Tweet
I'm a big fan of free standing tarps. They are easy to pack and carry and can be used in many ways at a campsite. The main use for me is sun/rain/dew/drizzle protection over the picnic table and cooking area. I set it up first which gives me a dry workspace on the picnic table to unpack the tent, cook stuff, etc. And, I take it down last for the same reason: a guaranteed dry spot for packing up. Equally useful would be pitching the tarp over a tent, either as an awning/porch/entrance or as rain/mist/drizzle/shower insurance on a night when you want the fly removed (or for a tent that needs a little more rain protection). The great thing is that these tarps can be strung from trees, lashed to the side of camper, or erected with poles.
I've been using a Kelty Noah Tarp and just got an MSR Zing Tarp. Both are fantastic products and two of the best options out there for this sort of free standing tarp use -- as opposed to more purpose-built hammock tarps. I thought it would be fun and/or useful to compare the two, starting with a little background.
Overview
The Kelty Noah tarps have been around forever and are, by far, the value leader in this kind of tarp. The Noah is a square tarp with catenary (rounded) cuts along the ridge line and the four edges.
It can be pitched in many ways, but it is best pitched in the “diamond” configuration, with poles or other supports at two opposite corners as shown in the picture.
The MSR Zing tarp is the latest incarnation of a product from Moss Tents in Maine called the Outfitter Wing. MSR ended up acquiring the Moss tent business, continued making the Outfitter Wing, and then changed it from a heavy fabric to a lightweight silnylon. Same size, same shape, same configuration, just a much lighter version:
Like the Noah, it is essentially a “diamond” pitch tarp, but with a more complex shape and more versatility (in some ways).
Size and Shape
Kelty makes three versions of the Noah’s Tarp. I have the Noah 12, which is 12 feet by 12 feet square, just over 16 feet on the diagonal. They make a larger Noah 16 (16 ft) and a smaller Noah 9 (9 ft). The MSR Zing is essentially the same size as the Noah 12. In fact, the mounting grommets for the two end poles are exactly the same distance apart as the Noah – about 16 feet. Here’s a picture, to scale, of the two tarps, oriented over a standard 6 foot picnic table. The poles would go top and bottom on the Noah and the grommets on the Zing are in exactly the same places.
The Kelty has grommets and webbing loops at the four corners, but three more webbing loops on each side, plus three webbing loops on the top center line (for hanging from a ridge rope). The MSR has grommets at the top and bottom locations, plus webbing tie outs at seven locations around the tarp. Even though they cover the same distance, pole to pole, the MSR Zing is a bit larger tarp, extending further on the sides.
The shape of the Zing is quite flexible. It can be pitched with two poles, three poles, or four poles. The flat end (at the bottom) is ideal for staking directly to the ground, or attaching to the back of an SUV, or draping over a tent. From everything I’ve seen, the seven tie out points allow for a very taut pitch.
Fabric and Construction
The Kelty Noah is 75 denier smooth polyester with a minimal polyurethane (PU) coating with a waterproof rating of 450 mm and factory seam taping. This is similar to the rain fly on an inexpensive family tent (Coleman tents typically have 450 mm waterproofing). That’s adequate for the purpose. Mine has never leaked, although Noah’s do tend to drip or mist a little in very heavy rain or after days of rain. I’m not sure that matters much. If it’s raining that hard, the picnic area covered by the Noah is still going to be the driest place around. The Kelty is made in China
The MSR Zing uses 40 denier nylon rip stop with a silicone coating on the top side and a PU coating on the bottom side and factory seam taping. It has a waterproof rating of 1500 mm. This is the same type of fabric and coating as MSR uses on their 4 season tents. When used as a fly or tarp, it will be 100% waterproof In anything but a tropical storm (which would have blown it away before it leaked). It’s a beautiful fabric – a translucent yellow. The fabric is one of the big differences in cost. Both fabrics are fine for the purpose, the silnylon fabric on the MSR is just super high quality stuff.
Similarly, there is a significant difference in the quality of the construction. The MSR is just gorgeous. The yellow rip stop nylon is complete surrounded by a six inch border of a smooth gray nylon (same waterproofing. The Kelty Noah has corners reinforced by double layers of fabric and webbing sewn around the edges of the corners for several inches. The rest of the tarp is edged with polyester fabric. The MSR has webbing reinforcing the corners and the webbing continues around the entire perimeter of the tarp. The two grommets on the MSR are installed in wide strips of webbing, so they are less likely to pull out (a weakness of most tarps). Each of the seven corners has a pocket sewn to the bottom. Oars can be inserted into the pockets for use in place of poles. And the pockets have a Velcro closure so they can be used to store the guy line attached to each corner. The MSR is made in Taiwan.
I've been using a Kelty Noah Tarp and just got an MSR Zing Tarp. Both are fantastic products and two of the best options out there for this sort of free standing tarp use -- as opposed to more purpose-built hammock tarps. I thought it would be fun and/or useful to compare the two, starting with a little background.
Overview
The Kelty Noah tarps have been around forever and are, by far, the value leader in this kind of tarp. The Noah is a square tarp with catenary (rounded) cuts along the ridge line and the four edges.
It can be pitched in many ways, but it is best pitched in the “diamond” configuration, with poles or other supports at two opposite corners as shown in the picture.
The MSR Zing tarp is the latest incarnation of a product from Moss Tents in Maine called the Outfitter Wing. MSR ended up acquiring the Moss tent business, continued making the Outfitter Wing, and then changed it from a heavy fabric to a lightweight silnylon. Same size, same shape, same configuration, just a much lighter version:
Like the Noah, it is essentially a “diamond” pitch tarp, but with a more complex shape and more versatility (in some ways).
Size and Shape
Kelty makes three versions of the Noah’s Tarp. I have the Noah 12, which is 12 feet by 12 feet square, just over 16 feet on the diagonal. They make a larger Noah 16 (16 ft) and a smaller Noah 9 (9 ft). The MSR Zing is essentially the same size as the Noah 12. In fact, the mounting grommets for the two end poles are exactly the same distance apart as the Noah – about 16 feet. Here’s a picture, to scale, of the two tarps, oriented over a standard 6 foot picnic table. The poles would go top and bottom on the Noah and the grommets on the Zing are in exactly the same places.
The Kelty has grommets and webbing loops at the four corners, but three more webbing loops on each side, plus three webbing loops on the top center line (for hanging from a ridge rope). The MSR has grommets at the top and bottom locations, plus webbing tie outs at seven locations around the tarp. Even though they cover the same distance, pole to pole, the MSR Zing is a bit larger tarp, extending further on the sides.
The shape of the Zing is quite flexible. It can be pitched with two poles, three poles, or four poles. The flat end (at the bottom) is ideal for staking directly to the ground, or attaching to the back of an SUV, or draping over a tent. From everything I’ve seen, the seven tie out points allow for a very taut pitch.
Fabric and Construction
The Kelty Noah is 75 denier smooth polyester with a minimal polyurethane (PU) coating with a waterproof rating of 450 mm and factory seam taping. This is similar to the rain fly on an inexpensive family tent (Coleman tents typically have 450 mm waterproofing). That’s adequate for the purpose. Mine has never leaked, although Noah’s do tend to drip or mist a little in very heavy rain or after days of rain. I’m not sure that matters much. If it’s raining that hard, the picnic area covered by the Noah is still going to be the driest place around. The Kelty is made in China
The MSR Zing uses 40 denier nylon rip stop with a silicone coating on the top side and a PU coating on the bottom side and factory seam taping. It has a waterproof rating of 1500 mm. This is the same type of fabric and coating as MSR uses on their 4 season tents. When used as a fly or tarp, it will be 100% waterproof In anything but a tropical storm (which would have blown it away before it leaked). It’s a beautiful fabric – a translucent yellow. The fabric is one of the big differences in cost. Both fabrics are fine for the purpose, the silnylon fabric on the MSR is just super high quality stuff.
Similarly, there is a significant difference in the quality of the construction. The MSR is just gorgeous. The yellow rip stop nylon is complete surrounded by a six inch border of a smooth gray nylon (same waterproofing. The Kelty Noah has corners reinforced by double layers of fabric and webbing sewn around the edges of the corners for several inches. The rest of the tarp is edged with polyester fabric. The MSR has webbing reinforcing the corners and the webbing continues around the entire perimeter of the tarp. The two grommets on the MSR are installed in wide strips of webbing, so they are less likely to pull out (a weakness of most tarps). Each of the seven corners has a pocket sewn to the bottom. Oars can be inserted into the pockets for use in place of poles. And the pockets have a Velcro closure so they can be used to store the guy line attached to each corner. The MSR is made in Taiwan.
Comment