Tarp planning for now and The Future(tm), Superfly, Mamajamba, HG Cuben

[flexic]

I'm using a Dutch 11' netless for 3-season backpacking in the PNW and looking to pickup my first "real" tarp while leaving money in the budget for other items. I guess the question without walking myself in too many circles is: if I want to end up eventually with a 4-season HG Cuben, would a Mamajamba or Superfly (or similar suggestion) serve me better in the interim? I do some family car/tent camping as well so having a tarped area for inclement weather, with no hammock, could also be handy. Which I suppose would be a vote for the Superfly.

Seeing as the HG Cuben is even lighter than even the doorless Mamajamba I assume I'd never carry anything else and sell whatever other tarps I owned at that time.

[kitsapcowboy]

Greetings from just slightly to the north. For three-season backpacking, if I were in your shoes (i.e., hiking boots) and respecting the same priorities and preferences, I think I would just bite the bullet and get the four-season CF tarp you really want right off the bat. Unless you have to take the interim step, why divert the funds from your ultimate goal? Save yourself the trouble and cost of depreciation associated with buying and selling the MJ.

(That said, FWIW I own an 11-foot HG CF hex tarp, which I use here in Washington State (with roughly similar weather conditions to yours) only for the shoulder seasons on multi-day trips when weight is among my top priorities. For me, the CF hex is a special-purpose tarp, not ideal for my style of camping outside of spring or fall.)

[TrailSlug]

I would suggest the opposite. I'd try one of the new SilPoly winter tarps like the SimplyLightDesigns Winter Haven and you may find that you like it so much that the small amount of additional weight will not matter. Then use the saved money for other gear.

[flexic]

I own an 11-foot HG CF hex tarp... For me, the CF hex is a special-purpose tarp, not ideal for my style of camping outside of spring or fall.)

Which tarp do you find yourself carrying most often?

[Burg54]

I cant say enough good things about my Superfly. I went round and round for weeks about which tarp to buy for the PNW year round camping that I do. The WB Superfly rocks! I would get a Silpoly SF and not look back. I am almost certain you will love it.

[kitsapcowboy]

Which tarp do you find yourself carrying most often?

The tarps I use the most are ones I've made myself, but there are commercial equivalents in terms of dimensions and weight.

In fairer weather, when camping with a gathered-end hammock, I like asym tarps. This one is a DIY 6' wide x 9' long Xenon Wide coated poly rectangle tarp, which can be hung asym in either lay direction. It weighs 8.5 ounces and packs in a fraction of the size of my HG CF hex, while providing appreciable coverage...




https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...-Simple-quot-)

Simply Light Designs makes my favorite commercial asym tarp, the Simplicity, and Dutch makes an even bigger commercial version of my Xenon Wide asym.

In bad weather, I like full-enclosure widebody tarps with doors that I can stake directly to the ground and still have plenty of room inside, with or without a pole mod. This is a DIY 11' long x 12' wide Xenon Wide winter tarp with doors; it can be staked directly to the ground with a 6-foot stance and still has a ridge line height of nearly 5.5 feet: The internal pole mod increases the already capacious interior profile by 28%...





https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...de-Winter-Tarp

Simply Light Designs and Underground Quilts can make you similar commercial tarps (Winter Haven and Winter Dream, respectively) out of wide sil-poly.

Xenon Wide fabric for DIY is available from Dutchware Gear: http://dutchwaregear.com/xenon-sil-1-1.html

HTH...