What is everyone using for their tarp (specifically what material)? I'm looking at a new winter tarp for my hammock and looking at a Silpoly 1.1 for material. I'm a bit nervous about durability as this is considerably lighter weight than my current tarp.

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I love our silnylon from MEC.
I burn under ours on a regular basis and have one maybe two very small holes which were patched up with silnylon seamseal.
Don't know the weight or gauge though, sorry.

Ive been using a silnylon tarp in 1.4 oz. weight for quite a few years and theres no wear and tear yet. Very satisfied with the durabilty and low weight.

sil-nylon 100%. Used mine a ton in high winds etc. etc. Great tarp.

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The difference between the two is polysil is non-breathable where silnylon is breathable. I've sewn tarps, drybags etc etc and both work fine. I do find that my silnylon tarp(s) pack easier into their stuff sacks.
If your looking to sew your own tarp pm me and I can maybe help out a bit with material that i've experimented with over the years. But if your just buying one already done then either material is perfectly fine.

I never use tarps on trips, as I prefer tents with a vestibule in which you can sit comfortably.
But for situations where weight doesn't matter, I prefer strong cotton tarps because they are more comfortable to protect you from the sun in warm conditions.
As for the synthetic materials, this still is a very good read:
http://cookecustomsewing.com/tundratarpinformation.htm

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I have a Cooke Custom Sewing Tundra Tarp in 1.1 oz sil-nylon. I have used it for over five years and I have never had an issue with the material. The tarp has been through some heavy storms and has held up fine.

That is a bunch of votes for sil-nylon tarps. Add mine to the tally.

Sil-nylon has twice the tear strength as similar weight urethane coated nylon. It packs smaller, lighter and slippery slick easier to stuff. We have one tarp that is sil-poly and it is much the same.

We have similar sized urethane coated nylon and sil-nlyon tarps; the sli-nylon is half the size when packed and probably half the weight.

My only hesitation with sil-nylon would be as a (close to the) campfire tarp. If the sparks are flying I would prefer old school canvas or waxed cotton, or a cheap blue poly job. Especially if someone else is carrying it.

Sparks are probably not an issue with a hammock tarp. I am not a hammock hanger (wish I could be), but there is some discussion of hammock tarps here.

http://www.canoetripping.net/forums/for ... ey-hammock

Discussion of sil-nlyon vs sil-poly attributes on the Hammock Forums.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/sho ... n-for-tarp

I made my hammock tarp out of the Winter ultralight precut 12' kit from RSBTR.com It's been basically flawless for 2 years now and has no damage despite being through some very serious storms. I'm pretty sure if it ever fails it will be my sewing before the material.

Lots of votes for silnylon but maybe some folk may have never used or even seen silpoly? The RSBTR fabric
is like silnylon but the base fabric is different, same thread diameter used in the weave (20d) but one is polyester and the other nylon. It has a bit lower tear strength but unless you are above the tree line (this is a hammock tarp) it is not close to being an issue. The largest tarps I have made in 1.1 silpoly are 5m by 5m and those folk are very happy with the results.

The lag of sag is a real game changer. I love our Hilleberg tent in silnylon but it always looks a bit disheveled come morning as the fabric slackens overnight.

The link Mike gave to a discussion on the two fabrics is a bit out of date, Silpoly now has a HH over 2000mm.

If you are looking for tarp fabric in Canada Gerrit at hogshop.ca has a few different colours along with the various fixtures for making a tarp.

BTW I don't think silnylon is breathable. Some silicone coated fabrics like EPIC by Nextec do breathe but they are also not fully waterproof.

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I don't want to send this thread sideways but I'm just wondering if there are different requirements for winter tarping vs summer tarping? I understand some issues apply to tent fabric for different seasons, such as hot tenting vs cold etc, but in reasonably open air situations does it make any difference which material is used aside from weight and packing volume? Just wondering.
I've seen the unbreathable and cheap and heavy and difficult to pack ripstop stuff used year round.
Is the breathable and expensive and light and compactable sil-whatever worth the expense? (It is to me.)
Never having winter camped nor tried a hammock in any season my questions may be dumb.

No material change in the kit I used. Both the Ultralight Summer and Winter tarp kits from RSBTR are I believe 1.1oz Sil-poly. All that's added is door flaps in the winter kit.

Personally I prefer the doors even in the summer, it's nothing to tie them out of the way in good weather and when you have a good storm I'm not sorry to have them.

I've never had this tarp out in a snow storm however, so I couldn't comment on how it handles or sheds snow. It is very slippery stuff, I usually had to keep a weight on it or it would just slide right off the table on it's own accord.

Sorry for the delay in my reply here guys...Thanks for all the input! I went back and forth between materials for this tarp. In order of priority these were the things I was looking for:

1. As much coverage as possible
2. As durable as possible

I narrowed it down to a few materials and none had ALL of the things I wanted...

After several emails back and forth with Simply Light Designs I ended up going with a Hex70 XL (2.2 oz. 70D ripstop nylon PU3000). I chose that material because it was the most durable offered in a wide material. Ideally PU3000 would not have been my first choice but after lots of discussion I'm pretty sure this tarp will serve me well. It's heavy but for my style of tripping (canoeing, car camping or with a pulk) I'm not too concerned about weight or bulk.

Should be a nice tarp. I ordered 3 internal poles for it as well so should help increase snow load and makes it nice for porch mode in the hammock...I'll be using the tarp all year round and will pitch it higher up and open up the doors in the warmer months and close it up in the winter. I can also use it with or without the hammock so I'm thinking it will be my go-to tarp (as it should for the price...yeesh that US dollar really hurts!!!)

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My Website: http://www.elmsphotography.ca
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