So my son wants me to sew a waterproof tarp out of silnylon for his canoe

[Bud]

trips to Northern MN, Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

 

Light weight is a high priority as they have to portage everything from lake to lake.

 

I've looked at gear sites that are dedicated to lightweight canoe gear. Their prices just seem to be high.

 

High priced tarps. 8X10 is $142

 

A few years ago, a lot of us camped at UN's. Now most people stay in hotel/motels.

 

But if you were to m/c camp, lightweight and small seems to also have appeal. If so, what size tarp would you want to have?

 

 

 

 

[szurszewski]

8x10 (ish) centenary.

 

That 1.1oz silnylon is kinda heavy though - look into Cuben Fiber fabric.

 

Here's a tarp I think would be great:

http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/cat-tarp/

 

And here's somewhere to get the fancy fabric if you want to go all out/truly ultralight:

http://www.zpacks.com/materials.shtml

 

You probably want to make sure your son's is perfect though, so you should probably do a practice one first (and you can send that one to me :) ).

 

Seriously, that is the tarp I'd want, but I'd probably do it out of the silnylon - cheaper and not that much heavier for a small size - I would think it would be more durable and easier to repair as well.

 

I get my silnylon here - I order the 1.1 seconds - they are purely cosmetic in that they might have some color streaking (though I've only ever seen small variations in what I've ordered) but are structurally correct.

http://www.owfinc.com/fabrics.html

 

[Bud]

Thanks for the reply.

 

I've been looking at Ripstop by the roll who seems to have better prices

 

Lots of cat cut designs on the web for sure.

[szurszewski]

Assuming those are firsts, which I assume they are as it doesn't say they aren't, that looks like a great price (same as the OWF's 2nds price).

 

Please keep us posted as you go - I'm planning to put something together for a trip staring this summer. I think I'm too lazy/have too many other things going on to try a canternary design, but I'll likely do an 8x10 silnylon tarp. I'm not *too* worried about space or weight, and I think I'll try to add some Velcro - or other provision - to the edges so I can add no-see-um (sp?) mesh walls when needed.

 

josh

[Bud]

Assuming those are firsts, which I assume they are as it doesn't say they aren't, that looks like a great price (same as the OWF's 2nds price).

 

Please keep us posted as you go - I'm planning to put something together for a trip staring this summer. I think I'm too lazy/have too many other things going on to try a canternary design, but I'll likely do an 8x10 silnylon tarp. I'm not *too* worried about space or weight, and I think I'll try to add some Velcro - or other provision - to the edges so I can add no-see-um (sp?) mesh walls when needed.

 

josh

 

Good idea on the velcro.

 

Will you be using it to sleep under instead of a tent?

 

Cutting the cat cuts can not be that hard and the edges get binding anyways. A rectangle is easier for sure and may offer more pitching options with tabs on all four edges.

[szurszewski]

I have a Bilgy tarp-tent (basically a tarp with a mosquito net and floor sewn on) that we'll be brining. This theoretical tarp will be to cover a sitting area or keep the rig/dogs out of the rain/bugs (probably mostly out of the bugs - we'll probably not camp if it looks like lots of rain).

 

The trip we're planning is primarily going to have us sleeping indoors, and we're just bringing minimal camping equipment for nights when either we end up needing it, or, more likely, if we want to spend a night in a great park or on the beach etc.

 

I agree that the rectangular tarp will probably give more pitching options and I mostly don't want to spend the time/space to lay out the more complex curves. ...mostly it's my laziness.

 

[elkroeger]

If you just wanted a tarp, I'd copy this Integral Designs tarp. It has well placed little tie off loops sewn in (that's the part I'd copy). Size really just depends on what you want to use it for, and how many people will be wanting to get out of the rain....

 

If you're thinking more of a tarp-tent, rather than a simple tarp, there are lots of good ideas out there that are worth copying. Some of my favorites are Tarptent, Oware and Six Moon Designs.

 

Depending on how far your portages are, I'd be inclined to say that a relatively light, coated ripstop product would be the most cost effective (especially if you're just learning to sew...). Portages, in my experience, are limited to a 1/2 mile or less. Super ultralight fabrics can get rather expensive and delicate, so they start to lose their appeal.

 

I always got my fabrics from Seatte Fabrics. They should be competitive with the prices, and they have a great selection of high quality products, and all the accessories you will ever want.

 

For the silicone nylon, some people will tell you that it's rather difficult to sew. It's very slippery. I've never had that much trouble with it, but it can cause you fits.