Hi all, I'm looking for a good, lightweight tarp. I'm not looking at it to use as a tent, but more as an emergency shelter if we get caught in a rain storm, or for otherwise cooking in the rain. Something that I can throw over paracord and maybe with some holes for ground stakes. Open to any recommendations.
You might look at something like the MSR E-Wing or equivalent - they advertise them as being an emergency shelter. I don't know how pricey they might be. I think Integral Designs might also make some tarps along the same lines.
Personally, for what you're describing, I'd probably go with the lightest, cheapest thing I could find. I did a quick check, and found a $60 silnylon 6'x8' plain old rectangular tarp at Campmor. Coated nylon tarps are heavier, but cheaper, and widely available.
For emergencies I'd go with a $4 roll of 2 mm painters drop cloth cut into whatever size I liked. Stick a pebble in the corner, gather, tie off with guy lines.
Or a poncho tarp - double duty. There are heavy cheap ones with grommets or light silnylon ones with grosgrain tie out loops.
Or a silnylon tarp from one of the many cottage gear makers out there.
Or, what I take for SAR, a contractor bag - can be a bivy, a liner for a bark n branch shelter, a ground cloth, a sit pad, a water carrier, or cut it open for a nice large-ish tarp. Seven bucks a roll for contractor bags. Big enough to tie out with a trekking pole for a one person tent in a pinch. Probably about the same dimensions as those tube tent things they still sell, but heavier plastic and more uses.
If you're wanting to buy one, I think the Campmor tarp Glenn mentions is a good mid-range choice. I've darn near clicked the button for getting one of those myself a few times.
I've made several tarps using the "$4 roll" of clear plastic Lori mentioned. My experience with them is that 2 mil plastic is just a bit too light to count on. 3.5 mil plastic works great, but it's a bit too heavy. It's still lighter than the blue poly tarps though.
My most recent experiment using plastic was to make a tent using SOL emergency blankets taped together. The plastic they use is about as tough, and lighter than the 3.5 mil clear plastic, so if I were to make another tarp from plastic I think I'd use the SOL blankets. And I think that would fit your requirements pretty good too.
It would cost about $20 to make one and that would include tape and a grommet kit for your stake holes. You can get a grommet kit at WalMart in the Camping dept near the blue poly tarps, or you can walk over to the Sewing dept and get one that has smaller, lighter, grommets.
I have looked at Campmors sil tarp, Last I checked I beleive it used grommets? They tend to not last as long, whatever you decide, I recommend Tie out loops!
Ya know I didnt double check, but my son was looking for a lightweight larger tarp for his hammock. I beleive Hennesey Hammock has a cat tarp around 70.00$ I hope this helps!
I use the Campmor silnyon tarp, 10x12, and it is great. When I really want to shave the ounces, I go with a silnylon poncho - it will work just fine for one person.
I just had another thought. You said you're looking for something to use if you get caught in a rain storm. Many tents now have a "quick pitch" option using just the poles and fly, or maybe the poles, fly, and footprint. Would that serve your needs? If so, you wouldn't need the extra tarp.
I've used the quick-pitch feature with my Hubba tent a couple of times to make a lunchtime shelter when it was raining; I've set my Carbon Reflex up that way once or twice in the backyard, and it seems to work, too.
The OP mentioned cooking, probably not something you want to do under the tent fly (assuming the OP has a double wall tent). Food odors attract varmints (bears, skunks, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, etc.). I'd be especially reluctant to use a tent that had been used around cooking when in bear country.
I'd go with the 6' x 8' Campmor tarp (haven't noticed any wear around the grommets) or a silnylon poncho. silnylon poncho. The latter (close to the same size) would be a little lighter and could also do double duty. Both are made by Equinox. The 6' x 8' tarp easily covers 2 adults, 2 children and the cooking area.
Assuming that everyone wears appropriate rain gear when it rains, a small tarp (maybe 3' x 4') would be more than sufficient to shelter just the cooking area. Mountain Laurel Designs makes a 4' x 4', 4 oz. silnylon "dog tarp" which would be ideal for this purpose. Or you could make your own. It can also, of course, be used as a dog shelter, although probably not while you're cooking!
Good point about the food odor - since I don't hike in bear country (yet - they're gradually migrating toward me), I tend to forget the importance of such considerations.
I also forget that people cook lunch; I eat a cold lunch, so using it as a rain shelter at lunch doesn't put food odors into the fly.
And, the best point you made of all: not all of us use double wall tents.
Thanks for catching my omissions - just proves, once again, that style and equipment are intimately related.
If you don't mind a small tarp, Wally World has a 5X7 that is nylon and costs about $20 I think. It folds to about the size of a wallet.
I saw that last time I was there, I thought it was pretty cool, be great around here if you can bust loose for a short trip when you know the weather will be mild.