Shade Tarp Setup Question

[HondoPatrick]

We just purchased a very nice 16' Kelty Noah's Tarp and are planning to use it for shade. In some of the places we camp I should be able to string it up between trees, but in other spots I am sure I will need some tarp poles. I have seen some cheapies at Walmart, but I am looking for something that is light weight and will hold up to multiple year use. Anyone have any experience or recommendations for really good adjustable tarp poles?

[jjdcamper]

Originally Posted by HondoPatrick

We just purchased a very nice 16' Kelty Noah's Tarp and are planning to use it for shade. In some of the places we camp I should be able to string it up between trees, but in other spots I am sure I will need some tarp poles. I have seen some cheapies at Walmart, but I am looking for something that is light weight and will hold up to multiple year use. Anyone have any experience or recommendations for really good adjustable tarp poles?

Beware of the cheap tent poles. They are made of steel and will rust on your first night out. There is a camping store in N.J. named Campmor that sells aluminum adjustable tent poles. I have used them for years and they are still like new. The URL is Campmor.com & the newer ones have a closed top on them to prevent water from getting inside the poles but it gets in anyway through where the two halves go together. When I break camp, I take to two halves apart, drain out the water but do not out them back together until my next trip. That allows the bottom half of the pole to dry out. A quick wipe on the top half is also a good idea. The poles adjust up to 7.5 feet, or maybe a little higher. Check the web site and see if they will suit your purpose. Hope this helps.
Jim

[Oakman]

Back in our tent camping days we used Campmor frequently to buy online. Never had an issue with them. Sometimes their sales are awesome.

[jjdcamper]

Originally Posted by Oakman

Back in our tent camping days we used Campmor frequently to buy online. Never had an issue with them. Sometimes their sales are awesome.

Oakman:

Do you happen to use a tent canopy over your picnic table? My reason for asking is, I would like to stake out all 4 corners using guy ropes but I'm not sure if I'll have enough room between the picnic table and the camper. The two outer ones will be fine. On my old pop up, I attached the canopy/tarp to the camper roof so I only staked out the two outer ones. Do you think driving stakes through the canopy leg holes would be sufficient while staking out the two outer ones using guy lines?
Thanks,
Jim

[Oakman]

No we never used a canopy over a picnic table. The majority of our tent camping was done in rather primitive areas, a picnic table would have been a luxury.

[campnqueen]

OH Campmor ROCKS!

[jjdcamper]

Oakman:

O.K. Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll just have to go by trial and error, as we all have done in the past. That's how we learn what's best for your individual taste.
Thanks,
Jim