Isle Royale Forums

So after reading about the amount of rain some experienced in Aug, I'm thinking of adding a tarp to set up as a shelter for cooking/relaxing. Nothing drives me more crazy than being stuck in a tent during an extended downpour. So the search begins. I like the weight savings of a sil tarp, but when compared to the cost of a cheap blue poly tarp for only a few buck it seams excessive. Anyone take this approach and what are you using?

I love my Kelty Noah's Tarp. They make 3 sizes and are not too expensive. They're light and have several tie downs around the edges so are pretty versatile in how you can set it up. I usually bring 1 pole when canoeing but would not carry it backbacking.

http://www.rei.com/search?query=noahs+t ... button.y=0

Here's my 12' one put to use at the Lake Richie canoe campground. (I apologize for my brother who had just crawled out of the tent, and for my father who took thepicture )

We always bring our siltarp and it has always proved to be a great investment. Depends how far and if you are backpacking, but I wouldn't want to carry the blue poly tarp too far.

MikeW wrote:So after reading about the amount of rain some experienced in Aug, I'm thinking of adding a tarp to set up as a shelter for cooking/relaxing. Nothing drives me more crazy than being stuck in a tent during an extended downpour. So the search begins. I like the weight savings of a sil tarp, but when compared to the cost of a cheap blue poly tarp for only a few buck it seams excessive. Anyone take this approach and what are you using?

I carry a sil-nylon tarp whether paddling or hiking. The weight (and $$$$) are justified when rain is present for the 4th day in a row!!!!

I second the Kelty Noah's Tarp. But, make sure you play with it a bit before leaving. It has an interesting design and sometimes takes a little tweaking to get different set ups. I've also found some 1/4 inch bungee cord is a good thing, too.

On our last trip, my daughter slept in her bivy sack under the Noah's tarp, which was good since she is such a loud snorer! (OK JohnH, here's your chance.)

Anyone ever try using just the rain cover of a Hennesy Hammock? It looks a lot like the Kelty (and I own one but not a Kelty ).

So I started wondering why someone would pay $145 for a Siltarp vs $60 for a similar sized Kelty. Answer: about 1/2 the weight and packs a lot smaller, proving the adage "Less is more". So then I checked the weight of a blue poly and it weighs no more than the Kelty. Hmmm, never would have guessed, but apparently so. Since I paddle the extra wgt isn't a huge issue, but why didn't I get a blue poly for $7.50??? If it lasts 9 times longer I guess I'll be even .

Source REI:
8x10 Siltarp 14 oz, $145
9x9 Kelty 29 oz, $60
9x12 Blue poly 31 oz, $7.50

My last trip I used the rainfly from my Eureka 6 man tent. Lightweight and big. It was a little cumbersome to adjust. However, my brother and I spent a good part of the day dry during heavy rains.

I have used my silshelter(not the sil tarp) as an extra shelter and as my main shelter while on Isle Royale. Very light weight and durable. It has kept me dry through many rain storms on the Isle. I guess the only draw back might be that there is no floor and gear could get a bit muddy at times if you use it as your only source of shelter. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quality tarp that is lightweight and durable. But keep in mind that the weight will go up as you add guy lines and bring along stakes to help set up if needed. Also, I got mine many years ago when the price tag was a little less. The price is kind of steep these days, but for the minimalist, this is quite nice.

Nacraman, that looks like a pretty complicated tarp set-up. How long did it take to get that set-up staked out? It looks like those paddles could topple over at the slightest bump or breeze.

Will be using tarps with our hammocks. Figured that with the ENO hammock with the separate bug screen and tarp that it will add versatility to our equipment so that if we want lunch but it buggy we can just put up the bug net with hiking poles, if it is raining or sunny we can put up the tarps, if we want a place to sit, we can sting up the hammocks like chairs.