No need for shock cord - doesn't improve anything in my opinion. However, some like shock cord with cuben fiber (Shug comes to mind). I've had a cuben fiber tarp about six years and have no problems getting a taut pitch every time.
No need for shock cord - doesn't improve anything in my opinion. However, some like shock cord with cuben fiber (Shug comes to mind). I've had a cuben fiber tarp about six years and have no problems getting a taut pitch every time.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
For what it's worth I just made the transition from a 11' Silmembrane tarp with doors on one end to the HG 11' standard with doors. I just can't like the Cuben tarp. I just returned from a section hike of the AT where it rained pretty much everyday and I just couldn't get used to the short sides on the Cuben tarp. No matter how I pitched low,wide what ever the sides were so short they allowed a lot of splash up on my underquilt. I did save 7 ounces in weight by switching to the Cuben tarp but lost a lot of rain protection compared to my silmembrane.
My first cuben fiber tarp was an HG standard with doors. I got it because HG wouldn't make me a Winter Palace (they claimed it was too much work). The standard was simply inadequate for blowing precipitation. A few months later, HG started selling the Winter Palace, and I immediately traded my standard for a Winter Palace. I haven't gotten even one drop of precipitation since, and I've had the Winter Palace for six years. I am not a fan of skimpy tarps - I'd rather have the full coverage of a Winter Palace, and not even think about blowing precipitation.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
I'm with you. I've been lucky for years using a no-door tarp, seeing either no rain or light/no blowing rain. That luck ran out. On my last two trips, one was too cool/windy and the other got stuff wet. Not a big deal, but a good wakeup call to start bringing a larger tarp more often.
Six years ago, I used to be one of the few people who had a cuben fiber tarp. Now, they're very popular. But in the rain, you can hear all those cuben fiber tarps from a quarter of a mile!
But seriously, I can't hear much of a difference between rain on a cuben fiber tarp and rain on any other tarp. A hard rain on any tarp is loud. Even if cuben fiber were louder, I doubt it would bother me much. When I was growing up, we had a tin roof on our house for a couple of years and I slept like a baby!
Besides, until I see it scientifically quantified, I'm not going to listen to "cuben fiber is louder" arguments. At least give me a decibel meter and side-by-side tarps in the same rain storm!
The best you can get is the occasional humorous YouTube video:
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
well said, Surfer...If you are outdoors, all is good with a good tarp.
I could tell the rain was louder on my new Cuben tarp compared to my sil membrane but not enough to matter or stop me from sleeping. I honestly loved everything about the tarp except for the shortness of the sides. I would probably be keeping it longer if the first times I used it wasn't in the rain but I'm trying to get rid of that sucker now. The only reason I carry a tarp is for the rain and a wet muddy underquilt isn't any fun.
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