Canvas or Poly Tarp Shelter?

Pretty much the titles. I'm deciding between a water-proof canvas tarp and poly tarp for creating tarp shelters this spring. Any advice?

 

Living in the country, I use a lot of tarps. I must have a least a dozen around here, some in use, some not. All mine are poly tarps. They are lighter in weight than canvas, normally cheaper and do a decent job; however, they do wear out. I recently threw a large one away after numerous seasons as was too damn thin to be effective. Yeah, it was a heavy-duty one but the sun and the harsh winters here in North Idaho took their toll. Some of the cons of poly are the sun, that UV eats them up sooner or later, the grommets definitely aren't as strong and don't hold up as well as the canvas ones, and any small sparks off a fire will immediately cause a hole. You would be surprised how far a damn spark from a simple fire will carry creating a pinhole in your tarp. LOL!

Anyway, there are trade-offs with each... I think choosing will depend on if you are carrying them on your back or in your truck. Canvas is stronger but heavier, but nothing will piss you off more than having a storm tear out a grommet of your poly tarp in the middle of the night out in the boonies. However, as a ground cloth, poly is excellent, I always carry a small one in the truck. Personally, I think Poly is probably the way to go, mainly due to cost, but it does have its limitations and if you are deep in the woods, you should be aware of them and build your shelter accordingly.

 

If you are up in the shady piney woods of the north .. you will like the poly tarp better. The canvas tarps are quite a bit heavier than poly also, once they do get wet (and they will) they can get mildew. You will need to treat them often to prevent mildew and that smell.
In the south with more sun and less shade .. the sun will degrade your poly over the years.

Weight and cost are going to be your deciding factors.
Poly cheap and light. Canvas more expensive and substantially heavier.
Canvas also needs more care. You can fold up wet poly without much issue. Do that to canvas and it'll be useless within a year.

 

Much depends on what kind of shelter / purpose one is wanting to use the tarpaulin for...semi permanent camp-site or backpacking for overnight or temporary shelter...travelling by motor vehicle / mountain bike / moped / canoe - small craft.

Weight , durability, size, colour (grey man or camo) etc etc.

For hiking and overnight camping I use an Aussie military style hoochie / half shelter,



over a bivvy-bag and sleeping mat.

For longer, static camping with wheeled transport availability, a larger heavy duty reinforced poly tarp



For longer term interim shelter in a bugout location, whilst permanent structures are being built...canvas tarps would be the go in my estimation.

 

We get a year from a poly tarp here in the south. The UV, heat, and humidity eat them away pretty quick. Canvas lasts longer but will get moldy easy here.

 

Poly-Tarps are good except for the noise factor. In wind and rain that are very annoying. Long-term canvas will generally last longer but may need a little care. The annex on the side of my TLC is canvas. My other shelters are nylon of the type Chell pictures.

 

I much prefer boat shrink wrap.
It comes in about any size one can dream of.
several colors including white and clear,
Welds to it's self permanently,
Out lasts almost any other soft tarp material in full sunlight and rough winds.
The material is so water proof it can be sed to reskin the bottom of a boat, in fact ventilation needs to be allowed in application.
It is made to shrink but in many tarp applications it is not necessary. It will stiffen when it has been shrunk which thickens the material.
When we would shrink wrap a boat we used a weed burner for a broader flame.
I used this some material for covering my stuff at home and my truck during the winter at night and at work (at a ski area) Snow does not stick to it, making it a great emergency sled, or a dry place to lay on while installing tire chains. Covering the cab provided several things. 1 security. kept prying eyes out of my business. 2. kept the windshield from frosting up, I could simply remove it and drive away while everyone else is scrapping off their wind shields.
Other tarp materials do not provide these abilities.

 

This is an excellent idea, Arleigh! I have no knowledge of this material since I have never used it. How strong is it and will it take some abuse? I assume it is stronger than the normal 6mm heavy plastic from Home Depot? Do you purchase it in tarp lengths or rolls? Lastly, where do you purchase it, only marine/boat supply stores?

 

Company name is "DR Shrink."
Easiest to order it on line.
Ideally if you can find a boat shop that does this winterizing shrink wrapping, they may offer samples for you to play with.
It is not like a woven fabric that can be torn, nor does it stretch like plastic till heated.
The more you play with it, the more you discover it's value.

 

Is that a canvas hoochie?

 

The Australian MILSPEC hootchies in my time were made of nylon jungle green material.

The image at top would seem to be Polyester, though civilian knock offs are often made with Polyester Taffeta.

The middle image is Polyethylene, available from Bunnings Australia hardware stores.

The lowest image is of canvas...sturdy, but heavy.

 

Mahalo. I have the auscam hoochie. Quite handy. It was usually in my pack and saved the day family camping when our old tent sprang a leak in heavy rain. We finished out our camping trip with a dry (on the inside) tent.