beginner tarp advice

need advice on tarps that are friendly to the beginner tarp
camper what size/material/cut works good for beginners and is easiest to pitch for a newbie

i will use the tarp for camping in the sierras may thru september along with a bivy and only on solo trips
any suggestions on what to buy and where to buy would be great
i just don t want to buy something i can t figure out how to use
thanks
k smith

Welcome. I started out with a simple sheet of 4 ml black plastic. I pitched it in various configurations from tent style to lean-to. To attach the guy ropes I used plastic gripper grommets sold at some hardware, surplus or hiking stores. It worked very well for me. It didn’t weigh much and the price was right but it did take up more space in my pack than I liked and so eventually I graduated to a silicone nylon tarp. I think mine is by Integral Designs. 8 X 12, very light and compact. Works great, but no bug protection. If you take a look on the Internet, especially YouTube there is some information and instructions for pitching a tarp. Sometimes I use my hiking pole to prop up the one end. Most times I tie a ridge line between two trees and then place my tarp over that. Lean-to is my favorite pitch. No condensation, and I can watch the stars at night. Easy to get in and out of. Good wind and rain protection provided I predict the wind direction properly and it doesn’t shift. Tarps can be finicky compared to free standing tents but I am never in a hurry when hiking/camping anyway.

Howie

Best beginner advice I can give you is start out with a groundsheet of tyvek or poly smaller than your tarp. and start with 8x10 for a size. As for material - silnylon. it's light.

You *can* go out with as small as 6x8 or 5x8 and make a perfectly good shelter, but it's a lot easier with one a bit bigger in nasty weather, which is why I suggest the 8x10 until
you know you're comfortable with finding a good site and pitching right for the weather. 8x10's also make dandy hammock tarps if you decide to do that.

Campmor sells light 8x10 silnylon tarps cheap

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20069

MEC has something similar in canada.

If you are using a bivy, will it be highely water resistant or proof? If so, go with an Integral Designs Siltarp @ 5x8. Requires no seam sealing and only costs around $60.

If no bivy, then look at the larger 8x10 size for sure.

Get it long before your trip and play around with the different set-ups. I have found this website to be fun:

http://www.equipped.com/tarp-shelters.htm

4 mill plastic works great for a shelter and lasts longer than you may expect. Grometts can be made by glue gunning a hard plastic square(2"x2")and then duct tape. I then make a hole for a 6" ring nail or a tie string. Mason line has held good for me.
@
2 -8'x10'tarps can be put together. I use large paper clips clamped on the rolled up edges of the tarp to close the entry.The sil nylon tarps Phat mentioned and a lighter version of my stove/chimney (24 ounces). would make a light allweather shelter.

This stove chimney weighs 2 lbs

Stove jack can be put in any tarp with a jack knife

Chimney up
6 hours of wood

why is that in this post?

Are we not talking about ways to pitch and use a tarp or black plastic sheet?

"Chimp",

Off topic but I see feltpac liners hanging to dry in your photos. This would be unnecessary if you would have used VBLs.

Eric

VBL's aren't for everyone. I agree with chimpac's shoe choice, especially given his area of operations.

I would like to add that I consider an 8'x12' tarp to be minimum size even for one person,if you want to close out the weather from all sides. A tarp can be like a kite in the wind if it is not closed in.
Two people can sleep but it is crowded for cooking and eating.
Make the length 15' and there is ample room for a person on each end with center pole in the middle

If you have even minimum sewing skills (or know someone who does) you can easily make your own silnylon tarp very inexpensively (using fabric 2nds).

I've made two cat-cut tarps for use with my hammocks.

Just starting out, I would go with the 4 mil plastic and some grommet clips. I've also made one by folding the edge of the plastic over to make a channel, sealing it with duct tape and running a string through the channel and cutting out parts of the plastic channel to serve as tie outs.

I have link somewhere that shows how someone made one of these. I think it is on my other computer. I'll find it and add it later.

Tango61