Ray Way Argon Tarp and Net Tent
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I finished this project a while ago but haven’t gotten around to posting the final product. I wore out my old two person Ray-Way tarp and net tent after several years and a thru-hike, so it was time to replace it. I couldn’t decide for a long time if I wanted to spring for cuben fiber or make it with silnylon again, but then I saw Dutchware had argon silnylon at 1.06 oz and $5.75 a yard and my decision was made. I made a few changes to materials and design from the original.
The tarp is 14 oz on the nose. The only changes I made were I bar tacked the slits in the lifter patches to reinforce them. They held fine on my old one but they definitely showed signs of wear. I also used z-line from ZPacks for the major guy lines. I used 1.25mm for the corners and clothes line and I used 1.5 mm for the ridge and the side pull outs. The 1.5 mm is definitely less tangle prone so I’m glad I used it for the longer lines. I used the 80lb polyester cord for the side pull outs and the beaks. I put glow in the dark micro line locs on the major guy lines. I did that a little differently than you might expect. I put the adjustable loop on the tarp pull and tied a loop for the tent peg. I prefer this because I can tie the end of the guy off to a tree or rock and still use the adjuster. Also, when using an adjuster, you can normally only shorten the length of the line by half. But, with this setup, I can tie a peg off anywhere on the line with a clove hitch, and then adjust from there. I also added a piece of flat cord on the underside of the lifter patches, which I’ll explain in a minute.
The net tent is 11.5 oz. I modified the net tent design quite a bit. I used argon silnylon for the floor, argon 67 for the head and foot end and lighter no-see-um for the walls. I made a large D shaped zippered entry. My original net tent had the flap closure and I was not a fan of that. I added a zipper to my original net tent but kept the bottom flap closure and it just wasn’t effective. After waking up with a large beetle in my pants, I decided I needed a completely closed shelter. I used breathable nylon for the head and foot end because I’ve had three nights when rain found its way under the tarp. All three times were during crazy storms (two night had tornados in the area). It wasn’t significant and I managed to stay dry every time, but the nylon is some extra insurance. Also, it adds some privacy, which is nice. I doubt it will affect the air flow too much. Another big change is that I moved the lifter patch higher up the side of the net tent so it could attach to the underside of the lifter patch on the tarp. The original was pulled out to the side guy line and it helped to keep the walls from sagging too much. The pulls add dramatically to the headroom of the net tent now and makes the inner pitch tighter. I also added peg pull outs to the floor. The original design has a free hanging floor, which is ok, but now I have the option of keeping it in place. I had to reinforce the pull outs carefully to take the stress and I used heavy elastic for the peg loops to take some of the stress too.
Overall, I’m extremely pleased with the finished project. The tarp and net tent weigh 1 lb 10 oz overall which I think is pretty good for a two person, double wall shelter with tons of room. This design is a very nice compromise between a tent and a tarp. Even with a ground sheet and 12 carbon fiber tent pegs, the weight is still under two pounds. I haven’t had it out in the woods yet, but hopefully it works like expected.
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