man these tarps are AWESOME!!!!! when i get some more $, i HAVE to get one of these!

Recon... I hope your tarps are used more than your knives.... or so I hear! :-) Actually, I'm going to look into the WxTex you mentioned...

Here are a couple points to consider when shopping for tarps:

- No grommets. They stress the fabric too easily and will eventually tear.
- If you camp in the cold, plastic will break.
- Your tie points should pull on reinforcement, not material if at all possible.
- Know what type of stitching is used. It should compliment the tarp material.
- FWIW, WxTex is junk. I wonder why reconseed is praising them so???

With that being said, I was in the market for a new tarp for about year. I finally decided I was going to have one custom make, by OES. Then, I found Cooke Custom Sewing and there was no customization needed. Already set up for the way I wanted.

Here are some pics:


Recently, I found out about "http://www.cookecustomsewing.com/", and decided theirs was already setup the way I wanted, no custom making required.

I decided on the 10' x 10' configuration in 1.1oz nylon. The total package claims a weight of 20 oz.

Here is a picture of the whole getup:
- 8 aluminum tent stakes (may add more later)
- Polypropylene cord in 50', various 20' and 15' lengths
- Tarp in the small compression sack I have.
Knife is for scale:



As you can see, my smallest compression sack is bottomed out, and the tarp can compress much further.





Claims from CCS is that it will compress to the size of a 1qt nalgene, and that looks about right. This is even with all the additional cordage that I have added to it, which you will see later.

Non-compressed tarp, in the stuff sack it was supplied with.



Before I show pictures of the actual tarp, let me say something about color. Normally, I want very natural tones, and would normally opt for this tarp in green. However, in the next couple years I plan to take several trips to northern Canada, and possibly using a bush pilot for some trips. Because of weather, and various other things, I decided safety and being found was going to be more important than my own personal preference and visual impact. Not to mention, sometimes on remote canoeing trips, and can not be as easy as you might thing to spot your campsite from a distance.

Long way of saying, I bought the very loud, multi-colored version (which you will see). I am not trying to talk anyone into this configuration. Just letting you know why I bought a tarp that makes it look like the circus is in town!

Let's look at some of the features that made me want this tarp.

Loops rather than gromments or just reinforced corners. Spreads the stress through the ribbon.



More attachment loops every 18". Again, reinforcement along the entire length of all sides. That is pretty cool!



Fair weather might not be a big deal, but this thing was designed for weather where most people would not consider a tarp.

Nice thing about a square tarp is that during setup, just grab ANY corner. Doesn't matter.

Here, I used a hand over hand knot. Works like a prussik hitch and can be tied with the cord I pre-attached to the tarp.



Here it is pitched.



Various attachments down the side.



Central tie out in the back.



To Be Continued.......

Staked corner.



All kinds of attachment loops on the backside with pre-attached string loops.



Another view of the setup.



In case you can not use a central tie out, like I did, there is a pole pocket in the center, which is also reinforced for wear.



The idea is to use a trekking pole, canoe paddle, or stick to keep center tension.



The idea behind all the pre-attached cords is speed. If you have to set one up quickly, you might have to use a configuration that the landscape dictates. I don't want to mess around with threading cord through loops in a driving rain. I can just grab any attachment point and go.

I am more than happy with this tarp, and glad this is the one I went with. Now, I want another so that I can do a two tarp setup, with fire chimney!

Also, this tarps first outing (backpacking) it was setup in confirmed wind of over 60 mph. Now, if I knew that storm was coming, I would not have a tarp setup, but we did not know such a bad storm was coming. Long story, but I actually had to shelter under the tarp. I had is setup slightly differnt than the photos because I could not find a tree to tie out the center. So, I used a trekking pole in the center. Second, I put 2 guy lines from the center of the sides to the ground. The only issue I had in those high winds, is one of the side stakes pulled out (sandier ground on that side of the tarp). So, I restaked it, and all was fine.

I never intended it to see that type of storm, but it did great, and I was glad to see it first had.

B

Nice tarp, make a great tent.

Well, I really don't know how I missed this thread.

BM, that looks like a nice piece of kit.

BrianA, you pice of kit looks really well built and already has the things that I would need. I understand the reason for bright colors, but I might have to see what colors are available that are more neutral.

I do appreciate the links, because at the moment I carry a West german tarp/pup tent and it is a little heavy and bulky. I can always make my own poles out in the field.

Thanks again, and look forward to BM's write up and thoughts when he gets his in.

I have used sil-nylon tarps on occasion out here in the desert in combination with a bug bivy and they work pretty well. Although I now tend to use a 1 man Sierra Designs tent as it does not really weight much more than the tarp bug bivy combo. I would love to live in terrain where a tarp was all that was needed, but I have not found the Sonoran desert to be one of those. The tarp I have is from http://www.owareusa.com/.

Nice tarp setup BrianA, and awesome that they had a design that fit your needs exactly without any modding. I'll add CCS to my list of cottage gear makers. Thanks!