Silpoly tarp - hopes crushed within 5 minutes

[Globetruck]

I have an old MacCat Spinn tarp that still works fine. But in the age of cuben fiber, I feel like an old timer. Spinn has gone the way of the external frame pack, but mine has never leaked. At 11 oz it's not all that heavy either.

[JasonACraft]

I'll take it! Send me your paypal info.

...wait...wrong thread... thanks for the field test

Edit: i was trying to be funny. Just saw you posted it for sale, lol. Sorry to get any hopes up

[michigandave]

Sorry for your loss (and someone else's gain). I don't blame you passing this along to someone else. Rule #1 is having confidence in your gear....in this case, failure is not an option.

Perhaps a blue poly tarp may be in your future...

[OneClick]

Perhaps a blue poly tarp may be in your future...

Them do look nice on a wood pile...or an old rusty pile of junk down here in Inidaner

[Al Icks]

I'm curious, what do you guys think would happen to xenon wide (1.3?) in this situation?

[Billy Goat]

I've had nothing but good luck with my 1.1 PU4000 tarps. Granted, I don't think I've had them out pitched directly under low hanging branches... I have 4 in service for the whole family and they perform extremely well. I find them plenty light enough and wouldn't try to push the issue going lighter than what they already are. I'm actually going a little heavier on them, same material, 12 foot instead of 11, with doors instead of cat cut hex. Will give me some more confidence when the wife and I hang together in inclement weather.

Cheers,
the Goat

[OneClick]

1.1 sound good to me. I think that's what I've always been using but in nylon

[GadgetUK437]

Shame you had bad luck with yours.
Ten months in, and so far so good, with my RBTR membrane silpoly winter tarp.

14 trips, 22nights... nothing so far, but I'll keep you posted.

[Floridahanger]

I feel for you. Had your hopes up on a new piece of kit with spaceage, light and relatively inexpensive for its use, material just to have it fail so quickly. I'm glad for you, though, that if you had to have a failure, it was during testing and not 10 miles into the woods during a downpour.

Thanks for posting the test/failure for the Membrane .93 as a tarp material. I always wanted to use sub 1 material and you just helped me with this decision. I never liked the idea of multiuse items for main kit items like tarps or ponchos(used as a ground sheet) if the failure is enough to cause me to abandon ship. I know that wasn't the case here but it remains to show that the thin materials are not enough for the weather exposure(for me, imho).

I'm still wanting to know what failures this material may have on other applications such as quilts. I know...another thread...if someone has the experience, please start a thread on it.

[La Picker]

Total bummer! Gotta say, folks are too quick to diss a plain old Walmart blue tarp. Granted, not ultralight, but 100% waterproof, indestructible, and disposable.