Noah’s Tarp

I own a Noah's Tarp 12, which I just took with on its second BWCA canoe camping trip. I bought it to use as a rain shelter that was much lighter than a heavy, general utility tarp. The first trip, it did not rain, but we used the tarp for shade. The trip I just returned from, the tarp worked extremely well to provide a rain shelter. I hung it between two trees from the nylon straps (Keeping the rope ABOVE the tarp) and staked down one corner and tied the opposite corner to another tree. By morning, there was pooled water in one corner of the tarp where it was not tied real tightly, but it did not leak. We moved a very leaky tent under it the next night with great results -- tent was dry all night despite a steady, light rain. The staked end did blow loose in the wind a couple of times before I finally cut a piece of rope and tied it to a tree. I really like the ability to hang the tarp UNDER a rope, because otherwise the water tends to run down the rope and leak inside. This tarp worked great for me and I hope to get a 16, to have a larger area for kids to play under during rainy days in the woods. I'd be really curious to know how the user who had leak problems rigged the tarp, because mine was shedding water just fine .

Misleading product description on this tarp, it's only meant for sun shelter. Will leak during light rain and snow.

I was excited about this tarp initially. I have been an outdoor guide for 16 years, and the light weight combined with multiple tie-down points seemed ideal. Be forewarned though, this tarp is terrible in the rain. It leaks like a sieve. I talked with Kelty customer service since I thought it must be a defect in the one I received, and they said this product is designed for a sun shade, not a rain shelter. When I questioned why they billed it as a 3 season shelter, they just hemmed and hawed, and said I should use a rain treatment (sealer) product to spray on the tarp. You have to be kidding me! Terrible service, and am now pretty turned off of Kelty products and certainly their "service".

I own the 9 and 16 Noah's Tarp that I purchased 4 years ago. I looked around the market for a shade that would be light enough to carry and quick to setup. I mainly use them on the beach with the two pole configuration. I am able to setup a tarp in minutes even on windy conditions. I did blow my budget and bought the Kelty adjustable poles to accompany the shade. Let's start with the Noah 9 - It is fantastic, quick and easy and extremely stable in heavy winds. One man can operate with ease. I basically take this unit everywhere. As long as the tarp is taught, it will stay up against any conditions. I use sand bags rather than pegs - defiantly the way to go if you on a sandy ground. The Noah 16 - Though I am able to setup alone, in windy conditions, it best done with two persons. It is large enough to have a party under it and offers great coverage. It does need to be extremely taught to be effective in winds. All and all, these are great tarps and once you have used one, it is hard to look at another.

I've had a 16 since sometime in 2008. It's been both a sunshade and a rainfly. It's been on family campouts, to music festivals, and on scout campouts. I really like it's versatility. If you need to secure one side to the ground to block serious wind it works. If you have trees, then it is amazing as a sunshade. If it's rainy and you want to put up a shelter in just a few minutes it can serve a fairly large group. I've felt good about this purchase for several years, and, it's brought along every time I have the space and a potential need.

So many uses...so little time! A tarp for $60 bucks, are you crazy? That's what my brother told me.....He now has all three! After using this thing at concerts and festivals I bet I've help Kelty sell 50 of these things (you can send my cut anytime Kelty!) If you have ever gotten wet, needed some shade or just a little privacy this is a must have. Pair it up with a ground cloth (Tyvek works great) and a couple of Kelty camp chairs and instant hacienda.....don't foget the DuoPack and cold beer!

This is a long-winded review of the 12' version of Kelty's Noah's Tarp. Here I compare it to a do-it-yourself rig and to the Kelty medium Sunshade. If you're like me, you try to get all the skinny before making a purchase, so maybe this info will be helpful. For many years I used my own setup, a 10'x12' coated nylon tarp and four nesting poles (two 8' & two 6') to create a sun and rain shelter for car camping and canoe trips. (We live in the desert Southwest where we seldom use campgrounds, and seldom are trees available to tie-off a tarp.) Then one day I saw a Kelty Sunshade erected at a local outdoors store. It looked pretty sweet, appeared easy to set-up, and was on sale. I hoped it might be more stable in winds than my old DIY rig. I bought it and started to take it on trips, and was happy to have it on some rainy nights and sunny days...but it was a tug-of-war to set up, and moderate winds pulled out the tent stakes. After two windy days on Utah's Green River, the fibers on one of the fiberglass support poles had started to separate. I wrapped the pole with duct tape and went on. On my next canoe trip, I went solo, and didn't want to wrestle the Sunshade by myself, so I went back to my old tried-and-true DIY rig. But one evening a terrific windstorm came up, and as I was taking down the poles, the wind grabbed the tarp and ripped off a hem taking the grommets with it. I jury-rigged the tarp and went on. (Hint: In a windstorm try to pull out the cross-wind stakes before the windward stakes.) Back home, I was in the market for a sun/rain shade again, and I decided to purchase a 12' Noah's Tarp to replace my old, damaged tarp. Here's what I know so far. Last fall I set up the Noah's Tarp in the yard using the 2-pole, diamond-shape configuration suggested by Kelty. With 93" poles, I was concerned the center of the tarp hung lower than I would have liked, and I considered using the Noah's Tarp with my original 4-pole, square design that centered the taller poles on opposite sides of the tarp to produce a tall center height. Today, in preparation for an upcoming canoe trip, my son and I set up the Noah's Tarp in the yard again using the 2-pole configuration. I wanted his opinion. If we didn't like it, we would try the 4-pole design. Well, we placed a camp table and some chairs under the center of the canopy and decided the height would probably be fine for our purposes. Using only two poles instead of four has the advantage of making set-up quicker and easier, and the kit lighter to carry. It probably also offers a little more coverage. COMPARISON OF 12' NOAH'S TARP AND MEDIUM SUNSHADE: The Tarp provides a bigger shaded area. It is easier to enter: no need to bend down on the high, pole ends. It is much quicker and easier to erect. With two poles, lines, and stakes, the Tarp is about half the weight of the Sunshade. Both canopies transmit the sun's heat to people inside, but the Sunshade's dome shape seems to trap heat more than the Tarp's open wing design. If camping or backpacking in an area with trees, the Tarp can be used without poles, making it much lighter to carry. The Sunshade might be somewhat better at shedding wind than the Tarp, depending on wind direction, etc. If you purchase Kelty's poles, the price of the Tarp climbs to approx. $150, ten bucks more than the Sunshade. You'll also need 4 lines and 4 stakes. If you purchase a needed side wall accessory for the Sunshade, it's price climbs to $170. (Kelty prices as of 7/2/11) Check Campmor for better prices on Kelty poles and less-expensive nesting poles. Once I have returned from our upcoming canoe trip, I will try to post a field-test update of Noah's Tarp.

I got the Noah's Tarp 16 right before I went on my spring camping trip expecting rain like usual but this time no rain, but that was alright I had the Noah's Tarp. Alot of the people who camp near me have the large blue tarps attached from tree to tree, which takes alot of time my wife and I had the Tarp up in just minutes the first time. The Tarp covered a picnic table and had enough space to stand under and cook our meals. Glad I did not start with the 9 because I know I would have wanted something bigger. Great Product with the Adjustable Poles to go with it.

I have the 9', and the 12'. I took the 9' to use with my new ENO double hammock on my Boundary Waters trip. After setting up the hammock, I set the tarp up tying it to the trees, and using only 2 stakes. It was a match for sure. Never had so much fun laying in the hammock in the rain. It was perfect with blocking the rain, wind, and some hot sun rays.

Love my 12x12 tarp. Super light and multi-purpose! I use it for an ultralight tent for weekend excursions, large shaded shelter in the back yard, as my primary cover when hammock camping, and have also used it as my rain cover for my tent. I'm a Kelty fan for life!