When I first started getting back into backpacking with Chris and some other friends, I went for the one person tent approach. There’s nothing wrong with that approach, but after our first group outing hitting the infamous “rollercoaster” portion of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia I quickly realized that I wanted to shed some weight. My pack was heavier than I would have preferred. I started looking at where I might shave weight. I started researching tarp setups and quickly learned that Borah Gear has a stellar reputation in the ultralight community for their tarps. I decided to give Borah Gear a try and do what any self-respecting man would do – I asked my wife to get me the Borah Gear Silpoly Solo Tarp for Christmas. Being the awesome wife that she is, she obliged. I won’t say she understood my desire to sleep under a tarp, but she supported my interest nonetheless. Thanks babe!
I want to first highlight the amazing customer experience I had with Borah Gear, before I ever even got around to using the tarp. When I asked my wife for the tarp, I casually mentioned I would prefer the dark olive color. I like to earth tone all the things, especially olive drab green. I’m not sure if it was an ordering error on my wife’s or Borah Gear’s part, but what I got was the gray tarp. I contacted Borah Gear and explained the situation and John, without hesitation, agreed to swap out the gray for dark olive. He did not charge for shipping or even hesitate to make the replacement. His only ask was that I fold it back into the stuff sack versus stuffing it because it makes it easier for him to sell as refurbished. I shipped it and in about two weeks I had a dark olive replacement in hand. Pay attention, this is how you run a business! I want to thank John for this amazing customer experience. I will never forget his generosity and will not hesitate to purchase future products or recommend his products to friends in the future.
So what about the tarp? First off, the silpoly material and the stitching just exude quality. The material is very thin (obviously, because it’s ultralight) but it feels strong. All the stitching points seem solid. John obviously puts much care and attention into making these tarps. I’m impressed by the handiwork.
The tarp also has a very useful amount of guy-out loops around the tarp – eight total. This also includes two loops at the mid points which support use of a ridgeline and also additional guy lines as desired. I only use with four guy lines but it’s nice to have the option for more, e.g. for heavy wind. Further, it loops on the underside to support use of a bivy. This comes in handy if you have a bug bivy, for example. These worked fantastically with my Yama Mountain Gear Bug Canopy (future review!).
The sizing of this tarp is perfect for solo use. At 6’2″, I’m a relatively tall guy. The 9′ length is plenty of room for someone of my height. I have not had the opportunity to test this in the rain yet, but there appears to be enough space at each end to keep me from getting wet if it were to rain. The 5.8′ width works well too, and provides a necessary but minimalist amount of lateral space. I chose to set mine up with a pretty wide spread so far, but in the event it rained you could easily bring in the width to seal out the rain but still have enough extra space for gear in addition to your sleep system.
As I mentioned, this is an ultralight tarp. At only 7.2 oz, you barely feel the weight addition in your pack. You would be hard pressed to find a tarp that weighs as little but is as quality as the Borah Gear Silpoly Solo Tarp. None of the cheap Amazon tarps will come close to the weight savings this tarp affords.
The stuff sack this comes with is also made of the ultralight material that the tarp is. It’s also roomy enough to include guy lines and a ridgeline. I throw my guy lines and ridgeline into the bottom then stuff the tarp on top, and it all fits well. I like the stuff sack so much that I also ordered one of the Borah Gear Stuff Sacks for my bug canopy. At $3.75 shipped for an ultralight stuff sack, how could you resist??
I’m new to the tarp game, but I found the Borah Gear Silpoly Solo Tarp super easy to set up. I use a groundsheet and sleep on the ground, so I can’t speak to how this works with a hammock. But it’s a tarp, which mean it’s flexible in how it can be used. I imagine it works equally as well with a hammock as a ground sleeping setup. I have only used it tied between two trees, but obviously this will work just as well with a trekking pole setup (as evidenced by product images on the Borah Gear website).
Further, this tarp is affordable. At $68 at time of posting, it is less than other ultralight cottage industry tarps on the market. If you don’t understand the utility of a tarp setup, you might think that’s outrageous for a tarp. But I assure you, that’s a very reasonable price. For context, a Hyperlite brand tarp costs $369.
I’m struggling to even point this out as a con, but I want to highlight that there is a long lead time on orders for these tarps. I don’t consider this a true con, since these tarps are made by one guy (John) and he puts much care and attention into creating a quality product and running a quality business. John is totally transparent about his lead times, and from my experience his lead time estimates are spot on. So you know what you’re getting into when you order this. It’s worth the wait, trust me.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Sized perfectly
- Affordable
- Handmade, and well made at that
- Eight loops for guy lines / ridgeline, makes it easy to set up
- Additional loops to support use of a bug bivy
- Great customer experience / customer service!
Cons
- Long lead time for orders
Rating: 5 / 5
So far, I have no complaints about the Borah Gear Silpoly Solo Tarp. This tarp is made in America by a small, cottage industry maker. Further, it’s affordable and it’s quality. It checks all the boxes for an ultralight tarp for solo use. You cannot go wrong with this tarp. Tarp life may not be for everyone (exposure to bugs, being a Hot Pocket for bears, etc.) but if you’re considering that life, then get the Borah Gear Silpoly Solo Tarp. I’m planning to take this tarp out again and again (we have a four day backpacking trip coming up) and I can’t wait to use it again. As crazy as it sounds, I really hope I get the opportunity to test this in the rain. If I have any updates to my experience from future trips, I will update this review accordingly.
Do you have experience with this tarp? Do you have other cottage industry tarps you’d recommend? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
Dad Likes Gear 
My son and I got into tarping the other year; I love trying things out and I enjoyed the idea of something minimalist so I, too, took your approach and had my wife get each of us one for Christmas. Someone had recommended the Paria Outdoor Products Sanctuary Silnylon Tarp to us and I asked for the 8×10 size. They were reasonable in cost and had Dyneema guy-outs and decent stakes included; all I had to add was a ridgeline (made mine out of 35′ of paracord, plus a couple of loops to tie Prusik hitches so I can attach my tarp below the ridgeline with carabiners). Anyhow, we don’t take them on every trip, but we have had a lot of fun with them. One local-to-us company (Lancaster, PA; we’re an hour away in Carlisle) that we’ve recently discovered is Dutchware. I visited their “factory” where they sew their products when I was out that way for a work event, and it was really cool. They sell all kinds of their own designs of tarp fittings and runs of cord, as well as tarps, hammocks and such. Since my son and I already had tarps, I got a roll of cord for us to share and 2 pairs of their “Stingerz” fittings. Very cool company.
LikeLike
Hey Scott thanks for sharing your experience! I’ll be doing a roundup on hardware for tarp setups that will include some Dutchware hardware I have – specifically the Wasp and the Dutch Hook. Stay tuned for that post because I’d love to hear your experience with the Stingerz.
LikeLiked by 1 person