7D auxiliary tarp 4.5′ X 9′ (4.2 oz)

[Monte Masterson]

Tarp works great to supplement a tent as a door overhang or to cook under while it’s raining. Also is light enough and small enough to pack on day hikes for just in case overnights (or survival). And can be used stand alone for FKT or the most down and dirty SUL’ers (an MLD Bug Bivy barely fits underneath in A frame mode)

Made with RSBTR 7D MTN silnylon 6.6 and all 8 tieouts are fortified with bonded reinforcements (same 7D material). Tieouts are sewn on with 2 straight lines and then a zigzag over each and bar tack on ends. Cost about $50 for just the 7D material and shipping.

[Jerry Adams]

That looks nice

Fabric is 57″ wide, probably a little of that is unusable because it has holes in it along the edge.  4.5 feet is 54″.  Way to maximally use the fabric

[Terran Terran]

I carry one 50.5” x 8’

Aluminized DCF.

8 timeouts with line locks on each corner.

6.3 oz.

I always find a use for it.

[Moab Randy]

Terran, Could you share specs and source for the DCF–weight, approximate price etc.? Also, how opaque is it? I’d love to find a very opaque silverized reflective fabric more durable than a space blanket and more opaque than silnylon for use as a shade tent. Thanks.

[Terran Terran]

I haven’t seen the fabric available for a few years. The closest I see is aluminized Tyvek at Rip Stop by the Roll.

[Jon Solomon]

Hi Monte, sorry to barge in. Just wanted to send a HU about a new 10D tarp from Nordisk, Voss 7 LW. Approx 12 x 8 (240 x 390 cm). Sized for very tall folks. Weighs 260g. Comes in your preferred dark green. Ridge seam along the length, not width. https://nordisk.eu/voss-7-lw/forest-green/p/1470/7013 . Very expensive. Best, Jon

[Monte Masterson]

Thanks Jon, looks awesome. Only 9.5 oz and you have the option of closing up each end to block any blowing rain for 360 degree protection. I see Bike 24 in Germany has one priced at 186 Euro which is surprisingly cheap.  https://www.bike24.com/p2700860.html Alpinstore in France has them for 256 Euro so not a lot more than the Voss 5 really. You can bet the 10D silnylon is the best quality that can be had.

[Matthew / BPL]

That Nordisk tarp looks great. Love the shape and details. The video on Bike24 shows a ring being used on a guy line in a way I haven’t seen before.

[Monte Masterson]

The video on Bike 24 site is actually the Voss 5 which has me scratching my head a little because it’s the Voss 7 that’s featured.

[Jon Solomon]

That ring is for facilitating line adjustments in tandem with the included biner in case you want to lash the guyline around a tree, which I remember is one of the bushcraft selling points for the smaller Voss 5.

Besides being bigger than the 5, the 7 has those interesting beaks at each end and a ridge seam that runs parallel to the ridge line instead of perpendicular to it (previously Monte’s favorite peeve about the 5).

Nordisk makes another tarp called the Nordisk Tech with an intriguing design that allows for use as a poncho, a hammock, a mid, a traditional tarp, or an emergency stretcher. It’s the swiss army knife of tarps. Kind of heavy at 1.1 kg, though. Nordisk doesn’t list the fabric denier/weight. Must be a 40D fabric, I suppose, if they’re advertising it as an emergency stretcher.

https://nordisk.eu/voss-tech/dark-moss/p/1200/4866

Those Scandinavian companies take the cake for interesting tarp designs. The Nortent Bivuakk uses a 20D silnylon that is triple coated on both sides and has a stove port, while allowing for dual doors, etc., at around 2lbs.

https://nortent.com/products/nortent-gamme-6-arctic14

[Monte Masterson]

I’m intrigued by the hexagonal shape of the Voss 7. Can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like it but I’m sure someone has probably thought of it before. Takes care of the number one problem with flat tarps and it’s the fact that invariably no matter how you set them up there’s always an opening to let in blowing rain. So the Voss 7 is like the discontinued MLD Patrol Tarp but with far more versatility. Even though I can’t afford one the design has me thinking of making a copy with 20D olive drab silpoly but 7′ wide instead of 8′. It would weigh 12 to 14 oz.

[JCH]

Were I a tarp guy (I am not) and were I to go with a tarp (I will not) the Voss 7 addresses almost every problem I have with tarps.  Except that it is still a tarp :)

Seriously tho, that design is brilliant. Very much looking forward to Monte’s version.

[Jon Solomon]

Looking forward to Monte’s version, too. Looks like a cat cut along the sides of the triangular ends might be useful.

As for the Nordisk Voss 7, I’d love to know the dimensions. For example, how long are the straight sides parallel to the ridge line before the angle? It would also be interesting to know the measurements of the beak.

[Monte Masterson]

I did measurements of the Voss 7 photo I posted above (tarp laid flat) and then extrapolated. The sides are about 91″ long and the triangles on each end extend out a tad over 31′

But I’d be afraid to do cat cuts on the triangles even though it might help with overall tautness. Not sure how it would turn out. Maybe if Dutch were to offer up another batch of cheap fabric remnants I might experiment, however he hasn’t had any available for quite awhile. Project would require 9 yards of fabric. Dutch does have 20D silnylon at $5 a yard though. I found the weight to be under 1.2 oz per sq yd (not 1.36 oz). https://dutchwaregear.com/product/sil-nylon/

I’m very curious as to how Nordisk does the trekking pole supports on each end of the ridge. Of course they’re essential for the tarp to function.

[Jon Solomon]

Thanks, Monte. Hey, do you know why the shape of the beaks is different on the photo I posted above?

[Monte Masterson]

I think the beak shape in the pic you posted is strictly a function of the thin 10D silnylon stretching out under the substantial pull the ridgeline undergoes in A frame mode. Otherwise the design appears to be just a simple hexagon with no special cuts…at least from my perspective.

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