- Joined
- Feb 8, 2005
- Messages
- 1,135
Here's a versatile winter tarp / rain fly / blanket for a winter shelter kit...may prove invaluable to those of us who like to hammock camp while the snow flys
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For the $ and time involved, I've not seen a winter product on the market that comes close to the durability and versatility you can get out of this set up; all you need are a few hours, one 77' by 50' Mylar blanket, and 2 rolls of Scotch 3M duct tape..tough stuff and almost transparent; tape is the expensive part, but you need best mix of strength and light weight, 3M gives that..You can't have added weight if you want to be able to actually carry it, or it will be too bulky for your pack.
As it is shown below, I think it is pound for pound the best piece of stay warm I've got for the car or the field in a fairly compact size..a wool blanket of these dimensions would weigh considerably more, and be considerably more bulky..not to mention, could not be used as a tarp..for long, that is.. 3ms pretty pliable as you will see from the pics..with any type of care with it, this emergency blanket/tarp/ will outlast most of us.
Reinforced all the corners with about 4 layers/wraps, but tape is so thin you can barely notice in the pic..intent being if I have to attach rope for a tarp, an awl or well placed puncture on any of the corners would hold; where you see black Gorilla tape, it's for added rigidity on potential side lashing points..Gorilla tape is very rip resistant, but it is also very, very heavy.
IMG_0037_zps03f22323.jpg[/IMG]
.For the $ and time involved, I've not seen a winter product on the market that comes close to the durability and versatility you can get out of this set up; all you need are a few hours, one 77' by 50' Mylar blanket, and 2 rolls of Scotch 3M duct tape..tough stuff and almost transparent; tape is the expensive part, but you need best mix of strength and light weight, 3M gives that..You can't have added weight if you want to be able to actually carry it, or it will be too bulky for your pack.
As it is shown below, I think it is pound for pound the best piece of stay warm I've got for the car or the field in a fairly compact size..a wool blanket of these dimensions would weigh considerably more, and be considerably more bulky..not to mention, could not be used as a tarp..for long, that is.. 3ms pretty pliable as you will see from the pics..with any type of care with it, this emergency blanket/tarp/ will outlast most of us.
Reinforced all the corners with about 4 layers/wraps, but tape is so thin you can barely notice in the pic..intent being if I have to attach rope for a tarp, an awl or well placed puncture on any of the corners would hold; where you see black Gorilla tape, it's for added rigidity on potential side lashing points..Gorilla tape is very rip resistant, but it is also very, very heavy.
IMG_0037_zps03f22323.jpg[/IMG]
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..thanks Panzer for the tip :thumbup:. seems one could easily wrap from slapstraps / do a cocoon effect in conjunction with another tarp preferably..that's a thought I'm pondering too..as right now seeing as more of an overlay under my actual tarp on the ridgeline, kind of free hanging, and relatively easy to add/remove after rain fly is set up.