The Noahs tarp is nice and durable. It'll last you a long time.
The Noahs tarp is nice and durable. It'll last you a long time.
Instagram: @tralenoutdoors
The Kelty Noah 12 x 12 is a good tarp, with an established track record. I'm personally a little hesitant to try Amazon tarps with very few reviews, like the Chill Gorilla tarps. There are many on HF who are predisposed to be happy with the cheapest possible tarp, because, well, because the purchaser is cheap. If you're predisposed to being cheap, then you are likely to be very happy with a cheap tarp, even blinding yourself to its inadequacies.
A few years ago, there were quite a lot of HF posts about the Guide Gear 12 x 12 tarp, which sold out from Sportsmansguide.com extremely quickly. Everybody said they were wonderful tarps for $20, so I bought two when they became available again. And now I have two of the leakiest tarps you could imagine. Nobody talks about the Guide Gear 12 x 12 tarps anymore, because the consensus seemed to be that it was a case of mass hysteria, that they were really not worth the $20 (unless you just wanted a sun shade).
But I didn't stop chasing that cheap Amazon tarp for a couple of years more, before finally becoming convinced that a cheap $20 Amazon tarp is exactly that: a cheap $20 Amazon tarp. I now have a closet full of $20 to $25 tarps I bought on Amazon that I wouldn't trust to keep my worst enemy dry. I just use them for sun shades, to hang over the fire, or to hang over the cooking area, but I definitely wouldn't trust them to keep my hammock dry.
If you look on HF, and all you can find are a couple of reviews of the cheap tarp you're looking at, then pass. There's a lot of things I don't like about the Kelty 12 x 12 (weight, hard to get taut, etc.), but it really is a workhorse and not that expensive. And it will keep you dry, which is most important.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
I've got one of the Chill Gorilla tarps. It's big (12' I think), heavy, and doesn't pack very small. Outside of those factors, for the price, I was happy with it. In an effort to get my base weight down, I've started packing an even cheaper, smaller tarp - Yukon Outfitters. It came as part of a package deal I got on Woot way back when I first started hammocking. All of the gear that came with it was adequate, and served me well for what I paid and what it was.
Also a cheap Amazon tarp user here, Go Outfitters one, and I don't have anything bad to say really. Compared to a nice tarp it doesn't pack down very small but I can still fit it in my snake skins. I haven't had to use it in a major downpour yet but it has kept me dry in light rain.
If you really want to be safe you could always hit yours with some seam sealer. You can also pick up a pull-out kit from Dutch and try that out.
My second tarp was an 11 foot hex from Outdoor Vitals. It worked great and I still use it occasionally on my Tensa 4 Stand as I don't need the tarp extensions but it does get a little claustrophobic. I have since upgraded a couple of times and now use a Cedar Ridge Outdoors Winter tarp because I like the doors. I'm not a backpacker, My camping is usually out of a kayak or my truck so weight is only important for portages.
"God never sends us anything we can't handle. Sometimes I wish He didn't trust me so much." - Mother Teresa.
I have and quite like the Chill Gorilla Hex tarp with their tarp sleeve; it’s very waterproof (though I did seal the seam, just in case), and a good size. It’s bulkier than the nicer cottage ones, and it’s enough bigger and heavier than my HG Journey that it’s most likely to wind up as the tarp for my Tensahedron, rather than seeing much more use backpacking. My son has the Chill Gorilla rectangular tarp, and loves it. I do like the overall idea of supporting specialized businesses like HG or SLD, but I totally get the need to save money when we can. My other son has an Amazon tarp from some brand I can’t even remember, and it’s plenty waterproof, and was really cheap.
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I used a Noah 12 for years.. Its a big tarp, but dont let anyone convince you its to heavy for backpacking. I hung 2 hammocks under it, as my wife was new to backpacking, and wanted to sleep right beside me.
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Now that my wife is no longer afraid, i opted to get 2 Superflys. I like them a lot. They are lighter, pack down smaller, and more taut when pitched. They are also affordable, and built well. The Kelty though is a tough tarp, and i still use it quite often when car camping.
Depends how you pitch it. A 9x9 tarp pitched on the diagonal will have a ridge length of almost 13'.Originally Posted by Rhody
A 10'x10' tarp pitched on a diagonal has over 14' ridge length. A 12'x12' tarp pitched on a diagonal has almost 17' ridge length.
I have many times hung an 11' hammock under a 10' square tarp pitched as a simple rectangular A-frame. Your 11' hammock, if it has a structural ridgeline, is probably a little over 9' long. My 10' square tarp gives me about 5 inches of overlap on each end of the hammock, so basically the continuous loops just stick partway outside of the hammock coverage. The 5' width on each side is ample, so really you just have to be concerned about windblown rain coming through the ends.
Square tarps often have multiple tie-out points on each side, so they can be configured in some creative ways, such as an asym with a pseudo-door on each end.
This is the square tarp I have, and it is extremely reliable.
Aqua Quest Safari - 10x10 - Olive Drab
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VJK5Y3K
I also have many other tarps, ranging from a $60 Asym from Simply Light Designs to a $400 Dyneema Palace from Hammock Gear. For what it is, I have nothing bad to say at all about the Aqua Quest 10x10.
I have a Gold Armour 10x12 tarp that is no longer available on Amazon. It doesn't have as many tie outs as their current offerings from them. I was rained on several times last summer using it including a few heavy downpours. The big size was great as we put it in porch mode and sat under it during the rains. Had no problems with leaking.
Just bought a cheap 9.5x9.5 tarp ($15) off Amazon. I looked it over and it looks well made. Folded up, it's about 2/3rds the size of the Gold Armour. I'm a little disappointed that it doesn't pack smaller, but I can't complain about the price. Both this one and the Gold Armour is coated fabric, so I don't think I have to worry about this one leaking either. But if it does, I'm not out much $ and I'll just save it for the times that it's not supposed to rain or we're to have only light showers and use it mostly for shade.
- Clyde
Jeff, based on your recommendation I went with the ProVenture. It is a nice size and was very easy to set up nice and tight. Haven't been able to try it out in the field yet but thanks again for the info!
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