Your best multi-purpose tarp material??

[ArrowForester]

What is the best multi-purpose tarp material for backpack hunting? Desired qualities are waterproof, puncture resistant, light weight and preferably not just a disposable item. A piece of fabric that will serve several purposes: ground sheet while sleeping, rain shelter in a thunderstorm, clean place to lay meat/quarters, shade, etc…
Grommets, tie-outs, price can be haggled over and adjusted but which fabric seems to be the best performer in your opinion? SilPoly, SilNylon, DCF, Tyvek, Kifaru proprietary, painter’s plastic, other?
Thanks for your opinions and insights

 

[Desk Jockey]

My $0.02 is if you want it to be light weight you can’t beat Cuben / DCF. If you want it to last and function as a ground tarp you need look at a higher “D” nylon.

My favorite piece for what you describe is the Seek Outside Ground Tarp. 40d. Has some texture. $45.

 

[ArrowForester]

Thanks for the reply and the suggestion. I agree that DCF is the way to go for weight and waterproof. Higher D nylon seems better than poly for tear strength and both seem to pack smaller than Tyvek in my experience.
Maybe the question comes down to pucture resistance as a groundsheet?

 

[ArrowForester]

Anybody have any experience or opinions on which would be more puncture resistant?

A 1.0 oz DCF or Kifaru Sheep Tarp or SO Ground Sheet (HyperD PU 4000 40D?

 

[*zap*]

A tent footprint does OK, heavier material and usually corner tie outs. Fairly inexpensive. REI half dome 3+ footprint is 92"x80" good basic rectangle. E-Z to add some grommets.

 

[Lawnboi]

That’s a lot of money to dump on something your going to put meat on. I am doing the same this year though I specifically bringing the tarp for meat in place of a contractor bag cut up that I have used in the past.

I just put in an order for a Borah 5x9 tarp. It’s like 50 bucks. 30d silnylon with tie outs.

 

[Jotis]

That’s a lot of money to dump on something your going to put meat on. I am doing the same this year though I specifically bringing the tarp for meat in place of a contractor bag cut up that I have used in the past.

I just put in an order for a Borah 5x9 tarp. It’s like 50 bucks. 30d silnylon with tie outs.

Would the borah make a good ground cloth for under the sleeping bag?

 

[realunlucky]

Tyvek is pretty much what your describing except you can throw it out if you want.

 

[Beendare]

Anybody have any experience or opinions on which would be more puncture resistant?

A 1.0 oz DCF or Kifaru Sheep Tarp or SO Ground Sheet (HyperD PU 4000 40D?

The DCF and Tyvek will be more puncture resistant. .....tougher stuff than Silnylon....BUT;

The advantage to DCF and Tyvek is you can make one yourself very easily as these are NO SEWING fabrics. You get the tape designed for each and just tape them together. Now FYI, the Tyvek tape isn't going to hold up very long term as its not really designed for this application, little UV resistance....but you will get a few years out of it- and its cheap. All of these will hold scent from dried blood[ DCK with a mylar finish not as much]....you really have to clean the heck out of them with Hydrogen peroxide.

Personally I use a 1.1oz Sil Nylon tarp for what you described. Its light and compact- and 100% waterproof. Fresh meat sticks to it- a bit of a pain if not tied off. Easy to sew one up yourself to your own specs. If you want tough, the 1.6oz sil/40D stuff is the ticket...pretty puncture proof too.

..

 

[ArrowForester]

Just getting back to check in.
Thank you for the input everyone. Some good ideas and observations.

 

[Sandman]

For meat purposes, I don't use my ground sheet, but I do carry a 6x9 roll of the thinnest mil plastic paint drop cloth. It usually comes in 9x12, so I just
unroll it lengthwise, cut it in half and roll it back up tight. I keep it in my kill kit. After using it for meat handling, I rinse it in a creek and roll it up. I use a length of 1" duct tape with the center folded on itself sticky side to sticky side and the ends taped to either side of the edge of the tarp to make quick and durable tieouts. The tarps can then be used to cover a meat pole or cache to protect your bags from moisture. Just don't crank on the guylines so hard that you rip the plastic. This thing has held up to some pretty big wind in Alaska. It also can be used for an emergency shelter or ground cloth.

I have a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Dyneema flat tarp that I keep in my pack for hunkering down under when fog and rain roll in, and as an impromptu shelter for unplanned nights on the mountain. It is superlight and durable. You can call Hyperlite and check their seconds bin and get 40% off on their gear. My tarp had a 1.5 inch slit that was repaired -- a pretty good deal for a purely cosmetic flaw.