture into the SW once a year, plus we've been getting up into New England on an annual basis. I snagged an Oware double bivy on the BPL sale the other day so now I guess I need a double tarp. Criteria are:

> room for two with gear
> not overly expensive – $200+ for cuben isn't an option right now
> suitable for a newby
> total shelter weight less than what I'm carrying now

I was looking at the Oware flat tarp 2.0, and I saw that the 2.5 is on special this week – but that brings the price down to about the same as the (lighter and longer) 2.0. What are the advantages of a 9×9 tarp as opposed to 8×10 for two people? What other tarps should I be looking at? What else haven't I thought of?

Thanks,
Will

[Ryan Smith]

Check out MLD's Grace Due silnylon tarp. 13oz and $150. Has some nice features and MLD quality is superb. Prepare for a 6-8 week wait though…How tall are you and your wife? I am 6'5" so I always opt for the longer 10ft ridgeline when it comes to tarps. If you dont need the length, go 9×9 and it will give you more elbow room.

Edit: Just saw the $101 price on the Oware tarp. Tough to beat that price.

Ryan

[Will Webster]

Thanks Ryan. I should thought to include height. I'm 5'-10, my wife is 5'-9" We're both medium builds; I'm 155-160 lb.

The MLD Grace looks great. I'm not sure whether my first tarp should be flat or cat, though. I think I understand the advantages of catenary cut, but I'm also thinking that a flat tarp would let me experiment with different pitching options.

[Ryan Smith]

A catenary cut just really helps with getting a tight pitch. It's more important with a silnylon tarp than a cuben one. You should still be able to pitch it different ways although not sure which ones are your preference.

Ryan

[Al Nichols]

I may have mentioned this in another thread but; I've used embossed drop cloths. The ones we used were 9'x12' very light weight and quite durable. I think they cost about $5.00 each. They are kind of noisy when the wind picks up.

I think this is the one I used. It sure looks familiar:

[Will Webster]

Ryan – that's the thing: I haven't done this before so I don't know what my preference will be.

Al – Maybe that's what I need to do – get out in the woods with something cheap and experiment before I stimulate the economy any more.

[jeff clapp]

I was in the same position re: money and experimenting and two people and decided to make Ray Jardine's. Came out to 15 oz and is ginormous.

I might ultimately replace it with something catcut and techier, but we'll see.

[Kevin @ Seek Outside]

We have a two person tarp on special right now, 15 ounces

http://seekoutside.com/products/specials/

http://seekoutside.com/lightweight-silnylon-breakaway-tarp/

[Edward Z]

The Grace Duo or GG spinntwin are my votes!

[Ken Helwig]

GG Spinntwin

[Kevin Cody]

you can check out my SpinnTwinn set up in both regular and storm mode here

From Judell Canyon to Alamar

From Judell Canyon to Alamar

From Judell Canyon to Alamar

From Judell Canyon to Alamar

[John G]

My advise is to get a 10×12 flat tarp in silnylon to start with if you know you'll have 2 people often, and you are a beginning tarp user.

It's not that hard to pitch a flat tarp taught, you just have to move the stakes twice until you've pitched it a dozen times. The 10' ridge line means that if you experience wind-blown rain, it has to come in more horizontal than 45 degrees to reach you. The 12' width means that you can pitch the edges 12-15" off the ground, so that 2 people both get good head room under "their side" of the tarp, and the rain has to come in more horizontal than 45 degrees to reach you from the sides too.

Notice that the extra length & width means you don't have to worry about which direction the wind will come from if it rains as much as you would with a smaller tarp. With a flat tarp, you can try out the pyramid pitch mode, or closing off 1 end in fiercer winds to make a tube-like cave. The pyramid pitch doesn't really work with a cat-cut tarp. That said, I pitch mine in A-frame mode 98% of the time, so a cat-cut is not bad either.

Also, if you decide tarp camping is something you like, you can trim the tarp's size as your weather & wind prediction skills improve. If you decide a tarp is not for you, then the larger size makes a great dining fly for barbecues.

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