Is Silnylon tarp worth the extra cost over Walmart special?

So, I've got some solo trips lined up for the near future and want to take some steps to lighten my load. In particular, I'd like to go the bivy/tarp route and leave the tent home. MLD has a really nice silnylon tarp with nice features, 12 oz, $120. Or I can get a Walmart 6'x8' tarp with gromets, 18 oz, $7. Is the MLD tarp worth the extra money? Thanks for your thoughts.

I'm also planning to purchase the REI minimalist bivy sack.

hikerbrian said:

So, I've got some solo trips lined up for the near future and want to take some steps to lighten my load. In particular, I'd like to go the bivy/tarp route and leave the tent home. MLD has a really nice silnylon tarp with nice features, 12 oz, $120. Or I can get a Walmart 6'x8' tarp with gromets, 18 oz, $7. Is the MLD tarp worth the extra money? Thanks for your thoughts.

I'm also planning to purchase the REI minimalist bivy sack.

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IMO, I would take the $103 savings for 4oz of weight. With the regular tarp you can also lay on top of it when it's not raining (and it's usually not raining).

I would not pay the extra!! Maybe if I was doing the AT, but even then.....

My setup is an 8'x10' 3mil plastic tarp. I like the extra room for the hammock. Haven't weighed it but I'm sure that its lighter than 18 oz.

You might consider a plain silnylon 8x10 ft (13 oz) tarp for $89.99 http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20069 or the 6x8 ft (9.2 oz) version for $69.99 http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20068

Doug

I dunno, 6X8 is pretty small, even with a bivy sack. Yeah, it'll keep you pretty dry in the rain, but it's a big change com tents or hammocks (my favorite). Isn't there some happy medium, somewhere between Walmart and MLD?

Thanks all for the replies. Besides weight, I think silnylon folds up a little smaller than a standard tarp. I may spring for the Campmor version (thanks DP). Maybe worth the money since I'll likely carry it on a lot of my trips as emergency/comfort gear.

I've heard nothing but good things about MLD, and the Duomid may be my next winter "tent" purchase. But that's a different topic.

Scubahhh, going to a bivy/tarp setup from a tent is definitely a big change, and that's part of the reason I don't want to break the bank on this purchase. I may not like the setup at all. But this would really be just for solo trips where I want to make big miles. Weight and bulk are of the essence. In addition, I want flexibility in where I set up. All I need with a bivy and tarp is a 6'x2' piece of reasonably flat real estate and I'm good to go. A hammock would be even better, but it's not in the current budget.

hikerbrian said:

A hammock would be even better, but it's not in the current budget.

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I'm not a fan of Walmart, but I did pick up one of these Hiking Hammock For $15.50, its just as good as my previous one from Hammock Bliss that was closer to $50. It works great in the late summer/fall when the bugs are gone, and doesn't break the bank if you're not really sure about hammock camping. Also, I'm a pretty big guy and this is roomy enough and very comfortable for me.

hikerbrian said:

Thanks all for the replies. Besides weight, I think silnylon folds up a little smaller than a standard tarp. I may spring for the Campmor version (thanks DP). Maybe worth the money since I'll likely carry it on a lot of my trips as emergency/comfort gear.

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I bought an 8x10 to use as a rainfly for a Speer Hammock. http://www.tttrailgear.com/speer-1-9-single-layer-hammock/ And, of course, the tarp has other uses.

One could buy hammock bodies without the fly back then (2003)... Don't know if you still can, but it isn't hard to make your own. Speer wrote a book describing how: http://www.tttrailgear.com/hammock-...-convenience-and-freedom-written-by-ed-speer/

Doug

Take a look at these sexy things from cooke custom sewing. Aside from being light because they're silnylon, the tie-outs around the edges and on the top surface of the tarp give you a LOT of pitching options. Normally, you set up a tarp as a lean-to, it sags in the middle, and you don't get much space. These, you pop a piece of paracord through a loop, and pull it out. Works well with uneven ground, weird tree arrangements, etc.

I also own some small lightweight wally-tarps. I tend to stake them out as a ground sheet under the CCS shelter, so Ihave a place to put my stuff down, and climb in and out of the hammock.

I should mention that CCS is probably NOT a cost-conscious purchase... Worth it? Well, I amortize over a couple decades of hiking....

I prefer using a solo tent instead of bivy and tarp. My tent is a 1-person Marmot Eclipse (no longer available), which is similar to the North Face Stormbreak 1. I find the difference in combined weights and costs to be negligible.

The cheapo walmart tarps are polyethylene, like the garbage blue ones you cover your woodpile with... crinkly and annoying, not aesthetically pleasing in the woods (and you go into the woods for aesthetic reasons, no?). As a minimum, I would suggest nylon tarp like this one from Campmor $40 fir a 7x9, other sizes comparable. This is treated nylon, not as good as silnylon, but economical.

That said, I use a light 2 sided (silver/camo) poly tarp, labled as a "space blanket", as a ground cloth. Silver adds some heat reflection, the camo side is useful if I want to cache my pack somewhere for a side trip so it won't be noticeable. Though it's worn out, if only I could find another one...

The cheapo walmart tarps are polyethylene, like the garbage blue ones you cover your woodpile with... crinkly and annoying, not aesthetically pleasing in the woods (and you go into the woods for aesthetic reasons, no?). As a minimum, I would suggest nylon tarp like this one from Campmor $40 fir a 7x9, other sizes comparable. This is treated nylon, not as good as silnylon, but economical.

That said, I use a light 2 sided (silver/camo) poly tarp, labled as a "space blanket", as a ground cloth. Silver adds some heat reflection, the camo side is useful if I want to cache my pack somewhere for a side trip so it won't be noticeable. Though it's worn out, if only I could find another one...