I need an inexpensive light weight tarp to shelter my camp area this year. I have the paracord to tie it to trees. Suggestions?

First thing that comes to mind for me is tyvek but you'll have to put a little work into it.

I would choose what is more important, lightweight or inexpensive. Hard to find something that fits both criteria.

CCS are the premium tarps and are worth the money if you are willing to spend it. Plastic tarps from Lowe's are cheap and are a good deal if you are willing to carry them. In between those is a coated nylon tarp like the one from Campmor. Mid-range for price but won't last as long as a CCS tarp.



Lowe's


Campmor Tarp


CCS Tundra Tarp

What would you consider the limits for inexpensive and lightweight?

Voyageur North Outfitters has some nice USED light weight Kondos tarps for sale. A coworker of mine just got one of them plus a couple of used Kondos portage packs from them. He said the tarp looks like it is brand new. Obviously not used much. Give them a call and see what they have for sizes and prices.

You get what you pay for. I would not go "inexpensive" on a tarp. You will wind up spending many hours in a cramped tent. Rent a good one from an outfitter if you are an infrequent tripper. Cooks Custom Sewing are are the best and offered by many outfitters.

Two thoughts. Kelty tarps are good mid range tarps at a good price point. Second thought is you really need to get some polyester, dyneema and/or spectra rope to rig your tarp. The reason is para cord is nylon and while it is very strong it relaxes and stretches when wet or under prolonged tension. As a result you will need to constantly adjust the ropes on your tarp to keep it taut if using paracord.

To better answer this you need to give us the size of tarp you are looking for and your top price range.

I will chime in with others on the build quality of the CCS tarps, they are outstanding. The BWCA/Quetico tends to weed out any lesser made gear quickly. It fails at the worst time, when you need it and there is nowhere to get another. I have seen this many times. That's why I try to buy the best gear I can afford for a trip.

No doubt CCS tarps are great - unfortunately my Campmor just keeps going - in year 14 - and no signs of it failing anytime soon. I might outlive it and have to buy a CCS.

quote keth0601: "First thing that comes to mind for me is tyvek but you'll have to put a little work into it."

what exactly do you mean by this?

quote Mocha: "

quote keth0601: "First thing that comes to mind for me is tyvek but you'll have to put a little work into it."

what exactly do you mean by this?
"

I'll take a stab at your question. Tyvek is a waterproof wrap that goes on the outside walls of your house under the siding. The work involved is that Tyvek comes on a rool and you need to cut it to size. Then you need to find a way to attach the tarp cord.

quote Savage Voyageur: "

quote Mocha: "

quote keth0601: "First thing that comes to mind for me is tyvek but you'll have to put a little work into it."

what exactly do you mean by this?
"

I'll take a stab at your question. Tyvek is a waterproof wrap that goes on the outside walls of your house under the siding. The work involved is that Tyvek comes on a rool and you need to cut it to size. Then you need to find a way to attach the tarp cord. "

Yep. Tyvek is cheap, relatively light, and durable. There are a lot of guides out there on making diy tarps from Tyvek. Basically depending on what size you want you may just need to cut it and tie off the corners. If you shop around you should be able to find someone who can cut a section from a 10 foot roll for you if you want a larger tarp.

You could always just go with a Kelty Noah tarp. They are not bad and I see them on sale at Woot.com pretty often.

quote Eyedocron: "I need an inexpensive light weight tarp to shelter my camp area this year. I have the paracord to tie it to trees. Suggestions?"

What would you consider inexpensive? Knowing that will help with suggestions.

I just got a kelty 12X12 on Groupon on sale for $40. Haven't used it yet but heard good things.

Eyedocron the ones we used last year were Kelty. 9x9. Not too expensive.

We've used a fleet farm tarp for $5 for probably close to 15 trips now.

it's light, and cheap, but it's bulky. Since it's cheap, we put it over the fire. Going to miss it, when all the corners pull out.

quote pinepatch: "Eyedocron the ones we used last year were Kelty. 9x9. Not too expensive. "

I spoiled him back in 15 with a 12 x12 CCS tarp.

You might give this a try - while they are still on pre-order special the prices really look pretty good. Interesting company as well... https://outdoorvitals.com/product/backpacking-ultralight-tarps/

That was a good tarp, Old Fingers, and it served us well eating fish in the rain on Lonely Lake. That was a good trip. We even were part of the Quetico Holy Grail continuing replenishment at Olifaunt portage. Wonder where the Grail is now?

Last I heard the Grail was at Silence Lake near Agnes of the Quetico.

Last I heard the Grail was at Silence Lake near Agnes of the Quetico.

Like many have asked, if you do not explain what you mean by inexpensive, it is hard to give you suggestions.

I wouldn't skimp on a tarp. Get the best one you can afford. A tarp extends your campsite immensely and will make the difference when you're wind or rain bound. The cheap blue plastic ones don't have the stretch or flexibility of, say, a CCS tarp (my choice). I make mine a little bit short of "tight as a drum," usually just as a wedge (ground up at a 45 degree angle). My 10X10 weighs just ounces.

Mike

quote Eyedocron: "That was a good tarp, Old Fingers, and it served us well eating fish in the rain on Lonely Lake. That was a good trip. We even were part of the Quetico Holy Grail continuing replenishment at Olifaunt portage. Wonder where the Grail is now?"

I have the Grail, replenished and going to the Brent area in just a few weeks!

Joe

Tyvek is nice and light and strong material. I agree it will take some work to make into a tarp. You will need some tarp clips or do some sewing to add some tie outs. It does not roll up nice. It will be bulky. If you cut a tennis ball you can put a stick in the center. I have done that and it worked. I don't think is worth the effort. If you don't want to spend the money a tarp from Menards will work too. Don't expect a whole lot of trips out of it. I now have a 10x14 CCS tarp. It has a lot of tie outs. Why is that important? That is something best learned trying to set up a tarp with out a lot of tie outs. What you go with will be up to you. Renting is a nice option. 4 to 7 dollars a day to rent. You should be asking yourself how many trips you plan to make in the future. 7.00 a day times 7 is 50 bucks times 4 trips or 5 trips and it is paid for. If you plan on doing more trips spend the money. I like have upgraded mine with snake skins. Keep your eyes open watch for deals.

Happy Trails

ALDIs..... Yes, ALDIs Grocery store. if you have one in your area they a 13x13x13 tarp for 14.99.... Waterproof, lightweight, and cheap. Could use a couple more anchor points but for the money they work extremely well.

quote Frenchy19: "Like many have asked, if you do not explain what you mean by inexpensive, it is hard to give you suggestions. "

We also need the size and tarp material you are looking for. Tyvek, canvas, plastic, nylon, nysil, Cuban fiber?

I have tarps from llbean and Kondos outdoors. Both are reasonably priced and durable.

Is there a specific style of tarp from say CCS or kelty that is recommended?

OK, Got the one from Aldi's, and looks good. Nylon, triangular, 13 1/2 foot on each side, the line attachments are stitched loops, not grommets. Came with nylon line, springs and clips. Available in green or tan. Weight is modest. This should serve our purpose. Thanks for all the advice.

quote Renol: "Is there a specific style of tarp from say CCS or kelty that is recommended? "

Since Cooke sells squares and rectangles I will go at this as a weight question and recommend the 1.1 ounce since its a dream to have so little weight in such a useful piece of gear. Plus if I remember correctly Dan stated the 1.1 ounce has greater tear strength.

I recommend a minimum size of 10' x 12' or greater. I know some people get by with a smaller size but I have found for 2 people this size is ideal, larger even better.

Ah perfect. I was having trouble finding the site so that helps big time. Thanks for the link.

Go get yourself a cheap mills fleet farm tarp. I use the camo ones. been using the same 2 doe 4 years now, one goes over the fire and the other goes behind or in front to block the wind. huge area coverage. They are inexpensive so it doesn't matter if you get a tiny hole in it.
if you need a tarp for your sleepsystem I wouldn't spare money on that.