Cheap tarp

[Kord]

blew most of my budget on the hammock.
What do you guys use the tarps for is it just for if there's a chance of rain?
Or to stop the wind?
How often do you use a tarp vs just a tarp less hammock?
Has anyone used / still use the cheep plastic tarps?
Tool station have a 3m x 3.6m for £5.10
Is it worth getting this or should I be saving up for a dd tarp or any others?
Cheers Kord

[Morticiaskeeper]

If you're near a Decathlon sports store, they do a good 3m2 tarp with poles and guy lines for £20.

Mines lasted 8 years with a bit of patching.

[Kord]

Looks good, think it might just be a little on the small side though?

[mountainm]

They're noisy in the wind and heavy but do the job.

[hammock_man]

ditto to the above but it will keep you dry when you need it. MUST be better than no or a too small tarp. Plus give time to save for a better one

[PaulDeFitter]

Go for the el-cheapo plastic tarp,you can muck about with it,find what works best for you, make mistakes & rip it to bits, then save up for a better tarp once you know the ropes.
I've only slept without a tarp once,on a perfect summer night, every other morning you get dew & you want that on the tarp & not on you.

[Tigger004]

I made myself a hex tarp from a thick decorators sheet and gorilla tape, it great due to being clear ( when it rains it does block the view a little but you can still see the tree tops and sky)

I got the idea from youtube

[Kord]

Love that Tigger. I did look at the clear tarps from same site but they are more expensive. Decorators sheet on the other hand... And I all ready own duct tape.

Something like this?
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p49615

[ian c]

If you have a limited budget get yourself the decorators plastic sheet or get to a boot fare and pick up a ex army poncho/ tarp, the old DPM or desert ones are going quite cheap as most people now want the new MTP version.

[pootle]

Agains, I would start cheap and upgrade when you know what you want from the tarp.
Cheap plastic tarps will keep the rain and wind off, But are big, noisy and heavy to lug about.
If you use it enough for that to bother you, then its worth upgrading.
The army bashas are great for the money, but small. I used one for a couple of years then got a dd 3X3.
If you know for sure you're gonna like hammock camping and you're budget allows, then it may be worth skipping the cheap tarps and getting something like the dd.

[Ehecatl]

I started out with the DD 3 X 3 and have now upgraded to the 4.5 X 3 which I love. If it is cold or windy I fold the ends in and it makes very cosy. I appreciate that a 4.5 X 3 DD is not for everyone but for me it was well worth saving up my pennies for.

[Kord]

thanks everyone.
Options are looking like £5 for the decorators plastic, like the idea of being able to see out. Or just getting the dd xl tarp.
A few people seem to think ill be upgrading from the cheepo one so will be saving £5 in the long run.
Is it just the noise and the weight that's wrong with the plastic ones?
Kord

[ian c]

As Ehecatl has said he started out with the DD 3 x 3 then upgraded to the 4.5 x 3, I started off with a 37 pattern cape the upgraded to the 58 pattern poncho and then was issued with the new DPM tarp/ hammock and the first actual tarps that I bought were the DD 3 x 3 and the 4.5 x 3 and I have had no problems with either of them.

[pootle]

thanks everyone.
Options are looking like £5 for the decorators plastic, like the idea of being able to see out. Or just getting the dd xl tarp.
A few people seem to think ill be upgrading from the cheepo one so will be saving £5 in the long run.
Is it just the noise and the weight that's wrong with the plastic ones?
Kord

another issue is atachment points;
a plastic tarp or similar will just have grommets which, sooner or later, will break and the tarp will tear. However you will probably get a fair bit of use out of it before this happens. also you have to run a ridge line under the apex of the tarp as you won't have loops along the centre line. when it rains hard you might find water running along the line, under the taro and dripping on you.

[Markeff]

Op the subject of attachment points...
You can easily improvise one in most sheets using a pebble, a short length of cordage and a jug sling hitch (see youtube) that will form a tie out loop wherever you place it. It's not perfect but it will serve.