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Any recommendations for a lightweight rain resistant tarp for backpacking? Price isn’t a concern.
S.

Kifaru Sheep Tarp for minimal protection - Super Tarp for nearly 3 season protection. I’ve got a super tarp & vestibule that has been everywhere with me.

Siltarp or Siltarp 2.

Integral Designs - Silwing or Sil Pancho (not sure if they still make the pancho?)

Seek outside DST tarp is another good option if you can find one.

Arcturus 60"x 82" 1.4 lbs is in my backpack while day hunting. The 8.5 ft x 12 ft 3 lbs is part of my gear while hunting with assistance of a canoe or kayak.
https://arcturusgear.com/collection...l7sDx-gIVKxHnCh1OuQrIEAAYASAAEgIfWPD_BwE

ZPacks 7’x9’ Dyneema tarp weighs ~5 oz. Mine never leaves my pack and gets used quite often when hunting, scouting, camping…


ZPacks tarps

Golden Armour (Amzn).

Very durable and quality sewing.

Sizes, colors, fabric shape cuts, available.

The old school Noah's Tarp has served me well, even in snow..and when backpack hunting when I was shaving ounces, it makes a damn comfortable sleeping bag in frosty morning weather. Fabric closely resembles a parachute.

I have a sil tarp 2 that I’ve had for a long time. It’s got few small holes but it’s light and packs small. Always have it in my pack in the mountains for waiting out rain, brief storms or cooking under at camp.

Search online fabrics and camo fabric outlets and choose light/heavy and waterproofness and make a tarp to your
specifications.

Silnylon is as light and waterproof as they come but it's hard to sew because it's so slick. I have homemade 12x12' tarp of the stuff. I added a bunch of tie loops in the middle so it can be rigged in many different ways. It's got so expensive, though, that you don't save much by making one. Enough for a 10x10 will cost about $100 plus thread, sealer, and whatever kind of tie downs you want. You can buy a ready made 10x10 silnylon on Amazon for less money.

A plug for a nice Montana Company- Borah Gear, have two of their tarps- good material, solid sewing

https://borahgear.com/products.html

These look really appealing. I've been carrying a 6x10 plastic tarp in my pack for years. The general purpose kind you buy at Home Depot and are typically blue - mine's brown. It's been great, used a few times to protect us from rain and snow. It's not too heavy, 17oz, but it's tough. I'm all about lighter and less space in my pack. At 30 years old a 45lb pack was nothing...two decades have changed that. How tough are these Silpoly tarps? Can you sit on them on wet snow and still be dry? Do they tear easy in the wind or if over a rock on the ground? Are they noisy like Tyvec?

Pretty tough. Definitely quiet. I wouldn’t treat treat them as rough as the blue (or brown) plastic ones.

They’re fully waterproof, so yeah you could sit on one.

Thank you Warden. I'm going to order one.

Thanks for all the leads gents! Basically I am looking for a replacement. I throw mine up typically when it rains and I want to wait it out. Nothing very big but I like keeping my load-out light. By not being big… still would be nice to tent it out and shelter overnight if I had too though.
S.

Pretty much exactly how I use my SilTarp 2. I’m not sure about abrasion, but silnylon has pretty amazing tensile strength.

Jordan, is it the RAB brand?

Thanks,

Jason

Seems like a really good price and silpoly vs silnylon. Thanks!

My siltarp is a Guides Siltarp 2 made in Canada by Integral Designs. I guess that shows how old it is lol. But it gets used almost every year in the mountains and still going strong with only a few tiny holes. It’s 8’x10’ and in the stuff sack it weighs 14.5 oz.

One thing to consider is that silnylon will absorb water, even if doesn't leak. Then it stretches and sags and needs occasional tightening. Silpoly repels water so that's not a problem.

What’s the differences,excuse my ignorance. Are they coatings on a nylon?
S

It's the difference between nylon and polyester fabric. The silicone coatings are the same. Nylon's a bit tougher and slightly lighter but there's that water problem. For the most part, it's not a big deal but if you get caught in a long rainstorm, It'll start sagging.

These look very interesting if I replace my current Siltarp. Very light but also expensive.

I used my Integral Design Silnylon 5x8 poncho/tarp during a rainy Friday night football game this weekend and had forgotten how well it worked.

I’ll look at the silpoly tarps though, good to know.

Mine was made by Integral Designs, but I think it's made by Rab now.

OK, thanks.

Oware 10x10 is a classic.

TAG

Tag x2

Lotsa good Suggs thread!

Very true about SilNylon.
On a five day swamp hunting trip in Blackwater WMA using my Gheenoe boat.
''One night'' > 1, of constant rain and my new'ish henry shires contrail tent was sagging onto my sleeping bags, [WM mity lite/MLD bag/blanket on top].
When the rain slowed I put my Equinox poncho/shelter over it, put the bags inside Equinox bivy, both SilNylon. By the end of day two all three were soaked through. The synthetic MLD blanket with Event material did a pretty good job of keeping the down bag dry, enough so that I toughed it out, a bit soggy.
I tightened the tarptent just enough to try and get by, then some high winds blew in and damaged the tie-outs, etc..

I sent the tent back to HS Tarptent and emailed them pictures. Their ''policy'' was if something happened and the tent was not abused, they would repair it for free. They charged me for everything shipping/repair/return shipping. TarpTent is no longer a company I would buy from.
Just about anywhere can get rain/wet snow conditions keep that in mind with silnylon products.

I've been looking over everything I can find 'the perfect' super light weight drop and flop for a night or two, >dizzy'ing I tell ya.
Over.

After a decade or so of tarp/bivying, I finally settled on this; 17 oz all in (stakes and guys)- less than most bivy/tarp setups. But has a full bathtub floor, insect protection, sets up quickly, small footprint and a decent vestibule.

^^^^ mtwarden .. what is that? Looks good!

Tarptent Aeon Li- it's a solo tent, but more than adequate room for me; not giving them away, but I've been very happy with it

17 ozs? Wow, that’s impressively light.

not too shabby no poles though, you have to use a single trekking pole (or they sell a fold up pole at a couple of ounces)

I like this Bear Paw Diamond Solo Dyneema @ 9oz., $345, although the 125''/10+' stake to stake makes me go -hmm. That's where the thought of bivies small foot-print is nice, BUT, I like being inside and having a coffee and a donut before I crawl out and head out.
I keep circling back to this tent.

Cool. Thanks much. That one is on my list. A few years ago I switched from a Notch to a ProTrail. For me it wasn't a good switch .. seems like as I get older and less flexible, side entry gets more and more attractive. My tarps are all DCF now minus one and I think I want to go that way with my next tent.

For less than another pound, but more room and two vestibules AND a little more weather resistant, also look at the Stratospire Li- it’s a solid shelter too

Tag

Not the OP, but the more I thought about it I decided to skip buying a tarp for glassing and just use the fly on my Notch Li.

I like these

You guys who identify as "outdoorsmen"...REALLY!?!

I have a coated one of the Etowah 10x10 tarps and a silnylon stuff sack that came with their stove and everything is well made.

https://www.shop.backpackingadventuregear.com/main.sc