what size tarp? help a newbie please????

[William36]

been discussed 10,000 times i am sure, but here goes again...



I am trying to learn, and determined to convert to tarp/bug net set-up....SO...


Am I correct that as a beginner, a square tarp gives me the most flexible and multitude of set up options and an easy learning curve?



Then:

What size......got it in my heart to do 8' x 8'....but seems too minimal while learning....


9' x 9' seems adequate......and i think 10' x 10' seems the best for beginner without overkilling size and weight?????

[FarmerChef]

Not really familiar with the square tarp concept. A rectangular tarp is what is most commonly made and sold. You would do well with a 8x10. You can go smaller but if you want your pack in there with you (and not in the rain) then 10x8 is kind of the perfect compromise.

Check out Sgt. Rock's webpage on pitches for ideas.

[Studlintsean]

been discussed 10,000 times i am sure, but here goes again...



I am trying to learn, and determined to convert to tarp/bug net set-up....SO...


Am I correct that as a beginner, a square tarp gives me the most flexible and multitude of set up options and an easy learning curve?



Then:

What size......got it in my heart to do 8' x 8'....but seems too minimal while learning....


9' x 9' seems adequate......and i think 10' x 10' seems the best for beginner without overkilling size and weight?????

I recently picked up a tarp to test it out. I got a 8X10 Equinox tarp which is relativly cheap. I have only used it one night so far but it provides adequete space and I plan on using it again in the Virginia area this winter. Id recommend starting with something cheap first and in NJ bugs shouldnt be an issue during the cold months.

[Venchka]

Rather than try to cobble together a tarp and netting as a tent, why not just buy a TarpTent? K.I.S.S.

Wayne

[William36]

Someone either gun me down or confirm my thoughts......cause and tarp tent is major money??? 8 by 10 tarp, bug pyramid, tyvek ground cloth combined even for "better"ish stuff comes out to like $75 or 80...and every item can be multi purposed better than a "tent"

I can carry as many or few components as needed depending on when and where and weather forcast....

And in the event of damage or loss, every item replaceable individually

[chall]

I'm also a newbie tarper, and just bought a 6.5x10' flat tarp from BearPaw coupled with a bivy from Borah Gear. I have yet to take the setup on its maiden voyage, but from just setting up, particularly in an A-frame, I'm confident that 6.5' wide is a great amount of coverage, especially with a bivy.

[Venchka]

Ya pays yer money and takes your choose.
Good luck!

Wayne

[bigcranky]

8x10 is a good size to start. If you really want square, then 9x9 is the minimum I would want, but a square tarp is really only useful for a flying diamond or a batwing pitch. An 8x10 can do several good shapes, and provides a lot of protection for a solo hiker, or even two people.

An 8x10 tarp in silicone nylon weighs about a pound and can cost less than a hundred bucks, or you can sew one if you are handy for maybe $25.

[winger]

One of the best discussions about tarps in general: http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockCampingDry.html

also check out Mountain Laurel Designs.

[FarmerChef]

I started with a standard tarp from home depot for the entire first 500 miles of the trail. It was a little heavy but it worked great and it kept us dry through a few rainstorms. Later, when I had a bit more money, I sewed a tarp from silnylon and haven't looked back. Some day when I'm filthy rich I'll buy one of those newfangled cuben thingies.

[Franco]

Tarps vs tarp tentsOf course it depends what tarp and what tarp tent but people that are not good at predicting the direction of wind driven rain hours in advance and don't like bivies , may find that a tarp tent (or some of them anyway) can give better wind and rain protection .
Of course if getting your sleeping bag a bit wet is not a big deal for you, the above does not apply .

biased view from franco@tarptent

[Just Bill]

Hey William- before you go dropping you dough- head over to the Depot (or Menards or wally world or whatever you got) and pick up a roll of duct tape, and a few 3-4 mil plastic tarps. You can buy them in 5x8, 6x10, 8x12. Trim them to the desired size, wrap the corners with duct tape to reinforce them and use a hot nail to poke holes in them to tie them out. The other big plus- if you can learn to pitch the plastic correctly- you'll be good on the real deal too! Don't have stakes? Go over to the nail isle and ask them for some aluminum pole barn nails. The depot by me even has Paracord in lo

The point being- you can try out some various sizes and shapes before you commit to the real deal. Try that little 5x8- realize it's very small and try that square tarp you mentioned- realize it is very versatile and would be great for a hammock or car camper, but that a rectangle tends to be the best shape for backpackers. The bigger the tarp, the less protection needed underneath and the easier to pitch for different conditions.

Tarps are fun, tricky, etc. Many folks buy a shaped tarp- which is more or less buying the rainfly of a tent- it only works one way. Which is great if that's what you want. Since you don't know what you want or like yet- spend $20 to find out first. You may hate it- you may want a bivy, you may not, you may like the idea of a shaped tarp, you may like the freedom of a square tarp or larger rectangle. Being able to set up a canopy to get you and some friends out of the rain is kinda cool- but so is a super light shaped tarp. All of which can be tried out for cheap.

[78owl]

good idea JB. I've spent many a day/night under that type of tarp and it worked great at the time

[stranger]

been discussed 10,000 times i am sure, but here goes again...



I am trying to learn, and determined to convert to tarp/bug net set-up....SO...


Am I correct that as a beginner, a square tarp gives me the most flexible and multitude of set up options and an easy learning curve?



Then:

What size......got it in my heart to do 8' x 8'....but seems too minimal while learning....


9' x 9' seems adequate......and i think 10' x 10' seems the best for beginner without overkilling size and weight?????

I like custom tarps...like 9 feet long, 8 feet wide at one end, 5 feet wide at other...most people set up in an A frame and no point in having 8 feet of tarp width at your feet.

I also really like beaks, just to assist in better run off...Bearpaw Wilderness Designs will build you anything you want, for decent prices.

If I had to go with a rectangle tarp, it would probably be an 8 by 10

[aficion]

Minimal tarp/poncho in silnylon is good enough for most conditions if you have practice. Max size for most backpackers is 10x10. Any thing between is good too. The practice with plastic is worthwhile and cheap. I've spent snowy sleety rainy nights with a sheet of plastic above and below me. We would wad up leaves and use them in the corners as tie outs, after wrapping them in the plastic and tying off with paracord. You can vary your tie out points this way for various spots and setups. A tarp should be tight when pitched and likeley changes in wind direction taken into account. Only one corner need be elevated in a blow. Tarps are fun....tents are dry.

[Jim Adams]

check out Etohwa Outfitters 10 x 10 tarp. sil nylon, 1 lb. $99. that is about the minimum size you want. you don't want to possibly spend 2 or 3 rainy days waiting out a storm and be confined under a postage stamp. also 10 x 10 is about the smallest to keep you and your gear dry in a bad storm. tarp tents are just too much work and rarely work very well. I used a tarp on 2 AT thrus and 1000 miles of PCT...only use tents on canoe trips now.

[squeezebox]

I watched a utube video by a back packer who used the same site several times a year. he set up a tarp as a front porch kinda thing. nice for cooking under, rain etc. but definately comes under the heavy hiker catagory, Your opinion? Hell if I was camping the same place 6+ times a year I might haul in a propane car camp stove. Your opinion ?

[AAhiker]

I would agree with Just bill about buying a regular tarp and trying it out. I would say 8-10 is a good size. For the best rigging I can find(I pack this in my SAR 72 hour bag), 20 feet of 3-4mm cord(kernmantle is the strongest but shouldn't matter for a tarp), two 12 inch pieces of paracord, two cheap mini carabiners(the kind you find on water bottles or in the walmart camping isle for like $1.50), and 4 or 6 stakes if you want them. I don't use stakes I use sticks or rocks but stakes don't weigh a lot. Take each of the 12 inch pieces of paracord and tie them into two loops, and loop them around the 20 foot rope at opposite ends of the tarp with prussik hitches/knots. Tie the 20 foot rope to a couple trees(one high up and one almost at the ground) throw the tarp over and use the carabiners to clip the tarp to the prussik hitches to keep the tarp taunt then stake down as needed. Hope I didn't throw out too many technical things. check out www.animatedknots.com for how to make a prussik hitch and check out the double fisherman's knot as well.

[AAhiker]

Oh yea, a 3x3 or 3x4 piece of tyvek to put your gear on and a full length camp pad isn't a bad idea either.

[AAhiker]

LOL, and one more thing, If you treat your sleeping bag, cloths, or even your tarp with Sawyer permetherin spray it works pretty darn well to keep the bugs away. I have an inexpensive grandtrunk hammock that I treated with it and it keeps the bugs off me pretty darn well without mesh. over me.