Recommendations for an ultra light weight Tarp

[neeman]

So far some really good tips.......

I have looked at buying fabric and having one made here, but the cost of even lesser quality fabric and the cost of getting it made and the wieght......

I am serious looking at the Outdoor Equipment Supplier SpinUL 9X9 Cat Cut
See what they call a Flying Diamond, it uses one pole
This will meet my needs as it will be high enough and give me 3 direction protection

One pole?
I commercial fly with all my gear.
Paper, easel, paints, ect....
I don't need the weight of another hiking pole!!!

 

[bulgron]

I don't need the weight of another hiking pole!!!

Do you have to have a hiking pole? You can probably get more height for the same weight with a dedicated tarp/tent pole of some kind.

The reason why I bring this up is that I've always seen people painting on pretty high stools with pretty high easels. I can't imagine a hiking pole is tall enough for that kind of a set up.

 

[neeman]

I walk the mountains in the Lake District in North West England
They are open mountains not more than 3000 feet
I hike with all my gear, which includes a camera tripod for an easel, a 15x11 drawing board, paper, paint boxes and brushes
I need a walking stick/hiking pole to get up the hills!

I both stand at my easel or sit on a small tripod stool
When it comes to painting in the rain I sit on a small tripod stool
When I sit the height I need is less then 1.5 meters / 5 feet
The height of a hiking pole gives me more than I need

 

[bulgron]

I walk the mountains in the Lake District in North West England
They are open mountains not more than 3000 feet
I hike with all my gear, which includes a camera tripod for an easel, a 15x11 drawing board, paper, paint boxes and brushes
I need a walking stick/hiking pole to get up the hills!

I both stand at my easel or sit on a small tripod stool
When it comes to painting in the rain I sit on a small tripod stool
When I sit the height I need is less then 1.5 meters / 5 feet
The height of a hiking pole gives me more than I need

That looks like gorgeous country. :thumbup: Wish I could come see it sometime. I'm guessing you get some very dramatic skies out there.

Someday I might have the time to do similar things. Of course, I can't draw or paint for beans, so instead of a easel and a stool I'll do it with a tripod and a digital SLR with a nice, wide-angle lens. Not sure, but I believe the weight penalty will be about the same.

I'm jealous that you have the time to go paint those landscapes.

 

[schmittie]

Thanks for that link:thumbup: Got a "4x6" rope tarp that gets used for all kinds of stuff, but is actually smaller than 4'x6', and only has tabs on the corners.
BCUSA has a coyote tan 5'x7' tarp listed there for $19, and it has 6 tabs. Beautiful.
Come on, mail lady!

That one really caught my eye too. I've been looking for a light weight tarp for my BOB. The only thing I wasn't sure about that one was they describe it as a "ground cloth" or temporary shelter. Please let me know if you like it and if it works well! Would it be waterproof??

 

[neeman]

So the answer is.........
I purchased a Outdoor Equipment Supplier Catenary Cut 9’ x 9’ @ 16 oz in SpinUL
I purchased MSR red titaniuim pegs from REI

A very successful purchase
I had enough room to sit on the ground and paint with an easel
I kept me out of the cold wind and driving rain
The setup would work well for overnight camping if needed as it is wind and rainproof


Where I used the Tarp

I went walking and painting in the NW England in the Lake District
The Lake District is a glacial area with the center creating a radial pattern of glacial lakes
Each lake is seperated by a high ridge and often backs in to high mountains in the center
The height of these mountains are about 1200 meters or 3000 feet
Do not scoff at these mountains and say, they are only hills
There is no tree line
The storm fronts come off the Atlantic, and within a very short amount of time any season, you can be in full storm gales with a couple of meters of visiblity
While I was there in torrential rain and 50 mph winds on the ridges

So I needed my tarp to deal with strong driving rain


Putting up the tarp

I peg down the back center line then
I experimented before I traveled and tried the tarp out on the edge of a very windy wadi/valley
The wind buffeted the tarp, so I decided to attach bungie rubber cords on all the pull outs for the wind
This made the tarp much more stable and absorbed the wind

insert my walking pole and the main guy line
I peg out the two 'wings' with the guy lines
I then peg down the other pullouts

What I found out

The strong winds buffet the tarp and eventually pull out the side pegs
As the pegs are attached to the elastic bungie the pegs shoot off when released!
I need to attach string to all the bungie cords and use a clove hitch round the pegs so they do not shoot off
Also
I should have ordered an extra pull out in the center of the tarp for extra flexiblity in use
But I was presurred for time in ordering it as someone was coming as a courier for me

 

[mtwarden]

looks like a nice setup in windy conditions (which is quite often in the mountains ) I put stakes as far into the ground as possible and then put rocks on tops of the stakes, this has keep my tarps standing in some pretty strong winds

 

[OwenM]

That one really caught my eye too. I've been looking for a light weight tarp for my BOB. The only thing I wasn't sure about that one was they describe it as a "ground cloth" or temporary shelter. Please let me know if you like it and if it works well! Would it be waterproof??

Just saw this since the thread came back up. I do like it, but haven't tried it as a shelter or proven its waterproofing. It's mud-proof
I use a bivy, so there's limited room inside. The tarp/ground sheet gets used as my "porch" to sit, dress/undress, and pack my gear up on. It's the first thing out of my pack, and the last thing to go back in.