new tarp time

**litetrek** · 03-14-2020, 15:14

I need a new 12 ft ridgeline tarp and making up my mind has been tough. I want something with doors. A poly-sil is nice and the price is right. I especially like that you can compactly stuff it in a sack. Cuben fiber is calling me though - its so light. I don't like the noisyness and the fact that it transmits so much light and doesn't roll up compactly.

I'm "man enough" to carry the poly but do I really want to? I can afford the cuben but do I really want to spend that much to save some ounces and have to put up with quirks?

For anyone who has owned both please give me your thoughts - this is more important than corona virus!

**jeff-oh** · 03-14-2020, 16:51

Go with the sil-poly. You point out there are several functional aspects of DSM that you do not like. These will be there bugging you every hang.
The weight difference (per HG Journey & DSM std w/doors) is 320g/ 11 oz. or one cup of coffee.

Unless you are going on a technical outing that mandates the weight. Go with what you will enjoy.

**litetrek** · 03-14-2020, 17:20

Originally Posted by jeff-oh

Go with the sil-poly. You point out there are several functional aspects of DSM that you do not like. These will be there bugging you every hang.
The weight difference (per HG Journey & DSM std w/doors) is 320g/ 11 oz. or one cup of coffee.

Unless you are going on a technical outing that mandates the weight. Go with what you will enjoy.

Agree for a weekend the extra weight of the sil poly is a no-brainer. I'm thinking about a through hike and 11 oz is a significant amount....

**TrailSlug** · 03-14-2020, 18:01

Sounds like you really want to Cuben so go for it. It only hurts when you pay and from then on you can enjoy it.

**michigandave** · 03-14-2020, 18:07

Buy what you want and hang your own hang. There is no right answer.

**litetrek** · 03-15-2020, 01:31

Originally Posted by michigandave

Buy what you want and hang your own hang. There is no right answer.

I asked for people's opinions who have owned both about how the two materials compare. There may be no right answer but there is a wrong answer. The wrong answer is spending a small fortune on something that you end up not liking. I have never seen a cuben tarp up close and have no experience with it at all. You cant really go to the store and look at one. That is why I asked about it.

**SilvrSurfr** · 03-14-2020, 18:13

If you're doing a thru hike, cuben fiber is worth it. However, some of your concerns sound like a car camper's concerns. Too much light? That should not be a concern for a thru hiker because you won't be lounging during the day (I'm not a thru hiker, but I never lounge in my hammock during the day - I use my hammock strictly for sleeping). As for noise, I sometimes think someone just blurted out, "cuben fiber is noisy," and it became a popular reason for reconsidering cuben fiber. It's not like I've ever seen someone with a decibel meter actually quantify the differences - it just became a recycled "concern" every time anyone brought up cuben fiber.

As for the bulk of DCF, of course it's bulkier. However, I always put my tarp in the outside pocket of my pack, so the additional bulk has no effect on me.

**litetrek** · 03-15-2020, 12:13

Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr

If you're doing a thru hike, cuben fiber is worth it. However, some of your concerns sound like a car camper's concerns. Too much light? That should not be a concern for a thru hiker because you won't be lounging during the day (I'm not a thru hiker, but I never lounge in my hammock during the day - I use my hammock strictly for sleeping). As for noise, I sometimes think someone just blurted out, "cuben fiber is noisy," and it became a popular reason for reconsidering cuben fiber. It's not like I've ever seen someone with a decibel meter actually quantify the differences - it just became a recycled "concern" every time anyone brought up cuben fiber.

As for the bulk of DCF, of course it's bulkier. However, I always put my tarp in the outside pocket of my pack, so the additional bulk has no effect on me.

Thanks. Useful info. I have sleep apnea and wake up in the middle of the night. A full moon can be as bright as daylight and it is sometimes difficult to get back to sleep. Part of the weight reduction thought is about lightening my load to enable me to carry my cpap and battery pack. A travel cpap weighs about as much as the tarp weight savings of cuben vs sil=poly. There's not much I can do to offset the battery weight though - its heavy regardless. I'm going to see if I can come up with something based on an Anker battery pack that will get me 3-4 days. The commercially available cpap batteries aren't designed with weight in mind. The charger often weighs as much as the battery.

**Shug** · 03-14-2020, 18:15

Silpoly packs down much smaller than Dyneema/Cuben.
I have a camo one from HG and it is not translucent......https://hammockgear.com/dyneema-fibe...rp-with-doors/
So size VS Weight.
Shug

**litetrek** · 03-15-2020, 12:16

Originally Posted by Shug

Silpoly packs down much smaller than Dyneema/Cuben.
I have a camo one from HG and it is not translucent......https://hammockgear.com/dyneema-fibe...rp-with-doors/
So size VS Weight.
Shug

Yep. One person pointed out a width difference that I hadn't thought about but its not much and wouldn't matter to me. I like the camo too - not everyone has it, though.