Tarps and shelters
Both come ready to pitch — so which one tells you what you are pitching?
These two are the ready-to-go end of the tarp shelf: both arrive with their own guylines and pegs, and both quote 3000 on the coating. The Unigear is the only tarp in this hub to publish a denier, a hydrostatic head and a tie-out count together — and it never says which of its four sizes the listing is showing. The FREE SOLDIER names one size, one weight, and webbing at every load point.
| Compared on | Rain Fly tarp, 210D Oxford, PU 3000 mm | tarp 300 × 300 cm, 150T ripstop, 3000 PU |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Not published for the listing shown — 3 × 3 m, 3 × 4 m, 3 × 5 m and 4.4 × 4.4 m are named without saying which one it is | 300 × 300 cm |
| Shape and cut | Flat rectangles and one square; no catenary cut is described | A rectangular flat cut; no catenary cut is described |
| Fabric and coating | 210D Oxford with a silver coating on the inside and a PU coating | 150T ripstop polyester with a 3000 PU coating, and waterproof treatment stated at the seams |
| Hydrostatic head | PU 3000 mm | 3000 PU, given without a unit |
| Denier | 210D | Not published — 150T is a thread count and no denier is published |
| Tie-out count | Stated per size: 8 loops on the 3 × 3 m, 18 on the 3 × 4 m, 19 on the 3 × 5 m and 16 on the 4.4 × 4.4 m | Not published — every load point is stated to be reinforced, without giving the number |
| Tie-out reinforcement | Not published | Multiply-stitched nylon webbing at every load point, stated to spread the load across the strap |
| Stated weight | Not published — a 30 × 17 × 10 cm packed size is given instead | 1 kg; the listing does not say whether the ropes and pegs are counted |
| What the pack includes | The tarp, six adjustable nylon guylines of 4 m, six aluminium pegs, a carry bag and a separate bag for the pegs and lines | One tarp, one storage bag, one pouch, four ropes and four pegs |
Each tick belongs to its own line and nothing more. The row of ticks is not a score: the two verdicts underneath settle the page, because these two answer different questions on the trail.
The Unigear is the one to buy on published detail: 210D, PU 3000 mm and a loop count for every size it sells, with six guylines and six pegs in two separate bags. The catch is the size itself, which the listing never pins down — four versions are named and none of them is identified as the one on the page, so the first thing to check is what you are actually ordering.
The FREE SOLDIER answers the question the other one dodges: 300 × 300 cm, 1 kg, and multiply-stitched webbing at every load point, which is where a tarp tears first in wind. It gives a thread count instead of a denier and a 3000 with no unit after it, and four ropes and four pegs is a lean set for a 3 × 3 m sheet.
It depends entirely on the pitch: a simple A-frame uses six, while a low storm pitch or a half-pyramid wants mid-panel points as well. This is why a published count is useful — one of these two tarps gives it per size, and the other says only that every point is reinforced.
They usually refer to the same measurement, the height of a water column a fabric holds before it leaks. One of these listings writes it with the unit and the other without, and the unit is what makes the figure readable rather than decorative.
Camping tarp · 210D Oxford, silver-coated inside · PU 3000 mm · tie-out count published per size · six guylines and six alloy pegs supplied · 30 × 17 × 10 cm packed
The only tarp here to publish a denier, a hydrostatic head and a tie-out count for every size it sells — and it never says which size the listing is showing.
Best for: A first tarp bought complete, where lines and pegs in the box matter as much as the canopy.
≈ $25 / 30 €
Camping tarp · 300 × 300 cm · 150T ripstop polyester, 3000 PU coating · seam-sealed · webbing-reinforced load points · 1 kg stated · four ropes and four pegs supplied
A 3 × 3 m tarp with a coating figure, sealed seams, webbing at every load point and a stated 1 kg — and no count for the load points it reinforces.
Best for: A square tarp bought complete, where sealed seams and reinforced load points matter more than pack weight.
≈ £44 / 38 €
Prices in these summaries were read on the dates each review gives. The live figure sits beside every product.
