MYOG ground sheet/poncho. Velcro or snaps on the side?

[Rusty Beaver]

I have a piece of .74oz cuben 54"x108" I'm making into a ground sheet/poncho.

Has anyone used small velcro tabs rather than snaps on the sides? I can see some advantages to snaps but I already have velcro….and it's light and would be easy for me to sew on. Of course, I have snaps and the tooling to install them too…but they're metal and heavy. Some sort of plastic/nylon snap would be lighter but I don't have any or the tools nor do I want to spend much money acquiring them. Seems too that they might wear out quickly…but that's just my guess.

Thoughts?

[Rusty Beaver]

Thought I'd give this a bump.

Anyone use and/or make a poncho with velcro closures rather than snaps? If so, what did/do you think?

[Conner D]

I finished a quilt probably 45 min. ago and used velcro for the footbox. The shell, liner, and insulation weighed 13 oz without sewing. After the velcro, sewing, small grosgrain tieouts on each end, and a small clip at the top, it weighed 15.3 oz. I think the velcro weight affected the end weight significantly. In conclusion, you might want to do snaps to save weight. Your decision though…

-Conner

EDIT: I forgot you said small tabs. In that case you might actually save weight. I thought you means full velcro along the sides.

[Rusty Beaver]

Thanks for your insight, Conner. But yes, by small tabs, I was thinking something along the lines of 3/4" squares.

[Sam Farrington]

Velcro has a limited life when regularly exposed to water and gunk. A good example are the shoes with Velcro straps for the top closure. The Velcro wears out fairly soon.

You can buy very light weight snaps in notions sections of sewing and department stores. As stated, they come in plastic, as well as metal.
They are easy to mount with a the little hammer and anvils that come with them, once you get the hang of it.
Get ones just heavy enough to have a good grip that won't pop open with the slightest pressure.

If you really wanted a pull-proof closure, you could use kitty clips, or tiny plastic rings and mitten hooks; but it would make it take longer to install the floor with each pitch, and that amount of holding power may not be necessary.

I have used snaps, one every foot or so, on small tarp floors for tarp tents, and it worked fine – no failures, even with winter camping in the snow. I think it is because if the tarp or tarp tent is well and securely pitched, there is no great pressure on the tarp-to-floor connecting snaps. What the snaps do is keep the sides of the floor lifted up and connected to the top tarp, several inches above the ground, so rainwater can't flow in. To survive wear and tear, small reinforcement fabric patches should be bonded to the top and bottom tarps at the point where each snap is installed.

[Author]

Posts