Algonquin Adventures / Tarp & Rope

**Posted by RCShevalier** 7/05/2017 5:16 am

My wife and I are going camping this weekend and seeing as it is supposed to rain all day on Friday I thought it would be prudent to finally invest in a tarp. My plan is to swing by MEC tonight and pick up the MEC Scout Tarp (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5027-713/Scout-Tarp). I was wondering, though, how much rope should I be considering buying to hang this tarp?

Any tarp advice is appreciated. I'm a complete newbie on this and have always just sought shelter in the tent on past trips.

**Posted by PaPaddler** 7/05/2017 7:05 am

Personally, I would go with 100 feet of thin rope (1/8" diameter) that you can cut to length based on your needs. You may need 15' in one direction, 40' in another and 20' and 25' in the other two. Typically, I place the tent with tarp concerns as part of the decision so I get close to a couple trees/branches to make it easier.

Make sure to give your tarp a slight slope or tilt so that it drains the water on the downhill side of your tent...you don't want a waterfall landing on the uphill side of your tent and swamping you!

**Posted by nvm** 7/05/2017 8:10 am

And learn this:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taut-line_hitch

My mistake after buying a tarp last year was not knowing a proper knot to use with it!

**Posted by RobW** 7/05/2017 8:27 am

That's a pretty small tarp. I would suggest swinging by Canadian Tire and picking up at least a 10'X12' tarp for a quarter of that price. Heck, even MEC is selling a bigger poly tarp for 1/8th of that price: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5028-862/Polytarp-9%27-x-12%27

If you did want to spend the $ for a coated polyester tarp, then the Guide tarp is at the low end of what I would consider a useful size: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5027-714/Guides-Tarp

I value good equipment but the price differential on the polyester and sil-nylon tarps has always been too big for me to seriously consider one.

As for rope, I'll agree with PA that 100' is a good starting point but then I'd stick with 1/4" polypropylene, or even 1/2" for a ridge line.

**Posted by tentsterforever** 7/05/2017 10:10 am

Im not fond of tarps, but have used one on occasion. I bought a 10x12 siltarp ( which after using it i found the minimum useful size) and used about a 100 feet of tent guideline i had laying around (needed for a totally different reason then camping) Its extremely strong, very thin and weighs little. It also does not snarl. One of the lines glows in the dark, which extremely handy so you dont break your neck in the middle of the night if staked to the ground or if up in the air a slight warning before getting a nasty scratch on the neck.. (i now wished the other lines were the same)
I mostly used it to have a dry place to cook, sit and eat, but actually prefer my vestibule on my tent. A tarp is also no help if you've got not much choice on the site as where to hang it, if at all. As well, that may cause you to have to travel further then intended to find a suitable place to camp at times.

**Posted by tentsterforever** 7/05/2017 10:10 am

oops, hit submit button twice

Last edited by tentsterforever (7/05/2017 10:12 am)

**Posted by Shawn G** 7/05/2017 11:25 am

I never go with out a tarp and about 100 ft of cordage I think it's in the must column of your equipment I always tarp over my tent but never lay it flat on my tent remember a small slope on the tarp for rain and it keeps the UV off your tent and prolongs the life of your tent I'm going into my 16th year with my tent no leeks or punctures I camped over 60 days last year alone with it and I can tell you It's not a MEC or Eurika or any of the other over priced tents you see on the market it's just a Coleman 7x7 with a full fly and a small vestibule
Shawn G

**Posted by yellowcanoe** 7/05/2017 12:06 pm

RobW wrote:
That's a pretty small tarp. I would suggest swinging by Canadian Tire and picking up at least a 10'X12' tarp for a quarter of that price. Heck, even MEC is selling a bigger poly tarp for 1/8th of that price: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5028-862/Polytarp-9%27-x-12%27

If you did want to spend the $ for a coated polyester tarp, then the Guide tarp is at the low end of what I would consider a useful size: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5027-714/Guides-Tarp

I value good equipment but the price differential on the polyester and sil-nylon tarps has always been too big for me to seriously consider one.

15 years ago I bought a larger sized Scout tarp that now appears to be sold as the Guide tarp. It gets a lot of use and is still going strong. Saving money by buying a less durable tarp doesn't seem worthwhile to me, especially if it were to fail in the middle of a trip. The cheap tarps also lack a reinforced loop in the middle of the tarp (essential for suspending the tarp), along with a loop on the inside of the tarp (to hang your lantern from).

RobW wrote:
As for rope, I'll agree with PA that 100' is a good starting point but then I'd stick with 1/4" polypropylene, or even 1/2" for a ridge line.

I use the thinnest high quality utility cord available at MEC. It's not cheap but it is strong, lightweight and less than 1/8" in diameter. I have about 5m tied permanently to each corner and the center of the tarp. It all fits into the bag that came with the tarp along with a couple of extra pieces of cord if I need an extension for one of the corners.

I try to avoid having to use a ridge line if possible. Generally, I have a cheap 1/4" polypro rope that I can use as a ridge line. The ridge line is only used to support the center of the tarp -- if you drape the tarp over the ridge line, water flows down the rope and drips on top of anyone standing underneath the ridge line.

Last edited by yellowcanoe (7/05/2017 12:08 pm)

**Posted by My Self Reliance** 7/05/2017 12:54 pm

100 feet of 550 paracord and a 10'x10' silnylon tent will do everything you ever need it to, including replace your tent if you're so inclined.
As far as using a poly tarp for backcountry camping is concerned, I find it about as practical as a plastic cooler and a lawn chair.
http://myselfreliance.com/choosing-tarp-light-weight-solo-camping/

**Posted by JB** 7/05/2017 2:41 pm

Nothing has increased my groups pleasure more than the purchase of my 3 man Siltarp 5 years ago.
It packs small, easy to maintain, lightweight and certainly beats hanging out in the tent during a long period of rain.
Go with 100 feet of rope. Cut it at 20 foot lengths, I have two extra at 30 feet just in case the site is sparse of trees.
Learn and know the Siberian hitch and the rolling hitch (taught line hitch)
If you youtube Maddy the Goose, Troy's put on some excellent instructional videos.

It may take a bit of getting used to when setting up your tarp and the knots, but once you get a hang of it, you'll be laughing (under the tarp) while it's pouring rain.
Have a great time!
JB

**Posted by RobW** 7/05/2017 3:20 pm

yellowcanoe wrote:
The cheap tarps also lack a reinforced loop in the middle of the tarp (essential for suspending the tarp), along with a loop on the inside of the tarp (to hang your lantern from).

Not a problem when you use a ridgeline with the tarp over the ridgeline.

yellowcanoe wrote:
I try to avoid having to use a ridge line if possible. Generally, I have a cheap 1/4" polypro rope that I can use as a ridge line. The ridge line is only used to support the center of the tarp -- if you drape the tarp over the ridge line, water flows down the rope and drips on top of anyone standing underneath the ridge line.

Can't say I've had problems with water flowing down the ridgeline.

The big issue to me with that Scout tarp is that it's miniscule. If was backpacking in the mountains, then maybe I would consider it, but probably just stick with the tent.

**Posted by RobW** 7/05/2017 3:23 pm

My Self Reliance wrote:
As far as using a poly tarp for backcountry camping is concerned, I find it about as practical as a plastic cooler and a lawn chair.

Well ... the chairs are more likely to stay home than the tarp. ;-)

The tarp packs pretty small - even the 16X20 one. Never been a problem to carry and greatly appreciated when it's used.

**Posted by RCShevalier** 7/05/2017 4:27 pm

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I ended up purchasing the slightly larger Guides Tarp (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5027-714/Guides-Tarp). I suppose I should probably start practicing some knots now!

**Posted by Algonquintripper** 7/05/2017 10:36 pm

RCShevalier wrote:
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I ended up purchasing the slightly larger Guides Tarp (https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5027-714/Guides-Tarp). I suppose I should probably start practicing some knots now!

Good choice! I have the Scout and if I was only using it for canoeing, I would have gone for the Guide for the larger size. Opted for the Scout because I also use it backpacking.

**Posted by dontgroandaddy** 7/05/2017 11:37 pm

I bought a tarp last year that came with a decent amount of cord already tied onto the points, but I modified it, and that's why I'm posting. I read about somebody whose tarp had ripped out at the grommets, and their solution with the next tarp was to tie elastic line to the grommets, and then tie the paracord to the elastic. That allowed the elastic to absorb some of the energy when a strong gust came along. The trick really is to secure the tarp so the elastic is a little bit stretched, but still has a little more to give. I used elastic shoelaces I had around the house. Haven't used the tarp in a strong wind yet, but it survived an unpleasant wind with no problem.

**Posted by NorseScotsman** 7/06/2017 5:36 am

Hoop (aka Wintertrekker) has a great post on tarps here:

http://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=36603&hilit=tarpology

**Posted by Blobsquatch** 7/06/2017 5:55 am

Here's a vote for 550 paracord to put up a tarp with. Why paracord? Good quality paracord is very strong and can be reused many times. I like 550 as it's a large enough diameter to allow for even tight knots to be undone fairly easily as compared to the thinner stuff.

One more tip: unless you plan to deploy in the Zombie apocalypse, forget the cammo coloured stuff. Get your paracord in high visibility yellow or orange so people don't accidentally walk into it. It's also easier to find when left lying on the ground.

PS I really like my MEC Guides Tarp!

Tracy

Last edited by Blobsquatch (7/06/2017 6:00 am)