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  1. #1
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    8'6" Tarp w/ doors - Jack of all trades, master of none?

    I've been doing a lot of reading and it seems 8 1/2' tarps like the HG DCF standard w/ doors are caught in a bit of a weird middle ground: more coverage than needed for nice weather, and a not enough when it gets truly nasty/to block bitter winds in winter. I'm trying to go as UL as possible, so the DCF bug bit me. But, for less than the price of a standard DCF with doors, I could get a minifly and superfly in 20d. For the majority of my trips (1-3 days, and will plan around weather for the most part) the minifly would only add a minor weight penalty, and then for deep winter camping trips, etc. I could have the protection of the superfly and tough it out with the extra ounces. What are your thoughts on this? Am I selling the standard w/ doors short, something I'm missing?

  2. #2
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    You completely described my thoughts. I have three Warbonnet tarps and I can't seem to find any better setup for me. The big DCF palace would be a "do it all", but I wouldn't want that big plastic shopping bag blowing around on a 65° dry trip. I don't like overkill, even if it's lighter overall.

    Mamajamba - great simple tarp, but don't use it often after getting soaked by a rogue storm. If I could do it over, I'd only buy the following two tarps.
    Thunderfly - absolute best style IMO. Nice width for porch mode, good coverage with the mini doors. I'm not a fan of the narrower Minifly though.
    Superfly - a classic. Good enough for winter but not overkill on a stormy summer day.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by OneClick View Post
    You completely described my thoughts. I have three Warbonnet tarps and I can't seem to find any better setup for me.
    ...
    Thunderfly - absolute best style IMO. Nice width for porch mode, good coverage with the mini doors. I'm not a fan of the narrower Minifly though.
    First off, good to hear my thinking is logical! And second, yes, I'm flip-flopping back and forth between minifly and thunderfly for my proposed two tarp setup. Glad to a hear a vote for the thundy, that exra foot of width and slightly larger beaks do seem like they'd make for a better porch mode, more room to maneuver if caught in a long rain, etc.

  4. #4
    FLTurtle's Avatar
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    Yep, Thunderfly and Superfly for me. The Thunderfly is my goto, the Superfly is my loaner or if I know it's gonna be a bit nastier.

  5. #5
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    There are several pitches to make a bigger tarp feel more open when needed.
    Good luck on your choices.
    Shug

    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  6. #6
    TallPaul's Avatar
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    I say your logic is sound. If getting two tarps instead of one will get you out in the woods in more seasons, then get the two tarps.

    Personally been happy with the HG tarp and that coverage/weight would cover 95% of my uses so I wouldn’t classify it as master of none. But my uses are longer backpacking trips with low temps down to say 15-20.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shug View Post
    There are several pitches to make a bigger tarp feel more open when needed.
    Good luck on your choices.
    Shug

    Fair point on that, being "too much" in nice weather is less of a negative since DCF doesn't come with much of a weight penalty for extra material. I think the "not enough" for windy winter is the larger concern for such an expensive tarp. Thanks for the reply, love your content!

    Quote Originally Posted by TallPaul View Post
    I say your logic is sound. If getting two tarps instead of one will get you out in the woods in more seasons, then get the two tarps.

    Personally been happy with the HG tarp and that coverage/weight would cover 95% of my uses so I wouldn’t classify it as master of none. But my uses are longer backpacking trips with low temps down to say 15-20.
    I'd agree, I think master of none is probably unfair to the tarp. Good to hear it covers most of your needs. I'm not yet sure how low I'm willing to go temp wise, it's really the "what if" that draws me to the extra coverage of the superfly.

  8. #8
    Senior Member rweb82's Avatar
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    I totally understand your mindset of getting two silpoly tarps for the same $$. There is definitely logic to that. FWIW, I've used my HG DCF tarp w/doors in some pretty nasty winds and below freezing temps, and it has performed just fine for me. IMO, taking the time to learn how to properly pitch a tarp for various conditions goes a lot further in terms of real-world success than just relying on tarp size. A well-pitched smaller tarp can perform better than a poorly pitched large tarp. That's not to say there aren't benefits to having a tarp w/ more side coverage. They are more forgiving if you happen to have a less-than-ideal pitch.

    In all honesty, I kinda wish my tarp didn't have doors, as I never use them. I'm one of those crazy people who like to feel the wind when they sleep. So the doors are just another thing I have to deal with when setting up/taking down my tarp. But there is no right or wrong line of thinking, just what you think will work best for you.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by rweb82 View Post
    I totally understand your mindset of getting two silpoly tarps for the same $$. There is definitely logic to that. FWIW, I've used my HG DCF tarp w/doors in some pretty nasty winds and below freezing temps, and it has performed just fine for me. IMO, taking the time to learn how to properly pitch a tarp for various conditions goes a lot further in terms of real-world success than just relying on tarp size. A well-pitched smaller tarp can perform better than a poorly pitched large tarp. That's not to say there aren't benefits to having a tarp w/ more side coverage. They are more forgiving if you happen to have a less-than-ideal pitch.

    In all honesty, I kinda wish my tarp didn't have doors, as I never use them. I'm one of those crazy people who like to feel the wind when they sleep. So the doors are just another thing I have to deal with when setting up/taking down my tarp. But there is no right or wrong line of thinking, just what you think will work best for you.
    Your experience is sort of selling me on the Thunderfly even more, since it provides the same width coverage, but the beak style doors are less of a nuisance, even when fully deployed.

  10. #10
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by prairiedog View Post
    Your experience is sort of selling me on the Thunderfly even more, since it provides the same width coverage, but the beak style doors are less of a nuisance, even when fully deployed.
    That's why everyone wants to see a DCF Thunderfly...some day

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