Tarp/Shade questions...

[Scenic WonderRunner]

.....hehe


and it was kinda sagin' that night!:elkgrin:

Just learning....testin'......!:victory:



That's Kewl you found that old pic....Bryan! LOL


.

 

[ddog45]

msr outfitter wing

Im sick of the tarp mess does anyne use an outfitter wing by msr? Im thinking a wing might be a little easier to set up. Where can one find adjustable tent poles?

 

[off-roader]

Im sick of the tarp mess does anyne use an outfitter wing by msr? Im thinking a wing might be a little easier to set up.

I'm not sure how it might be any easier. Just a basic view of it tells me there are 8 lines you'll have to secure versus the 4 of a tarp?

Where can one find adjustable tent poles?

I bought mine from a surplus military store (cheapest available that I found) but you can buy them from most decent sporting good / camping stores.

 

[SAR_Squid79]

I don't want to buy a full blown retractable awning for a variety of reasons (cost, mounting, size, use, etc) especially since I'll be doing both expedition style wheeling & rock crawling and a 'mounted' unit will be a bigger pain in the rear than I want to deal with.

That said, I'm hoping to use a simpler setup with tarp attached to my roof rack on one side and 2 poles on the other side anchored to the ground.

I'm right there with you, brother!!!

...I went back and forth so many times on buying a 'REAL' awning, or not. In the end I decided that it was too expensive for what it is, and it wouldn't fit or look exactly like I wanted with my setup. I did a little looking around, and the rig I came up with was pretty cheap, and works like a charm!! (and looks cool!)

2 x Cabela's Udjustable Height Tent Poles
1 x Kelty Noah's Tarp (available in 9', 12', & 16' sizes)
4 x Tent stakes (that I already had)
40' x 550 cord

I like the Kelty Noah's Tarp because it easily folds up into a very small package (unlike most cheap tarps). You can use it for numerous other applications / configurations. It has many more tie-down points than a traditional tarp, and I'm willing to bet that it will outlast traditional tarps.

 

[paulj]

I have experimented with a number of tarps on my Element.

The Noah 12 is my favorite for use (stand alone) over the picnic table. I use 2 8' poles that came with another tarp, though Kelty also sells a great adjustable pole in this size. The quality of this rig depends on the purchase you get in the ground, since it puts a lot of tension on the pegs, especially if there's wind. I usually use two spaced pegs on at least one corner to add stability.

Once or twice I've rigged the Noah over the car, throwing one corner over the Sidekick roofbox. It's ok, but not the best.

My favorite for hanging off the side of the car is a MSR Vista. This is a 7 pt tarp like the Outfitter, but smaller. I use one 8' pole on the end furthest from the car. At the car end I use a 7' spreader bar to hold two back corners apart, and a short riser to lift the center of that side. Sometimes I use the cargo box as the riser. The idea is to produce a rain shedding ridgeline.

I use a pair of 6' poles (the ones that came with the Vista) to lift the corners nearest the car, to give more headroom at that end. If I park right, I can rig this tarp over the table, and have workable headroom around most sides.

I also have a Kelty Carport, which works well as a leanto shelter beside the car. It's more work to setup.

MSR dropped the Vista shortly after they bought the lineup from Walrus. But this past year they reintroduced it.

Vista photos on my pbase gallery (go up a directory to find photos of the Noah and Carport)
http://www.pbase.com/paulj3/ewithvista