Life span of a cuben fiber tarp

**Treebird** · 12-06-2016, 08:25

I just purchased a new cuben tarp, I am still amazed at the lite weight and how thin and packable this thing is. I take good care of my gear, but I do use it as often as I can, I was hoping to get some feedback from you on how these tarps hold up over time. I know they are made to be lite weight but didn't know how durable it would be. Please let me know how long you have been using your cuben tarps.

**SilvrSurfr** · 12-06-2016, 12:21

I've had my CF tarp about four years with no wear or tear. The failures I've heard of are people leaving them out in the blazing sun for extended periods of time, and the tarp delaminated. I'm not worried about that happening, because I don't leave my tarp out in the blazing sun - I use it for backpacking.

I would expect to get many more years out of my CF tarp.

**OneClick** · 12-06-2016, 12:52

There's a good deal of feedback about cuben in the backpackinglight forums if you don't get enough info here.

**SilvrSurfr** · 12-06-2016, 13:09

Originally Posted by markr6

There's a good deal of feedback about cuben in the backpackinglight forums if you don't get enough info here.

Isn't that feeback about five or six years old? I remember reading BPL stuff on cuben fiber and thinking, "Gee, I guess they don't realize how many thousands of cuben fiber tarps there are in the field." Then I checked the dates of their info, and it was from 2011, as I recall.

**OneClick** · 12-06-2016, 13:15

Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr

Isn't that feeback about five or six years old? I remember reading BPL stuff on cuben fiber and thinking, "Gee, I guess they don't realize how many thousands of cuben fiber tarps there are in the field." Then I checked the dates of their info, and it was from 2011, as I recall.

"good deal" as in, a lot of reading material from then to now. Many seem to be pretty hard users too. I don't frequent that forum, so take it as is. If you read everyting you see online, you're screwed. So read everything, then make your own decision. That's the best you can do unless testing yourself.

**zukiguy** · 12-06-2016, 13:20

Didn't this stuff start out in the racing sail industry? There's probably a lot of info on strength but maybe not so much on longevity. Those guys have more money than sense. I just took a quick look and some older posts make it sound like you get one season, maybe 2 if you nurse it. However, a sail takes a LOT more beating than a tarp.

**SilvrSurfr** · 12-06-2016, 13:39

Originally Posted by zukiguy

I just took a quick look and some older posts make it sound like you get one season, maybe 2 if you nurse it. However, a sail takes a LOT more beating than a tarp.

That's what I mean about those older posts - they say cuben fiber is fragile. Thousands of cuben fiber tarps later, people just haven't updated any of the info. I don't think cuben fiber is fragile. I've had my cf tarp in 40 mph winds, and dime-sized hail, which a fragile tarp should not be able to survive. It's just about the only tarp I've used for four years, and looks like new.

**OneClick** · 12-06-2016, 13:46

Pretty simple to look at the dates IMO. But I guess SS has written that off as usual so just ignore it.

**SilvrSurfr** · 12-06-2016, 13:59

Originally Posted by markr6

Pretty simple to look at the dates IMO. But I guess SS has written that off as usual so just ignore it.

I'm just avoiding going to BPL because I didn't find their info useful several years ago, and it wasn't useful last time I checked either. I did a ton of research on cuben fiber, but since I now have experience, I don't feel the need to revisit the past.

**Trail Runner** · 12-06-2016, 14:19

I have 2 years under my CF tarp with no visible wear or damage. And I'm rough on gear. Like SS says, as long as you don't leave it in direct sunlight for extended periods, the delamination issue shouldn't be a problem. If your worried about damage from high winds you can just use guylines that have a lower breaking strength than the CF tarp.