User Review: Kelty Noah's Tarp 9

Kelty Noah's Tarp 9
Above: The current Noah's Tarp 9, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed September 30, 1999 by Josh Newcom

Rating:
Design: tarp
Sleeps: 2
Ease of Setup: About a dozen guy-out points
Weight: 1.5 lbs
Price Paid: $50

A very lightweight and cheap alternative to tenting. I added two old aluminum tent poles and about 12 stakes/guy out lines and it still comes in under 3 pounds. You can get it very taut, it has a multitude of configurations and can be raised or lowered to alter the declination of the sides, depending on how much storm protection you need. Very inexpensive when compared with the Moss Heptawing. Fully waterproof nylon without the annoying crinkling sound of cheap, woven plastic tarps. My only gripe was that I thought the loops were too big and didn't allow the tarp to achieve maximum tautness. This was remedied when I went to the shoe cobbler and had him sew the loops shut at about 2/3 the way.