I'm looking to buy a tarp to replace one I lost some time ago.
What do you reckon the best ones to look at are now?
What do you reckon the best ones to look at are now?
A tarp a tarp my kingdom for a tarp....
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MagiKelly
Making memories since '67
I bought a webtex, camo one a while back. It seemed OK during the late summer, but now that autumn/winter has kicked in, it's a bit small.
I have an old garden gazebo that I might just cut up and sew some loops onto, at 9 foot (3 meters) square it should keep me and a fair area of ground reasonably dry in quite heavy rain.
Sorry I can't help with which type might be best, but knowing what is not on the list can also be of assistance.
ATB
Ogri the trog
I have an old garden gazebo that I might just cut up and sew some loops onto, at 9 foot (3 meters) square it should keep me and a fair area of ground reasonably dry in quite heavy rain.
Sorry I can't help with which type might be best, but knowing what is not on the list can also be of assistance.
ATB
Ogri the trog
I agree with Magikelly about the size and weight of the Hex. I have a Kathmandu lightweight made with similar material and love it in my day/overnight sac, but for ruggedness in unfriendly environments and to survive over time, the Aussie Hootchie would give me more peace of mind.
I just got back from a a three day trip with my girlfriend. She was using a hex tarp over her hammock, while I was using a 8 by 10 foot silnylon tarp over mine.
We set hers up so that one side was horizontal, like an awning.
Despite the torrential rain, high winds and sheet lightning, we slept well and dry (unlike our tent camping friends, who were flooded by sideways rain. Their bathtub floors did a very good job of keeping the water in however...)
Even though I had previously considered the hex tarp a bit heavy in comparison to my silnylon (700 grams to 400) the living space and weather protection it offers are worth it.
I can't work out how a 5 by 8 foot hootchie (or whatever size they are) is big enough for adequate protection, as I know that you get far worse rain in th UK than here in Oz.
We set hers up so that one side was horizontal, like an awning.
Despite the torrential rain, high winds and sheet lightning, we slept well and dry (unlike our tent camping friends, who were flooded by sideways rain. Their bathtub floors did a very good job of keeping the water in however...)
Even though I had previously considered the hex tarp a bit heavy in comparison to my silnylon (700 grams to 400) the living space and weather protection it offers are worth it.
I can't work out how a 5 by 8 foot hootchie (or whatever size they are) is big enough for adequate protection, as I know that you get far worse rain in th UK than here in Oz.
Well, I sent back my standard hennessy tarp as a corner had ripped on it. They sent me a hex tarp as a replacement. This was a bit heavy for me, so i asked if we could do a swap for the standard tarp. They said they would send me a standard and that I could keep the hex too!
But if you're not this lucky...
I see them on ebay every now and again. auctionprener is a good ebayer to deal with and has good prices. or else you can order directly from the hennessy site.
If I were to buy another tarp however, I would buy a MacCat tarp- similar in shape to the hex, but made of silnylon. Less expensive than a silnylon hennessy hex tarp, but a bit more than the standard one.
Did that last sentence make sense? hmmm....
But if you're not this lucky...
I see them on ebay every now and again. auctionprener is a good ebayer to deal with and has good prices. or else you can order directly from the hennessy site.
If I were to buy another tarp however, I would buy a MacCat tarp- similar in shape to the hex, but made of silnylon. Less expensive than a silnylon hennessy hex tarp, but a bit more than the standard one.
Did that last sentence make sense? hmmm....
wentworth said:
I have a jungle lightweight basha (old issued one), the standard hootchie and a heavy weight hootchie. I don't get problems staying dry when using one.
The major factor is in sighting and positioning, so it's all in the way you set it up mate.
In the end you could get a huge cheap tarp from B&Q that will keep a very large area dry, the only problem would be packing it because of size and weight.
It doesn't matter what you buy it is how it is sighted that counts. Before the current issue basha's we used to use ponchos as our major source of cover n the forces and they are smaller than the current issue ones and the jungle lightweight, but they don't pack down as small.
If you are worried about size of the cover take a poncho that can be used for cover and another basha as this will provide 2 sets of overhead cover if you require it.
If not just a basha will do as it seems to do quite a few service personnel everyday
I have an Amazonas tarp that is huge (10x12), weighs about a kilo, packs small, and is pretty cheap. It is quite thin (I have small holes in it where rocks have been on it ) but a good bit of kit. Faults are lack of tying off points and a decent ridgeline, unlike the Army basha which has hundreds
) but a good bit of kit. Faults are lack of tying off points and a decent ridgeline, unlike the Army basha which has hundreds
Hmm...
My instinct as a re-enactor is to go for cotton canvas but I think it would be too heavy for anything but vehicle camping.
My instinct as an old backpacker had me looking to make a silnylon tarp but the material is a bit too lightweight for my old sewing machine.
I think 10'x10', give or take a bit, sounds about right to me but I am finding it difficult to find a UK supplier for a good ready made one.
Is silnylon worth the price differential do you think?
Does the hex tarp work well for ground based work as well as hammocking?
How big is a hex tarp?
My instinct as a re-enactor is to go for cotton canvas but I think it would be too heavy for anything but vehicle camping.
My instinct as an old backpacker had me looking to make a silnylon tarp but the material is a bit too lightweight for my old sewing machine.
I think 10'x10', give or take a bit, sounds about right to me but I am finding it difficult to find a UK supplier for a good ready made one.
Is silnylon worth the price differential do you think?
Does the hex tarp work well for ground based work as well as hammocking?
How big is a hex tarp?
Hex tarp is 10 by 12 foot. preeeeetty big. I've only set it up on the ground once, just to test it out, and it looked pretty good to me. There was a thread about using a hex on the ground not that long ago.
The nice thing about the silnyon is not only the weight, but the fact that you can shake it dry- it doesn't absorb water.
And a guy in a outdoor store showed me a trick. He pushed a pencil through a piece of silnylon, then scrunched it up in his hand. When he spread it out again, the hole had corrected itself! I think the fibres just sort of moved aside before returning...
The nice thing about the silnyon is not only the weight, but the fact that you can shake it dry- it doesn't absorb water.
And a guy in a outdoor store showed me a trick. He pushed a pencil through a piece of silnylon, then scrunched it up in his hand. When he spread it out again, the hole had corrected itself! I think the fibres just sort of moved aside before returning...
Try this UK supplyer / maker, they have a 2.5m x 2.5m one, sounds like they could make you a custom sized one too.Basha catalog
I had been looking at the Kathmandu bivvies but with the sad passing of Julian I don't know whether they are still trading.
Has anybody heard anything about that? The last thing I want to do is step into the middle of somebodies personal tragedy
Has anybody heard anything about that? The last thing I want to do is step into the middle of somebodies personal tragedy
I sent an email requesting a custom design based on the 3x3m sheet, but have had no answer in a week. Does anyone know better?
