What do you want from a tarp?

**Doctari** · 10-13-2010, 16:53

Originally Posted by Riverpirate

hmmm a tin tarp would be kind of heavy.

But SO COOL to sleep under in a Thunderstorm!!!!

Even if it was (magically?) weightless, if it rained your mileage for the day would be ZZZZZZZZZ!

What I want in a tarp, in no particular order:
Ample coverage for the conditions I expect. In winter that means large enough to close the ends or the ability to add doors.
Ease of set up, so no bizarre shapes or "this end MUST go at the head end" or similar thing that can be hard to determine in a thunderstorm &/or at night.
Ample tie outs to allow it to withstand that all night T-storm &/or to allow you to do different configurations (Like close the ends in winter).
A color that allows me to not stand out if I'm trying to be discrete ("Hide") in most conditions.
Strength to withstand a typical T-storm, but light enough to not be an unnecessary burden.

I'm sure there is more, but I can't think of them right now!

**Barefoot Child** · 10-13-2010, 20:04

Hey NickJ,
If all of those things are what you really want in a tarp, I think that you really should check out the Ogee tarp Videos made by Gargoyle and HawkEye. I have an Ogee tarp myself and have found that set up options are numerous, and if you work with Gargoyle he can put the pockets just about anywhere you want.

Seriously guys and girls check out the Ogee tarp...it can be set up with just two stakes if you want or ten if you want, it can give minimal coverage or extreme coverage, and it is extremely light weight for the size and the price is real good for all of the stuff you can do with it. It has become my go to tarp, and I can't wait until the real low temps with blowing snow arrive to give it's maiden voyage into winter on the North Country Trail while snow shoeing and x-country skiing.

**MuseJr** · 10-13-2010, 20:06

Originally Posted by NickJ

Apart from the obvious

I've been tinkering with a few tarp designs / prototypes and have come up with something which I think is pretty cool. I need to give it a good test which I can't do until my shoulder recovers from recent surgery, but it got me thinking, Apart from to keep off rain, wind, snow etc, what other things do you want from a tarp? For me, I'd like corner pockets maybe at the lower corners at the head end (inside of course). I'd like pull outs for when the weather gets hairy. I want it to easily fit in the stuff sack when I take it down in a hurry and not have to stand there packing for 10 minutes (or maybe I should use snake skins?). I want it to be a structure not just a rain cover, and when I lie there at 2am and the wind is 40 mph gusting to 60, that I can drift off to sleep and not worry that the tie outs are going to tear. Weight isn't really an issue for me but still, I don't want it to weigh an outrageous amount.

So what do you want from a tarp?

Good luck with the shoulder rehab. Hope you are able to test out your concepts soon.

In the last 5-6 weeks I have been trying to do one trip a week to try and figure out that question, "What do you want from a tarp?"...
I think that after the last couple of trips I would like to try doors and pull outs. I know I like the larger tarp a lot more than the small tarp because it gives me the opportunity to spread out a little more. I would also like to have a way to keep things out of the pack but not strung all over the ground or stuffed in the hammock, so I ordered the organizer from 2Q&ZQ. The trial and error continues...

WV · 10-13-2010, 20:40

I have one tarp that has ten tie-out points (including ridgeline ties) and one that has four (again, including ridgeline). Guess which one sets up faster. Both give good coverage and withstand strong winds. Guess which one I like best.