BWCA CCS Tarp - what a performance! Boundary Waters Gear Forum
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em8260
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08/04/2018 11:40AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I just wanted to post about the quality of Dan's tarps. We just went thru a hell of a thunderstorm around 10pm last Wednesday with very high winds while camped out on a sandbar in the Wisconsin River between Muscoda and Boscobel. I can honestly say it was the worst storm I've experienced in my life, car,tent or structure.

We used a CCS 10x14 1.1oz tarp pitched in a diamond setup, maybe a 5ft entrance. The storm lasted approximately 45 minutes with very, very high winds, immense, hard rain and tons of lightning (which terrified me). We were setup near some shrubbery, with trees near by. I honestly expected the tarp to go flying or tear, and wondered if I missed the tornado forecast???

Words can't do his product justice. I have used his tarps and other gear in the past, but they were never really put to the test like on that night. Big thumbs up to medium-sized tough stakes I also used, I think MSR makes them now. I used 9 of these, with four 10 liter stuff sacks full of sand, two REI tarp poles, Dan's yellow cordage with taut line hitches and MSR reflective guy lines as well. Also used some niteize figure 9s and camlocks.

The tarp was freestanding, we did move a little back into it to get away from some wind driven rain. The tarp was pitched, luckily, with low end against the wind. We were VERY happy with performance of all products.

Forgot to mention, it was not seam sealed. I did get some drops around the center pole support, but nothing bad. I will seam seal in the future. Thanks Dan!!

 
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andym
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08/05/2018 03:54AM  
Glad your pitch worked well. We’ve been through a big storm with one of Dan’s tarps too. Ate dinner under it and then went to sleep in our tents. It was perfectly fine through howling winds all night and was still up nice and taut in the morning. The tarp seems like it will handle just about anything. It’s just up to us to pitch it well.
 
08/07/2018 11:07PM  
We had a tree top fall on ours once in a storm but it did not penitrate the tarp. I was impressed.

My son thinks it's tornado proof.. Don't tell him otherwise ;)
 
08/08/2018 06:31AM  
That was not much shelter for such a storm!!!!
 
SevenofNine
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08/08/2018 07:38AM  
Nice setup you have in that picture. Glad you stayed safe and dry.
 
em8260
distinguished member (151)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/08/2018 11:40PM  
drnatus: "That was not much shelter for such a storm!!!!"


It kept us dry, if I was pitched facing the wind it would have been a different story.
 
HowardSprague
distinguished member(3419)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/09/2018 06:58AM  
I’m impressed with all of you who can set up a sturdy tarp using poles and stakes alone. I’m fine with trees to tie to, but if I had to set up just with poles I’d have no confidence in its ability to withstand someone bumping against a pole, let alone weathering a big storm. I’ve looked at photos & diagrams & stuff, but I need either 40 hours of practice or an in-person demonstration if I am to reach such expertise.
 
andym
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08/09/2018 11:12AM  
I can't take credit for our successful storm proof pitch. We were camping with a friend who is amazing with tarps. It is a skill learned by doing. He had done a long bike tour around New Zealand with just a tarp for shelter.
 
ozarkpaddler
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08/09/2018 11:45AM  
They are some wonderful tarps. One of the worst storms I've been in was on a sandbar on the Wisconsin. I bet you could have read a newspaper during the continuous lightening? As I recall, one of our group actually had their tent tear apart that night? I do love the Wisconsin River almost as much as I love my CCS Tarp!

 
Dan Cooke
Guest Paddler
  
08/09/2018 12:30PM  
HowardSprague: "I’m impressed with all of you who can set up a sturdy tarp using poles and stakes alone. I’m fine with trees to tie to, but if I had to set up just with poles I’d have no confidence in its ability to withstand someone bumping against a pole, let alone weathering a big storm. I’ve looked at photos & diagrams & stuff, but I need either 40 hours of practice or an in-person demonstration if I am to reach such expertise.
"


Maybe a demo at Canoecopia. I do them at Midwest Mountaineering.
 
em8260
distinguished member (151)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/09/2018 09:50PM  
ozarkpaddler: "They are some wonderful tarps. One of the worst storms I've been in was on a sandbar on the Wisconsin. I bet you could have read a newspaper during the continuous lightening? As I recall, one of our group actually had their tent tear apart that night? I do love the Wisconsin River almost as much as I love my CCS Tarp!



No kidding, it was like daylight, there was so much of it. I remember thinking, if someone else was out here somewhere with half a** gear or their pitching skills were lacking, they got very wet and had shredded tents or tarps. As to pole pitching: Just get out in your yard or park and practice setting up. There aren't trees on most of these sandbars that are useable. I love tripping the wisconsin every year, so I HAD to make sure I could solidly setup in sand. Those toughstakes hold like hell also.
 
08/10/2018 08:23AM  

Trying to fix the quote problem
 
08/10/2018 08:25AM  
Dan showed me how to set it up with poles. They are very solid when done correctly
 
ozarkpaddler
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08/10/2018 10:05AM  
Canoearoo: "Dan showed me how to set it up with poles. They are very solid when done correctly "


Gosh, I've set mine up a hundred different ways? When I'm doing a river trip, I usually just do a one pole pitch too. When it's cold, or very rainy, I do it differently and stake the tarp to the ground to keep out slow, sleet, and cold rain:
 
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