Opinions on good budget hammock camping tarp? Kelty Noah? Chinook?

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ocnLogan

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Jul 31, 2011
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Backstory:

I like to camp, but don't get out near as much as I'd like. I typically don't backpack, but rather do more car/jeep camping (but usually avoid "campgrounds" with things like faucets, electricity, etc), as I'm usually with my wife and others.

I recently became somewhat involved with scouting again, and as such I get to go camping with the 14-18 year old group here locally. I hate bring along tons of gear, so I decided to make my own hammock and give that a try instead of bringing our bigger tent for just me. Now that I've used the hammock a handful of times, I think I'm ready to get a "real" tarp, instead of using the wally world 8x8 or whatever it is that I've got. The tarp is loud, bulky, heavy, and... not actually long enough to cover both ends of my hammock.

My Hammock is made of 12ft of 1.9oz ripstop nylon (I'll have to go measure the length between the knots, as I don't remember that offhand). I'm expecting the OAL of the hammock to be right around 11/11.5ft when its not hung, and I guess somewhere around 10ft when its hung (again, I'll check on those numbers later when I get home).

What I'm choosing between:

Right now I'm mostly considering the Kelty Noah, and the Chinook.

I'm not sure if I want the Kelty in 9x9 or 12x12 form (the 9x9 would likely cover my hammock on the diagonal, but wouldn't be able to "close the doors" like the 12x12 would if used "square"). The Chinook I'm looking at is the 12x9.5.

Both seem to be fairly good quality, both have loops instead of grommets, and both fit into my budget.

What do you guys think?

Any preference one over the other? Are there other ones you think are better in that same general price range (~$40-70 or so)?

Thanks for the help :).
 
I would go with the longer tarp, it sucks to have rain come in the ends and start soaking down the hammock. without going to a DIY option, the kelty is probably the best value you will get, since weight isn't your main concern.
 
I have and use a DD Hammock 3x3 (10'x10') tarp with 19 loops including the inside of the Tarp, not just the edges
It is excellent and so versatile

The Kelty Noah 9x9 looks very similar and as versatile
And the price is very reasonable
9x9 is quite large for one or two folk on the ground and plenty for a hammock
 
Thanks for the recommendations guys.

I just checked and the Kelty Noah is on sale at a number of places, bringing it down to the price of the chinook (~$45-50). So, if you're in the market, its a good time to buy one (as a random heads up).

And I'm thinking that the 12x12 would be fine for now, and also work for when I go camping with the family later as something that would cover a full picnic bench, etc during a rainstorm. And if I feel the need for something more portable in the future I can adjust from there.

Thanks again :).
 
Picked up a Chinook 12'x9'6" from manventureoutpost.com for under $40 this winter and have been happy with it so far on several backpacking and car camping trips. Can close the "doors" against foul weather in storm mode or leave it open in porch mode.
 
I've used and love the Superfly tarp offered by Warbonnet Outdoors. They also have other tarps with and without end doors that can suit almost every hammock.
 
Kelty may have fixed the problem, but some time back on this forum and elsewhere there were complaints of their Noah tarps delaminating. I do like the catenary design of those.
 
I haven't had a chance to use it on a trip of any "real" capacity yet, but I did go to a family reunion just this last week that was "camping" (there was a main lodge, then some bunk houses for each family). I set up my hammock outside of the lodge by the stream, and used the tarp as well.

Also, we got a fair amount of rain. Each day it rained pretty hard for between 1-3 hours (thunderstorms, wind, etc). I'm happy to report that it held up great for the 4 days that we were there. I specifically went out and lounged in the hammock during the storms so then I'd catch any issues (also, got to hide from the many loud nephews since they wouldn't brave the 100yrd walk to the hammock/tarp in the weather).

The big finding after those few days of use was the fact that because of the catenary cut (which was great when flying it in the wind) actually made the 12x12 too small to use in the square configuration. My 12ft hammock extended about 6-8inches on each side, which got me a bit wet as water slid its way down the hammock. I may try it again in a "slightly" square configuration another time, since the catenary cut is "smallest" at the halfway points, to see if I can get some "doors" and full coverage. Also, I did try it in rectangular configuration (diamond?), and stayed dry, but the storm wasn't as strong that day so it might not have been a good comparison.

I can't speak to durability of course, but the tarp didn't leak, has good tieouts that allow many setup configurations, and while it isn't as light/small as a sinylon tarp, it IS smaller and lighter than my previous sinylon tarp (that was smaller). My whole hammock + treestraps + ridgelines/guylines + tarp combination fits in the bag the tarp comes in, which is great for me.

I feel that for the price I paid for it ($52 on sale), it is totally worth it. I'll try to upload some photos later.
 
I got a Noah 12 for Christmas and used it recently for the first time on a trip with my Hennessy Hammock. It is BIG, and provides a large sheltered area as well as hammock cover. I used it in a square configuration and oriented as a diamond, and it worked great both ways. Lots of tie-outs all over it help its versatility and it sheds the rain well. It is probably a bit heavy and bulky for backpacking, but I was on a motorcycle so it was fine. I ditched the bag it came with and shoved it in a stuff sack the size of a large bread loaf.
 
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