Good tarp for shelter building?

O

oguruma

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Jan 3, 2010
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Hi, I am curious on what you guys would recommend for a good tarp for bushcraft/shelter building. I have a USGI Poncho, but it really isn't large enough for that, I don't find. I am thinking something in the 10x10' size would be ideal. I value durability over lightweight, but weight is somewhat of a consideration.

Any input?
 
My experience is limited, but in general a square tarp is more versatile than rectangular. 10'x10' is a great size for one person (or two cozy people). I use an 8'x10' but it's primarily for hammock camping.
 
10 X 10 is pretty large. An 8 X 10 works well

Look at the Etowah brand. Excellent craftsmanship, decent price.

This is an Etoway 10 X 10 set up
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I have an 8x10 and a 12x14 polyurethane/canvas tarp set that I got at costco for 20 bucks. An 8x10 is just barely big enough for a pup tent style shelter to fit you and your gear, and it's pretty cramped. I use this tarp more for sun shades (or rain covers for chilling by the fire), covering collected wood from getting rained on, or covering my pack, than I ever have for shelters, but this size sees the most use. The 12x14 is plenty big for both gear and two people, and usually comes with me on river trips for the same purpose as the first tent.
 
I like square tarps...10x10, 12x12.....I have a bunch of silnylon in my closet to make something with, I need to get on that.
 
10' x 12' poly tarps are my majic number, although i enjoy hexagonal nylon groundsheets, when they can be gotten cheaply at REI sales, etc.

Quantity two (2) 10' x 12' tarps let me seal out any weather just about in any condition, plus if you fly your tarps in multiple sets, you can have something like a tube or wedge tent with a giant patio, etc.

just add line.


when i do a spontaneous camp out, or i am separate from my gear, two tarps and a blanket and a cheap machete and saw are nice to have out there on short notice

HTH.

vec
 
I'm with Vec on this one. I wintered under a 10X12 tarp with another individual and our gear. One will make a roomy shelter for one person plus gear.
 
I'll second what the others said, 10x12 wallyworld poly for car camping and the Etowah where weight is a concern. I got both the 10x10 and 10x8. If the weather is questionable, I take the 10x10.

You can get the Etowah at Ben's Back Woods.
 
Have a look at this page. That's about 10'*10', no bigger.

In that instance there was only the dog and I but as you can see there is plenty of space for a second person. Even when hunkered down tight there is still loads of room to move about, sit and cook and so on. On a slack day like that space abounds. I can get two people with two full size packs and mah dog under there in comfort. It's also worth noting that the thing under my bivvy bag is a British army poncho. My roof dwarfs is but weighs less.
 
baldtaco-II said:
.... It's also worth noting that the thing under my bivvy bag is a British army poncho. My roof dwarfs is but weighs less.
Click to expand...

if that is constructed like a US poncho, with 210 ripstop, etc. it would be full of holes in most desert after a night or two on the bare ground, if you were lucky.

i like two large lightweight tarps for the reason that they are cheap, and you can double them up instead of having to fiddle with repairing them; so when you need protection, you've got it by doubling it, without having to cut your surface area to a point that makes it markedly less useful. - then when you need increased coverage, you can just unfold it and deal with any pinholes, etc.

you can dominate in any environment that way, instead of just one that has soft ground and mild weather.

you could do likewise with expensive specialty gear, but i am not into that YMMV. - although they are lovely IMHO, no need for a bivy either IME when you can just burrito-wrap up in a cheap tarp, especially when you are helping someone else warm up, who couldn't fit in the bivy with you.

great photos BTW, yer baldness.

vec
 
vector001 said:
if that is constructed like a US poncho, with 210 ripstop, etc. it would be full of holes in most desert after a night or two on the bare ground, if you were lucky.

i like two large lightweight tarps for the reason that they are cheap, and you can double them up instead of having to fiddle with repairing them; so when you need protection, you've got it by doubling it, without having to cut your surface area to a point that makes it markedly less useful. - then when you need increased coverage, you can just unfold it and deal with any pinholes, etc.

you can dominate in any environment that way, instead of just one that has soft ground and mild weather.

you could do likewise with expensive specialty gear, but i am not into that YMMV. - although they are lovely IMHO, no need for a bivy either IME when you can just burrito-wrap up in a cheap tarp, especially when you are helping someone else warm up, who couldn't fit in the bivy with you.

great photos BTW, yer baldness.

vec
Click to expand...

Cheers.

I found the US poncho pretty weedy too. I like the fact that they are fairly light and very pliable so stowing them away is easy but they are fragile. I had a ripstop Woodland one that popped a couple of little holes pretty quickly but worse still the lamination failed fairly early especially around the hood. Once I realized it was no good for me I strung it up down the garden to offer some shade / diffuse light to a patch of plants and watched it shred itself to rubbish.

The British issue one is the exact opposite. It is also of very limited use to me. I don't know that the weight per square yard is but it isn't ripstop and it is heavy and very stiff. If you're thinking along the lines of back of a trailer tarp then you're on the right track. The single redeeming feature is that because it is so overbuilt it is tough and resists water pressure in a way that many others don't. Others may do ok for a makeshift roof but if you were to put one over a puddle and lay on it water will come through. Not so with these. So, if you wanted something to curl up in a ditch with this is the one to have. That makes them useless to me for nearly everything really. As you can see from the other pics there that trip was more about play than doing anything sensible. I had it to use as a sack and to drag stuff about but mostly because I had a bunch of electronics and other tools bits with me so it made for a useful tablecloth type thing. I wouldn't normally take a groundsheet as I have a bivvy bag and roof.

I've done the burrito-wrap thing a bunch of times over the years and I'm keen never to go back to that again. A good Gore-tex bivvy bag is a must have bit of kit for me. It ramps up the properties of my sleeping bag and is quick and efficient. One of those and a Silnylon roof offers me a very light combination that means weather isn't a factor. I just slide in different sleeping bags according to what I expect the conditions to be.

The only disadvantage of the bivvy bag is when it is really raining hard and I don't use a roof the same limitations kick in as with Gore-tex garments. A slick of rain on the outside creates a water barrier suffocating the fabric, so you will get a bit of condensation. But that only brings me back to where I would be if I had battened down the hatches in a non-breathable fabric. Mostly that can be overcome by ensuring the repellency of the face fabric is in good order so water will bead up and run off. Besides, that is seldom a factor 'cos I almost always use one with a roof to cook and lounge about under.

Below: The second pic up from bottom on the left shows one of those rare instances where I didn't put a roof up too. It had been a long uphill day, and getting dark and nobody was particularly hungry. The drizzle was just setting in. We opted for the dive straight in to the bivvy bags and sleep. It drizzled on and off all night long. That photo was taken first thing in the morning the following day. Mah woman is actually still doing sleep in the bag on the left. We were both bone dry. The wind blew the clouds over and after a spot of breakfast we were good to go again. The idea of every returning to the dark old days prior to the good bivvy bag and a Silnylon roof is now totally abhorrent to me. The only flexibility I have is when it comes to screening out skeeters. I'm not very tolerant of them and find netting a real must have when they are out in storm.

dtmr8subhhxza.jpg
 
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