Green or White Cuben fiber tarp/mid?

[Mark J]

I’m coming from a cheap silnylon tarp I used to test out if tarp shelters were feasible for me (they are, depending…) and wanting to upgrade to a lighter weight material; hence cuben.  I may stay with just a tarp or into something like a Duomid.

My question: is there a difference between the green or white colors other than color?  Is one warmer than the other (greenhouse effect as some have pointed out referring to the white), does this apply to both colors?  Any thing that distinguishes one from the other besides just color?

[rmeurant]

I found the black cuben of the Locus Khufu mid both better for privacy and shade, and more attractive.

[Adrian Adams]

I went from a white silnylon tarp to a green MLD Grace Duo in cuben fiber.  I don’t notice any difference in heat gain, but the green does blend in with nature more which I feel is important.  When given a choice of color for gear I always go with what blends with my surroundings.  I feel less like an alien and more like I belong when my gear blends in with my surroundings.

[Gerry B.]

Robert,

You don’t find the black color to hotter?

Gerry

[rmeurant]

Hi Gerry. I had intended to clarify my earlier post. The “black” cuben used for mids, or at least for Locus Gear mids, is not that black, in part because of the fabric thinness; it is more like a 50% grey (or lighter). Probably it is a little warmer than the white, but any of these colors heat up very quickly when the sun strikes them, so you tend to roll out of bed with the direct sun. In clouded conditions or under shade, there is still adequate light coming through the cuben, so the interior is not gloomy. White cuben can cause glare in direct sunlight. In principle, I also like the idea of the color being suited to the environment, but I haven’t seen a green cuben (from photos) that I like, and anyway, green is not really my color. Color of tent fabrics can affect one’s psychological mood, over long periods tent-bound. From memory, Ryan’s (earlier, later also?) Khufu is the black cuben, so you could get an idea from photos of his, also from the Locus Gear site. I include two photos of mine as well:

I should also say I have recently been using a white HMG square tarp a lot, and and am really please with that as well (another superb product), but the color dynamics are rather different for a more open flat tarp (with the color from the ambient environment) than a mid, which is far more internal. And as I repeatedly and tiresomely observe, for solo use, a 2/3 inner for a rectangular mid makes a great deal of sense, providing generous vestibule space, and more than adequate internal space. Also, mids greatly benefit from the DPTE arrangement (Locus Gear), that allows two poles to be used at the apex, greatly freeing up internal space.

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