When I visited the Outdoor Show Robens was the only Tent manufacturer on show. It was disappointing that not more of the tent companies had chosen to show their latest 2013 tents at the show. But Robens had a great stand. Today though I thought I would write about Tarps not Tents. Last year I spent a very wet weekend camping in the Wye Valley. A friend had brought a tarp and this proved to be a great lifesaver. Whether you’re with a group or out on your own you don’t want to spend the whole day / evening hiding out in your tent so being able to sit under the tarp in the dry with a mug of tea in my hand while the rain pours down was relaxing!
Robens neatly split their range into Xtra Lite, Lite, Trail, Adventure and Outback, once you know what your needs are its then easy to pick your products from the relevant range. Pictured above is the Robens Trail Tarp.
Robens description of the trail tarp is - the Trail Tarp measures 3 x 3 m and offers versatile shelter whether used with our telescopic poles, walking poles or in any other of the many ways that tarps can be rigged. Light durable guylines are attached to strong webbing loop hangers along the straight sides, reinforced to take punishment in the most trying conditions.
As you can see from the image there are 5 loops on every side of the tent (3 and the corners if we’re being precise) this gives you a great amount of flexibility in how you pitch the tarp, whether it’s a classic even amount of shelter each side, or if like in the image you pitch one side long and the other shorter for the view. The Trail Tarp weighs 1.1kg, so if your carrying a tent too this is probably more of a basecamp model but if you want something lighter Robens offers them too, I just felt the trail tarp was the right mix of functionality and price.
Use a tarp? Leave a comment and tell us how, or your favourite camping stories.
