ACU Field Tarp is too bulky

U

UndergroundDweller

Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
4
Hello again

A year ago I picked up an ACU Woodland Digital Field Tarp at a local Surplus store for $30. Does anyone here have any experience with these?
This is the tarp: http://www.vtarmynavy.com/woodland-digital-camouflage-field-tarp.htm

It has these thick, heavy duty snaps on the side that make it bulky when rolled up. All the snaps take away about a handful of space from my vest buttpack. What I want to do is remove the snaps, but I'm not sure if the hole will eventually fray. Will the Denier Nylon fray if the hole for the snaps has nothing holding it? I'd rather not put grommets in their place, but I will if it's the only option. Should I use some kind of glue to prevent fraying?

The tarp seems a little too heavy for what it is. Doing this should remove a few ounces.

These snaps are useless for me, as I don't have another one to link up with, and I'm using it for just basic configurations. (not a poncho :p).

thanks
 
Duct tape!

Just stick it over the holes when you're done cutting. Gorilla tape on a clean surface should stay for a looong time.
 
first of all, I believe Denier is a toughness measure of a fabric, not a name. Example- 1000 Denier Cordura nylon. That's a little pet peeve of mine, I hope you don't take it as an insult. Just trying to help :)
I second the duct tape suggestion, you might also consider burning the holes so that there's a hard plastic ring left in place of the snaps.
 
Another option would be to have someone run a zigzag stitch over the area. Really wouldn't be that difficult to do yourself if you have access to a sewing machine. 100 mph tape would work as well, just keeping the bulk down.
 
Thanks for your replies

I knew that 70 denier was a type of nylon. It is capitalized because I copy-pasted the text from the link I posted.:p

I usually just melt fraying, nylon fibers together, but in this case I didn't want to risk making the hole bigger.

After reading Grease's duct tape suggestion, I went ahead and removed one of the snaps. It turns out, the snaps are held together by a small plastic pin. The hole is only about 1/16".
Now I think duct tape would be overkill for such a small hole.

There's loose fibers around the hole that fill it in enough for something like silicone to take hold. I'll look around for something more permanent than silicone if I do this.

So, what should be done with such a small hole?

After removing all the snaps, they almost fill a 1 cup measuring cup to the top!
 
In that case, heat up a spoon in a flame and use it to melt the holes without burning them.
 
I would toss it and go make my own nysil tarp of ripstop nylon and silicone.
 
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