Survival Tarp

ROCK6 said:
This is pretty important. The grommets on USGI ponchos are okay, but grommets in general are the weak link when making a tarp shelter. When a grommet tears out, it's hard to do a field repair; with tabs, it's much easier. I'm using a larger Silnylon tarp for my hammock kit and I screwed up the tension last week setting it up and tore out a grommet...I'm going to try and replace with a larger tab, but the whole area is ripped out. Tabs are much more durable!

ROCK6
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True rock. I have had several grommets rip in the woods. A tab is much easier to fix.
wildmike said:
I really like these but the 10x10 size is more to my liking.
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I own a few 10x10's also. This is more of an emergency piece of kit.
mtwarden said:
nice piece of kit :) at that size (and weight) really no excuse not to have a tarp in your day pack
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Exactly, it takes up very little space and is very useful.
Don Rearic said:
That stored, compact size really makes this viable for the smaller survival kits.
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You are right don. It will fit in a lot of peoples PSK's. Especially the Maxped pouches.
 
Has anyone tried making a tarp out of Tyvek before? Super cheap, super tough, super light, and waterproof...and you can get a whole giant roll of it for $40. I bet it would work out pretty decently.
 
Lots of guys use Tyvek for tarps, and groundcloths, and even bivy sacks. You would need to use the button method for rigging as there are no tabs, but it would work. I spent the night in a shelter I built from a plastic sheet and space blanket at IAwoodsmans advanced class in some pretty cold temps, and it worked very well. I dont think Tyvek would be anywhere near as durable as ripstop nylon though, and im not sure how small a 5x7 piece would pack down.

Use whatever you want or can afford, but the price on these is so cheap that I think its a nobrainer.
 
I had a look a them , and then some other stuff , and over $100 later ...
THANKS GUYS !! now I have to explain this to mrs ...

should be fun tho
 
Is the $22 version strong enough to stand up to repeated use as a groundsheet? I'm on the backorder list too, but I'm wondering if this will be tougher than the "heavy duty space blanket" I'm currently using as a ground sheet.

Right now, I'm carrying a 5x8 ID Silponcho, the heavy duty space blanket linked above, and an AMK emergency bivy sack in my daypack. The space blanket is usually strapped to the bottom of my pack for quick access and gets used as a groundsheet or quick shade often. It's pretty robust and has held up quite well with constant use. The Silponcho is for raingear and pack-cover or emergency overhead coverage. The bivy sack would get used in emergencies and unplanned nights out.

My thinking has always been that if the weather turns or is going to turn nasty, and I have to spend a night or two out, I'd use the bivy under the silponcho (pitched in a low and tight a-frame). The bivy should provide me protection against wind-driven rain under the pitched silponcho. The space blanket either gets used under me as further protection from the ground and on top of natural insulation (while providing a little IR reflection), or it gets used to provide further coverage for gear or to extend the coverage of the silponcho. If this Survival Tarp can stand up to use as a groundsheet, I might as well replace the heavy duty space blanket, since this tarp has tabs (better for quick shade pitches) and is a bit lighter and easier to pack away.

I'm constantly changing my shelter setup. Lately, I've been toying with the idea of carrying my 8x10 Siltarp (shelter), 5x8 Silponcho (primarily rain gear), and emergency bivy in my daypack. But that setup doesn't provide me with a durable groundsheet, and an 8x10 tarp in addition to a 5x8 silponcho seems like overkill for daypack gear.

IA Woodsman, do you carry a 10x10 or similar larger tarp in your daypack, in addition to this Survival Tarp?
 
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HikingMano said:
Is the $22 version strong enough to stand up to repeated use as a groundsheet? I'm on the backorder list too, but I'm wondering if this will be tougher than the "heavy duty space blanket" I'm currently using as a ground sheet.

Right now, I'm carrying a 5x8 ID Silponcho, the heavy duty space blanket linked above, and an AMK emergency bivy sack in my daypack. The space blanket is usually strapped to the bottom of my pack for quick access and gets used as a groundsheet or quick shade often. It's pretty robust and has held up quite well with constant use. The Silponcho is for raingear and pack-cover or emergency overhead coverage. The bivy sack would get used in emergencies and unplanned nights out.

My thinking has always been that if the weather turns or is going to turn nasty, and I have to spend a night or two out, I'd use the bivy under the silponcho (pitched in a low and tight a-frame). The bivy should provide me protection against wind-driven rain under the pitched silponcho. The space blanket either gets used under me as further protection from the ground and on top of natural insulation (while providing a little IR reflection), or it gets used to provide further coverage for gear or to extend the coverage of the silponcho. If this Survival Tarp can stand up to use as a groundsheet, I might as well replace the heavy duty space blanket, since this tarp has tabs (better for quick shade pitches) and is a bit lighter and easier to pack away.

I'm constantly changing my shelter setup. Lately, I've been toying with the idea of carrying my 8x10 Siltarp (shelter), 5x8 Silponcho (primarily rain gear), and emergency bivy in my daypack. But that setup doesn't provide me with a durable groundsheet, and an 8x10 tarp in addition to a 5x8 silponcho seems like overkill for daypack gear.

IA Woodsman, do you carry a 10x10 or similar larger tarp in your daypack, in addition to this Survival Tarp?
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These tarps were originally being sold as ground tarps and only had 4 tabs. A friend of mine has slept many nights on top of it. That is not to say that a stray stick won't poke a hole in it. I have a causality blanket that I carry and it is trashed. Lots of holes and ripped out grommets. This is what I carry on a day hike.
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stakes001.jpg


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shelterkit001-1.jpg
 
Good to know, thanks :thumbup: I'll just make sure to carefully clear the site before using it as a groundsheet. I've been less careful with the heavy duty space blanket since it's so tough (but I have poked a hole in one, by using it right on top of some low lying vegetation and debris).

Thanks for sharing what you carry.
 
HikingMano said:
Good to know, thanks :thumbup: I'll just make sure to carefully clear the site before using it as a groundsheet. I've been less careful with the heavy duty space blanket since it's so tough (but I have poked a hole in one, by using it right on top of some low lying vegetation and debris).

Thanks for sharing what you carry.
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Russell you will dig it man. Its a great tarp. Ive used a GI poncho as a groundsheet for quite awhile before I got mine. Never had a hole in it yet. Just clearing the site good does the job. These are more of a groundsheet/emergancy shelter. Tight quarters for a mainline shelter, but doable. I carry the 10x10 as shelter. It replaced the junk fly on my hennesey, and makes a kick ass A frame or lean to for ground sleeping in a Bivy. Like 2 pounds. The 5x7 of mine is my new groundsheet and multi purpose tarp.
 
Awesome, Jake, thanks for the info man :thumbup: I'm pretty stoked to get it. Yeah, I wouldn't use it as a main shelter for camping out, but I think for use in the daypack as groundsheet and quick shade/additional emergency coverage, it's sounds like a good compromise.

Turns out I place an order for the Multicam version a little while ago (seemed a bit tougher, flame retardant, probably will stay waterproof longer), and should be getting that before the coyote I originally ordered, which is still backordered. Looking forward to using it!
 
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