Seam Sealing MegaTarp?

Craig4791

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So i just got my MegaTarp/Annex and small stove in the mail today! pretty pumped to try it out but going through the paper work that comes with the tarp i see that all of the seams need to be sealed.

I am leaving on Thursday for Arizona to hunt Mulies and Coues and the weather has been on and off rain here, plus i work from 7 to 5 30pm so time is limited to set up and get a good cure without worrying about condensation and rain. Is it a big deal if it is dry for the first few hours then it gets a little wet for the rest of the cure?

Or should i come up with a way to pitch it in the garage using cinder blocks and wood or some other way?

Also looking for a good light weight trekking pole recommendation to substitute the pole kit.

Thanks,

Craig
 

a3dhunter

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Colorado Springs,CO
I would personally pitch it in the garage, I would want it done right the first time.

I like the black diamond poles with flick lock. Usually weigh about 1 lb 4 oz.
 
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Craig4791

Craig4791

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I think that's what I'm going to have to do.

Also is the paint thinner and silicon mix better/easier or the straight silicon?
 

crazy_davey

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I think that's what I'm going to have to do.

Also is the paint thinner and silicon mix better/easier or the straight silicon?

Craig, if you get a chance while out on your hunt, please take pics of it set up with the stove inside. Also a pic with the stove and gear inside would be great. Been thinking of this set up for a while but would like to see some more field use pics and set ups.

Thanks!
 
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Yea the garage would work. if tou dont want to thou outside will work. should take like 30 mins to set but longer to cure. i have done both paint thinner and just silicone. Both ways work good with the silicone being a little easier.
 
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Craig4791

Craig4791

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Craig, if you get a chance while out on your hunt, please take pics of it set up with the stove inside. Also a pic with the stove and gear inside would be great. Been thinking of this set up for a while but would like to see some more field use pics and set ups.

Thanks!

For sure I will get a bunch of pics during the trip.

I think I'm going to stop by lowes on the way home and grab some cinder blocks and 2x4's. ill set the cinder blocks on the 2x4's to hold it down and keep it pitched tight then use some small nails to pitch the tent to the 2x4's.
 
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Craig4791

Craig4791

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Well got it pitched in the garage! And the sealer is curing.

Damn near took up my whole garage lol this thing is a monster!

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That megatarp Annex is a excellent set up. You will like it. I think that is possibly the best space to weight ratio on any tent I have ever used. JMO
 
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Craig4791

Craig4791

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Just got back from my Az hunt where I went floorless with the MegaTarp for the first time.

When I ordered the tarp I went ahead and ordered the peg and pole kit as well which I wish I wouldn't 't have as I ended up replacing the pegs with MSR groundhogs and a set of trekking poles.

I really like the quick setup and take down. Takes just a few minutes after getting the hang of it. I used the annex and a small stove as well which was a cool feature as it gets into the colder temps in the late seasons.

The stove being small does require you to keep feeding it every 15-20 min though to keep the flames going and the heat up. We only packed in 2 miles so we brought in some canned soup to cook on the stove for dinner which worked well. After dinner we would run the stove for about an hour to get it nice and warm inside then we would crash for the night, then I would wake up a half hour early and get the stove going and warmed up inside, make a couple cups of coffee and get our gear together for the day. We traded off waking up early and making coffee.

I did feel that the stove pipe came awful close to the MegaTarp itself and was very careful to position the pipe as far away from it as possible. Not sure if I was doing something wrong but I think it would be nice if that area was high temp material or a slight notch was made into that area to accommodate the stove pipe.

I also had a hard time with keeping the annex real tight to the tarp on the sides where the tie strings are, Seemed like I always had more of a gap there than I would like and allowed the heat to escape faster. Not even sure what the middle tie string is for??

Neither of us had a bivy sack so we just placed our sleeping pads right on the ground and threw our bags on top. All this really meant for me was that the critters that got in had access to our bags which did prove to be a problem on this trip as we found a Scorpion on Jeremy's sleeping pad on the third night!! I found a few bees and some crickets in the tarp too but those don't bother me. Over all not a big deal just need to get a bug net bivy to keep the critters out of my bag.

Space was nice, it felt good to be able to get all of our gear inside and protected from the elements. With the annex, stove some wood and all of our gear it does get tight with two guys but its definitely doable. I didn't bring enough pegs to use all of the side tie downs so some room was lost there but overall being my first time using it I liked it.

Here are a few pics ill get more on the next trip.

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Craig4791

Craig4791

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Scorpions definitely not cool.
Just so you know, you can chain those pullouts together and use one stake for all three pullouts.

Thanks backpack hunter. I actually did that on the second day but ended up just doing it to the back two pull outs cause when I did the front one it pulled the tarp away from the Annex more.

I still need to play around with pitching it some more to figure out the tricks.
 
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