Tarp

[Sakoman]

What do you sheep hunters prefer for a tarp to shelter yourself from the rain / wind if needed?

[fatboyz]

I use a small SIL tarp and a trekking pole. I also carry a couple light weight aluminum angle type pegs and some extra para cord.

[calgarychef]

I’ve got a good tarp sold by a Canadian company but I can’t remember the name, it “might” be RAB They come in three weights and I got the middle weight, whatever that is. There are tarp forums and a tarp group on fb (of course). After watching the myriad of ways that folks set up tarps I’ve come to the conclusion that square is better than rectangle. That might be good to keep in mind when purchasing.

We set up a tarp for two of us to sleep under on a late season sheep hunt and it snowed over a foot that night I was very happy that I’d used a small dead spruce as a ridge pole rather than a rope and some “y” sticks to hold up that pole. Another trick is using a pebble and a slip knot to tie the tarp edges, that won’t pull out like grommets sometimes do and it’s easy to untie.

[Albertadiver]

I play around with several different tarps. From the Canadian tire special, to a few I've bought on camofire.com and some that came with my backpacking hammocks.

With all of the tarps I've used, I like the siltarp the best, as long as they have a bunch of tie-off points around the perimeter and usually along the midpoint and ridgeline.

There are a few Canadian manufacturers that have some pretty good lightweight versions. I do find that I've never complained about having too big of a tarp when in use, so for backpacking or sheep hunting I'd go with the largest that you feel ok with carrying.

Edit: Forgot to mention that one of my favorites has little pockets on each corner and at midpoints with about 10' of string already sowed into the tarp and it's pretty strong. I find it convenient to have these pre-built tiedown points.

If you don't mind a bit of crazy, a former AO member who was banned (rightfully so) had some neat tarp setups, but he was nuts (and militant) about his stove ideas.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=321267

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=86150

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=29857

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

I play around with several different tarps. From the Canadian tire special, to a few I've bought on camofire.com and some that came with my backpacking hammocks.

With all of the tarps I've used, I like the siltarp the best, as long as they have a bunch of tie-off points around the perimeter and usually along the midpoint and ridgeline.

There are a few Canadian manufacturers that have some pretty good lightweight versions. I do find that I've never complained about having too big of a tarp when in use, so for backpacking or sheep hunting I'd go with the largest that you feel ok with carrying.

Edit: Forgot to mention that one of my favorites has little pockets on each corner and at midpoints with about 10' of string already sowed into the tarp and it's pretty strong. I find it convenient to have these pre-built tiedown points.

If you don't mind a bit of crazy, a former AO member who was banned (rightfully so) had some neat tarp setups, but he was nuts (and militant) about his stove ideas.

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=321267

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=86150

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=29857

I visited that dude and sat in his tarp tent. It was well thought out and his stoves burned very well indeed…. Crazy? Like a fox maybe.

[Bearbreath]

Been using the same siltarp 1 for years. Think it’s 5x8. Two guys fit under in the rain or sun shade. It’s always in my pack. The 8x10 model would be nice too.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

I’ve got a good tarp sold by a Canadian company but I can’t remember the name, it “might” be RAB They come in three weights and I got the middle weight, whatever that is. There are tarp forums and a tarp group on fb (of course). After watching the myriad of ways that folks set up tarps I’ve come to the conclusion that square is better than rectangle. That might be good to keep in mind when purchasing.

We set up a tarp for two of us to sleep under on a late season sheep hunt and it snowed over a foot that night I was very happy that I’d used a small dead spruce as a ridge pole rather than a rope and some “y” sticks to hold up that pole. Another trick is using a pebble and a slip knot to tie the tarp edges, that won’t pull out like grommets sometimes do and it’s easy to untie.

CalgaryChef, was that the Lite Outdoors series of tarps by the folks out in Lethbridge? (https://www.liteoutdoors.com/) They are not made in Canada, though. Ownership and design is in Canada. That's the one I have and I like it a lot. Weighs almost nothing, including pegs and line. Only gripe I have is that the supplied seam sealer was old and I made a mess when I applied it.

There is also Aquaquest, which I believe is a Canadian-owned company - they have the different grades of durability available. (https://ca.aquaquestwaterproof.com/pages/explore-models)

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

CalgaryChef, was that the Lite Outdoors series of tarps by the folks out in Lethbridge? (https://www.liteoutdoors.com/) They are not made in Canada, though. Ownership and design is in Canada. That's the one I have and I like it a lot. Weighs almost nothing, including pegs and line. Only gripe I have is that the supplied seam sealer was old and I made a mess when I applied it.

There is also Aquaquest, which I believe is a Canadian-owned company - they have the different grades of durability available. (https://ca.aquaquestwaterproof.com/pages/explore-models)

I’m pretty sure it was aqua quest. I’m happy with the product.