andrew7•9d agoMost Upvoted

Switched from a cheap tarp to a Dyneema groundsheet and it totally changed my packing.

Used to just grab whatever tarp was on sale at the hardware store, but after 3 trips in the Pacific Northwest where soggy gear became the norm, I dropped $150 on a proper Dyneema sheet. Now I'm wondering if the weight savings are worth the cost or if I should have just doubled up on the cheap stuff. Anyone else go through this switch and stick with it?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese5509d ago

Ask if you actually noticed a big difference in how dry your gear stayed or if it's more about the pack weight lol. Because Ive seen people go back to cheap tarps after their dyneema got a little hole and they had to patch it. Was the soggy gear from the ground itself or from condensation under the tarp?

eva_lewis9d ago

Wait hold on people actually went back to cheap tarps after using dyneema? That is wild to me lol. Like yeah a pinhole sucks but you can patch that in like 5 minutes with some tape and it's basically good as new. The weight savings alone would make me never want to go back to a heavy silnylon tarp even if I had to patch it every other trip. As for the soggy gear thing, for me it was definitely more ground moisture than condensation. I used a polycro ground sheet under my pad and bag and that made a huge difference. Condensation under the tarp happens no matter what fabric you use in my experience, but the dyneema never soaked through like my old silnylon would on really wet nights. The whole hole argument just feels like an excuse to save money honestly, dyneema holds up way better than people give it credit for.