Tyvek ultralight tarps?

schmittie

schmittie

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Have you guys seen these? I have read more than one article on using Tyvek for a tent footprint or even for a tarp shelter. On the bay there are multiple sellers of Tyvek for use as tarps, many even come with sticky webbing tabs to use for tiedowns. I guess it would be a good idea because it is waterproof and very lightweight. But what do you think? Would it be a good alternative for a BOB as an affordable emergency tarp?
 
I use it often at work and it would work well as you could fold it flat and small .Just so you know it isn`t meant to be exposed to the sun for more than two weeks after that it breaks down pretty fast. Also it is crazy loud when loose in the wind much more so than any kind of tarp I have ever seen.
 
I understand its usefulness as a tent footprint or seat patch to keep your butt off wet ground, etc. But like thebrain says, it's pretty noisy, and moreover stiff when new and doesn't compress as much as other tent materials IMO. It's also not very light relative to, say, silnylon or even more common tenting materials. It's basically cheap and tough for a finite period, then starts to break down and come apart; I think the idea is that it's cheap enough to replace as needed. I just use small squares for sitting on and setting down my pack; very useful for breaks while trekking or tramping when you're not setting up camp for the night. Originally I got ~2 doz. sq ft of it free just by asking guys at a condo construction site if they had any to spare.

Tyvek is better under you than over you, IMO. For an affordable emergency tarp, I'd go with plastic painter's tarp in the thinnest size you can reasonably work with and not tear. 1mil should be plenty strong as an emergency tarp material; that's what we have in our earthquake kits, car kits, etc.
 
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it is very cheap. It is available at every home improvement box store, it works.

Other than that, I don't recommend it. :D
 
Thanks guys. I appreciate the info and I'm glad I asked. Your comments are very helpful!
 
I bought a sheet (16' x 10') to cut down and play with. I made a tarp/ground cloth with one piece (6' x 8') and folded the edge over and grommeted through it. I know grommets aren't recommended with tyvex, but doubling it up worked well and it seems pretty strong. I'm too lazy to sew and can't find the special glue. I tried epoxy to glue a couple of tabs, but it won't stick to the stuff.

The tyvex tarp folds smaller than a blue poly-tarp does and is lighter but does not pack as well and is much heavier than silnylon. Its noisy as others said. I was also disappointed to find two tears in my tarp from using it as a tent ground cloth. I guess the good news is that my tent floor didn't rip, but I was expecting it to perform better. Again, could have been the conditions it was set up on and the rubbing that occurred from us sleeping on top of a root or something. Anyhow, I wasn't impressed that it tore on the first trial as a ground cloth. I'm sticking with poly-tarps and silnylon for my tarps and will very use of each depending on need for light weight against possibility of breakage and replacement cost.
 
If you are looking for a lightweight "affordable emergency tarp," you should know that silnylon does not unravel if not hemmed. In other words, 3 yards of 60" wide silnylon material IS an "affordable emergency tarp." You don't need hems or grommets. Instead, roll up a smooth round pebble in a corner, wrap some paracord around it and stake it to the ground or tie it to a pole and you have a 5x9 very compact, lightweight emergency tarp. My wife sews, so my tarps are hemmed and have nylon tie off points. I have used the pebble tie method though—mostly for near center of tarp tie off points. I've probably never used the same section of fabric twice. I have also always wrapped a small piece of cotton around the pebble to protect the silnylon from rough surfaces. Three yards of silnylon 2nds can be had for under $20.
 
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Scott Free said:
If you are looking for a lightweight "affordable emergency tarp," you should know that silnylon does not unravel if not hemmed. In other words, 3 yards of 60" wide silnylon material IS an "affordable emergency tarp." You don't need hems or grommets. Instead, roll up a smooth round pebble in a corner, wrap some paracord around it and stake it to the ground or tie it to a pole and you have a 5x9 very compact, lightweight emergency tarp. My wife sews, so my tarps are hemmed and have nylon tie off points. I have used the pebble tie method though—mostly for near center of tarp tie off points. I've probably never used the same section of fabric twice. I have also always wrapped a small piece of cotton around the pebble to protect the silnylon from rough surfaces. Three yards of silnylon 2nds can be had for under $20.
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You may be a genius my friend!
 
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