Tarp - Kelty vs. Snow Peak

[Yulli]

Just curious if anyone has any experience with the Kelty tarps. Same idea as the Snow Peak, just different brand, probably made different too? I dunno. Haven't done a whole lot of research on the materials and what not.

Anyways, I have some gift cards to my local Cabelas and they carry the Kelty tarps. Figured why not get a free tarp out of it, just wondering if anyone has any experience with them. I just don't think they carry any of the tarp poles, so I'd have to buy some from REI or Amazon.

Thanks for any suggestions or replies in advance.

 

[bluejeep]

I have 2 of the Cabelas Outfitter tarp, very nice setup
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...cts&Ntt=tarp&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

 

[Yulli]

Looking into it a little more, looks like the Kelty isn't as water resistant as the Snow Peak, or even the Cabelas Outfitter tarp you mentioned.

Snow Peak is rated at 1800mm and the Kelty is only at 450mm. I don't know much about the ratings on waterproof stuff like that. I am in WA, so I'm sure it'd get some rain use, but I don't usually plan my camping trips around crappy weather.

 

[Dr_Ble]

I have the Snow Peak Large Hexa Tarp and like everything else that Snow Peak makes, is VERY nice. When you open the box and look at the packaging and how everything is neatly folded and arranged, it justifies the 400+ bucks you spent for it. Considering how many people it can entertain (I sat my whole family for my brothers college graduation of 9 people comfortably) it folds down and packs into a small carry bag that is included. The Material that makes up the tarp is indeed water proof and is reinforced all around and won't be ripping any time soon. Brought it canoe camping and it kept us all dry. The Poles are aluminum and come together very nice- no shoddy fit here. Then there is the tried tested and true Snow Peak pegs that are provided: 8 total; 4 large stakes for the main poles (2 each) and 4 smaller pegs for the side tie downs. The copper head peg hammer is wonderful to use and makes setting the tarp a joy. Its nice to have a dedicated hammer for the task - if you feel this is too luxurious to own, you can always sell the hammer and recoup ~ 50 bucks off the total bill, making the whole setup ~ 400 bucks. I cannot recommend this product enough. It is wonderful for camping, backyard cooking and going to the beach - although you'll have to make some sand anchors instead of the pegs.

Hope this bit helps.

 

[Honu]

funny you bring this up

I have a Kelty Noah tarp and looking at the SP
was chatting with a buddy yesterday about tarps as he has had both and loves the SP because it is darker and seems to be better made etc..
also my Kelty seems hotter under it than in the open sun !

again I was used to a heavy %100 sunblock canvas that was always much cooler under it than the kelty I have now !

for sure I am going to get something else for warm weather !!! will keep the kelty since its cheap to own and will stop rain it seems
I think for the money the kelty is a nice tarp for the money but I want more shade feel so might depend on your goal ?

light weight keep the moisture off you live in a spot where its cool so cooling shade power is not critical I might say its a fine tarp

if you are looking for cooling down a area I think it fails in this task big time !

 

[Honu]

I have the Snow Peak Large Hexa Tarp and like everything else that Snow Peak makes, is VERY nice. When you open the box and look at the packaging and how everything is neatly folded and arranged, it justifies the 400+ bucks you spent for it. Considering how many people it can entertain (I sat my whole family for my brothers college graduation of 9 people comfortably) it folds down and packs into a small carry bag that is included. The Material that makes up the tarp is indeed water proof and is reinforced all around and won't be ripping any time soon. Brought it canoe camping and it kept us all dry. The Poles are aluminum and come together very nice- no shoddy fit here. Then there is the tried tested and true Snow Peak pegs that are provided: 8 total; 4 large stakes for the main poles (2 each) and 4 smaller pegs for the side tie downs. The copper head peg hammer is wonderful to use and makes setting the tarp a joy. Its nice to have a dedicated hammer for the task - if you feel this is too luxurious to own, you can always sell the hammer and recoup ~ 50 bucks off the total bill, making the whole setup ~ 400 bucks. I cannot recommend this product enough. It is wonderful for camping, backyard cooking and going to the beach - although you'll have to make some sand anchors instead of the pegs.

Hope this bit helps.

curious if you think it actually provides enough shade darkness to seem cooler under it ? my kelty does not its actually hotter ! my old trailer setup was always like 10 degrees cooler

any comparison to others ?

 

[Yulli]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I just have a couple gift cards laying around and thought I'd get something similar to the SP since I wouldn't have to pay anything out of pocket cuz of the cards. I'm not in a hurry to get anything. I have a canopy that I use for tailgating for football games and have packed for camping, but it's so big and bulky. I'm not too much in a hurry though to get anything if I decide to not use my gift cards. I just thought I'd find something to spend them on. Maybe I'll just save some money here and there and pick up a SP later on.

I'm not looking for something real big, I may just pick up their lil tarp they have, the Ponta. I'm going to the Overland Rally here in WA and they should be there as a vendor, so I'll just take a closer look at their set up and chat with the guys to learn more about them.

 

[GrizAdams]

I've been lurking for a couple days, as I found this site while trying to research camp stoves. Great information provided here.

Anyway, I thought I'd throw in a couple other options that are similar to the Snow Peak Hexa (mentioned above): MSR Zing and NRS River Wing. From what I've read across other forums, blogs, and customer reviews from outfitter sites, both hold up very well in strong winds and serve as good shelter from rain/sun. The MSR appears to pack a little lighter. Both are at the top of my list; though I haven't actually seen either in-person.

 

[Honu]

yeah also heard great things about the MSR and own some of their other stuff !!

for washington the Kelty might be a fine tarp
I went to school and my parents main house is out in the Kitsap Peninsula so did a ton of Olympic MTN camping ! thinking to what I came across weather wise the kelty would be good for that kinda weather I think here in AZ it lets to much heat through !!!
the other upside of the kelty is it lets a lot of light through almost like a Giant soft box !!! so for Wash darker fall and spring days it would be nice

again I do think you should look at them in person for a $79 or whatever the large one is ! the kelty poles are nice and light but the cabelas adjustable steel are also cheaper so your total kit could be reasonable in price
here is our Kelty at night
I know I will keep the Kelty and use it still not just out in the heat haahahahha
we have had it in some sustained winds in the 20-30 MPH range with gusts over 40 and seemed to hold up fine it was bouncing though

 

[Yulli]

Cool, thanks for the tips.

How many grommits or whatever is on the Kelty? Can you use more than 2 poles with it?

 

[Honu]

the two grommet holes the end ones are nice and heavy extra fabric etc..
and it has 4 tie points with webbing loops off each side if you look at the pic larger you can see a small extra dark triangle color where the lights attach you can also kinda see the webbing if you want to tie off from that ! those small dark triangles are a extra piece of fabric with a grommet for a pole if you look at pics on like REI these are really visible
also 3 more through the top if you want to string it between two trees and not use poles and keep a nice tight peak roof !!


its kinda cut to be in a certain shape but I have used 3 and 4 poles with mine to keep more walk in from the side room open ! I think that makes sense otherwise the sides come down to much still worked fine and when it was windy I had extra line
in that pic above on the left lights you can see one of the lines going out to the left that I had as a extra line

the inside is for sure coated waterproof and cant see it leaking at all with rain !

again I do think for the money cant go wrong with them !!!

 

[wyomingben]

Lots of sizes and types here. I was wonding if anyone know's the quality of these tarps.

http://www.mytarp.com/

 

[refried]

I have an NRS wing and a mid size MSR wing and both are very well made and will last a long time although some of my friends prefer the cut of the MSRI( think mainly because they worked there).. I added two adjustable Kelty poles and replaced the lines with cam straps (they make it easier to set up the wing alone and keep it tight).

 

[Jet111111]

Just figured I'd let you know that if you have gift cards at Cabela's you can always special order anything from Snow Peak there. Cabela's is an authorized Snow Peak dealer so if you just talk to the right person it's pretty easy for them to put a special order in. It should only take 3-4 days to get the product. I am totally biased but looking at the above picture once you see an SP tarp you'll see that the build quality is unmatched. It's also nice to know when you buy the SP tarps you're getting everything you need including the stakes, hammer & poles. But I understand the SP tarps are a bit pricier and not within a lot of people's budget so you just have to see what's in your budget and what you want.

 

[refried]

I'm going to have to disagree with you about the build quality of the NRS wing, It may not have the fancy Snowpeak name but they are very well made.
Here's a corner of an NRS wing, is a Snowpeak wing this well reinforced?

that's a 12" corner