Tarp/Tent Fabric Color

[Randy Martin]

Interested in opinions on having shelter (Tent or Tarp) fabric in a bright very visible color (e.g. Yellow) vs a earth tone that blends in with the surroundings (e.g. Dark Green or Brown). I can see the benefit of a bright color to help locate if you have difficulty finding it for some reason vs. having a color that blends in better to conceal your presence for the benefit of either yourself or others.

[Christopher Yi]

There was a recent thread on clothing about bright colors vs earth tones, and a lot of it was what you mentioned whether you wanted to be "seen/found" or you preferred to be stealth. IIRC someone mentioned during a SAR mission, they happen to find the guy wearing a bright color (blue?) along some granite. If he was wearing grey, he would've been surely missed. Same with hunting season, bright colors seemed to be the general consensus.

I just prefer the bright colors myself. If I had to be found, I'd have plenty of bright gear to be waved around. My shelters are only available in one color, so I was stuck with Silnylon grey and Cuben Fiber white. I'd prefer yellow and blue.

[HkNewman]

If I were worried about being stealthy, maybe I'd go earth tone (some of that OD green cuben fiber, perhaps).

My winter tents (Big Agnes eVent Sarvis 1+ and MSR Zoid 1) are mostly red in case I get storm-bound, … help cheer me up as I figure out explanations to my boss as how did I get stuck without looking at the forecast, etc…. If the shelter were up during the day, maybe UV resistance should be factored in as that tends to be a tent-killer fabric-wise (I've seen some red backpacking tents from the major tent makers up long-term in Hawaii turned pink).

[Jake D]

Just be aware that bright colors make the inside pretty bright too. my TT is grey and it's fairly light. my gf's tent we use car camping is a light green and it's really bright. I could see red or yellow being pretty intense.

[john hansford]

I used to fly helicopters, and in the SAR situation it is very difficult to spot people on the ground or at sea. If you want to be found one day, carry a square metre of fluorescent nylon in your pack with a few pegs. It is such an unnatural colour it stands out immediately. That way you don't have to annoy other walkers by using bright colours all the time, which are less effective anyway ; )

[Aaron Reichow]

I like bright colors. To some extent this is so that it's easy to find, but mostly it's an aesthetic thing. I quite enjoy the yellow of my SoloMid or GoLite Shangri-la 5. *shrug* If I had a reason for wanting to blend in I'd go with a green, olive, or brown.

[Randy Martin]

Thanks for the responses. I am specifically looking at Yellow or Olive Brown for the MLD Trailstar. I think the Yellow is what I am leaning towards.

[Terri Wright]

I have the yellow MLD cricket and it seems to attract bugs a little more than usual but it could also be the open porch with the set back netting. I like the color, but it can be bright!

[JP]

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[Nico .]

Bright colors like the MLD yellow look great in photos.

I prefer being discreet with my gear/clothes colors, so I went with the standard gray. Gotta' say though, for photo purposes only, I'm a little envious of the brighter shelters…

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