Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 40
  1. #1
    Senior Member Rambler_'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Minnesota
    Hammock
    WB Eldorado
    Tarp
    Dutch Bonded Xenon
    Insulation
    Whooki/Burrow
    Suspension
    MyersTech/Becket
    Posts
    103

    DCF tarp regrets?

    They cost so much……. Anyone ever regret purchasing a dcf tarp?

  2. #2
    Senior Member Rolloff's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Leveland
    Hammock
    Bonefire Whisper
    Tarp
    HG DCF Hex
    Insulation
    Sheltowee JRB SS
    Suspension
    Bonefire
    Posts
    2,639
    No.

    And I considered my 12' AHE Toxaway to be the bees knees. Still a great tarp. I just don't carry it anymore.
    Signature suspended

  3. #3
    Senior Member stevebo's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Moreland Georgia
    Hammock
    WBRR
    Tarp
    diy sil argon camo
    Insulation
    lynx
    Suspension
    whoopie slings
    Posts
    2,074
    I bought mine used on the forums so it was quite abit cheaper than list price. ( almost half price!) The pros- its really lite weight, great coverage and is 100 % water proof with no stretch. The cons- price, its a bit louder in the rain ( kind of like a tin roof!) more prone to puncture damage, and the biggest thing for me- its bulky when stored in my pack- storage while hiking is something im still struggling with. So its give and take. I will say that i have been in some crazy bad rain storms ( one lasted almost 24 hrs !!) and stayed completely dry!- no misting etc
    Last edited by stevebo; 03-13-2022 at 00:15.
    FYI: If you want to know what type a certain bear is, sneak up behind it and kick it. Then,
    run like crazy and climb up a tree. If the bear climbs the tree and eats you, it's a black
    bear. If the bear just pushes the tree over and eats you, it's a grizzly bear : )


    Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me, either, just leave me alone.
    --unknown

  4. #4
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Jersey Shore, NJ
    Hammock
    Dutch PolyD
    Tarp
    HG Winter Palace
    Insulation
    HG 0, 20, 40
    Suspension
    Dutch Whoopie Hook
    Posts
    14,716
    Images
    3
    I bought my HG DCF Winter Palace ten years ago, and it still looks brand new.

    As for the usual complaints about DCF:

    1. It's louder in the rain - This might be true, but nobody has ever scientifically quantified this claim by carrying a decibel meter out in the woods. Actually, you would need two decibel meters and two tarps to compare them, and nobody is gonna do that. I pay no attention to this claim because rain on a tarp is loud, no matter what kind of tarp it is. When I was young, my family lived in a home with a tin roof, and it was loud, but I always slept like a baby, just like I do with DCF.
    2. Bulkier - Yeah, DCF is bulkier, but it weighs half as much as silnylon or silpoly. My DCF tarp fits fine in an outside pocket of my backpack, just like my silnylon tarps do. So the bulk really doesn't matter to me.
    3. DCF lets more sun in - might be true, but I am not a day lounger. By the time the sun would be beating down on me, I'm already up and packed by then.

    I've used my DCF tarp in 60 mph winds with no problem (though I do wake up every few hours in windy weather to make sure the guylines/stakes are holding).
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  5. #5
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Ossining, NY
    Hammock
    DH Darien, SLD Tree Runner
    Tarp
    HG hex
    Insulation
    Timmermade, Revolt
    Suspension
    Kevlar, Lapp Hitch
    Posts
    4,912
    Images
    356
    Quote Originally Posted by Rambler_ View Post
    They cost so much……. Anyone ever regret purchasing a dcf tarp?
    No, and I still thank myself every time I use it.

    As for bulk, I find it a non-issue. Here's how I handle my 11' HG Hex, and it works the same for the Palace as well. I've carried the 11' Hex with packs as small as 28L for some short summer trips.

    Noise from rain has never bothered me. Some other sounds do — like frogs, insects, birds such a whippoorwills and owls, distant traffic, coyotes, people snoring (of whom I am one) — but for that I have ear plugs.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Hammock
    HG Wanderlust
    Insulation
    EE TQ, HG UQ
    Posts
    343
    No. Everything of better-to-high-quality, regardless of sport, will cost more. The bulk is the only objection I have (I like snakeskins, so the package never gets quite as compact as in Bob's video), but the positive trade is weight and that it doesn't sag as much as other materials when wet.

  7. #7
    Senior Member packman9000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Finger Lakes, NY
    Hammock
    MYOG Bridge
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Suspension
    Straps & Turtles
    Posts
    151
    Images
    3
    For longer-term DCF tarp users, do you notice any degradation in the fabric? eg, de-laminating or weakness at the common crease points?

  8. #8
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Jersey Shore, NJ
    Hammock
    Dutch PolyD
    Tarp
    HG Winter Palace
    Insulation
    HG 0, 20, 40
    Suspension
    Dutch Whoopie Hook
    Posts
    14,716
    Images
    3
    Quote Originally Posted by packman9000 View Post
    For longer-term DCF tarp users, do you notice any degradation in the fabric? eg, de-laminating or weakness at the common crease points?
    There aren't any crease points, unless you fold instead of roll your tarp up.

    Delamination only seems to be an issue for people who leave their tarp out in the sun all day. I have heard of some people who've left their DCF tarp out in the back yard for two or three months, then complain that the tarp has delaminated.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  9. #9
    cougarmeat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Bend, OR
    Hammock
    WBBB, WBRR, WL LiteOwl
    Tarp
    OES, WL BullFro
    Insulation
    HG UQ, TQ, WB UQ
    Suspension
    Python Straps
    Posts
    3,759
    >Actually, you would need two decibel meters and two tarps to compare them, and nobody is gonna do that.

    I have a decibel meter and will measure the sound level on a SilNylon, SilPoly and DCF tarp IF a vendor will ship me a DCF tarp (I’ll buy the SilPoly)
    Though it won’t be a simultaneous read, I can do it a few times to check for consistency. We aren’t looking for a numeric loudness figure - just if one reading is consistently louder than another.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  10. #10
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    Ossining, NY
    Hammock
    DH Darien, SLD Tree Runner
    Tarp
    HG hex
    Insulation
    Timmermade, Revolt
    Suspension
    Kevlar, Lapp Hitch
    Posts
    4,912
    Images
    356
    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    There aren't any crease points, unless you fold instead of roll your tarp up.

    Delamination only seems to be an issue for people who leave their tarp out in the sun all day. I have heard of some people who've left their DCF tarp out in the back yard for two or three months, then complain that the tarp has delaminated.
    That's a good point, which reminds me to mention that it's a good idea to buy a decent but cheap-n-heavy tarp from Amazon to use for car camping or when the tarp will be deployed outside for a few days or more.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Cuben Fiber Tarp owners...regrets on size? Or just right?
      By Vanhalo in forum Weather Protection
      Replies: 33
      Last Post: 10-18-2017, 21:59
    2. Robic owners...regrets?
      By Gravitythief76 in forum Dream Hammock
      Replies: 7
      Last Post: 06-13-2016, 08:27
    3. Regrets
      By oldgringo in forum Speer Hammocks
      Replies: 17
      Last Post: 01-17-2011, 19:29

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •