Welcome back to the channel everyone! I've been using my dyneema tarp from Hammock Gear for about six months now and I thought it was time to provide my synopsis. I've used this tarp as my shelter for multiple backpacking trips, totaling around fifteen nights at this point. I feel like I have enough experience with it to offer you an unbiased review.
In this video I'll walk through some specs of the tarp as well as the customization options provided by Hammock Gear with their tarps. The first point to make whenever discussing ultralight backpacking gear is always going to be price. Dyneema shelters definitely aren't cheap. What do you get for that money?
If you're a car camper or an overnight backpacker that doesn't cover a ton of miles, a dyneema shelter may not make sense for you. If you're a long distance, ultralight backpacker, saving that weight in your pack while on trail may be just the thing the doctor ordered. Ounces equal pounds, especially on high mileage days. Dyneema hammock tarps are going to be the lightest shelter option on the market, with some of their offerings weighing only a half pound.
There are some things you may want to be aware of before making a purchase. Most people are familiar with silpoly and silnylon tarps. Dyneema does not have the same properties as those other materials. For example, dyneema won't retain water, whereas a silnylon shelter will absorb the rain. Dyneema also doesn't stretch like the other materials, so you'll typically want to use shock cord at the guy out points to avoid tearing your tarp in high winds.
A few other key points are factoring in the opacity of the different dyneema fabrics, the "shine" of the tarp material and how raindrops sound when falling on dyneema. You also have to roll dyneema when packing it up in the snakeskin rather than stuffing or folding to preserve the life of the fibers.
I show you my entire setup in this video. The tarp and mesh sleeve are both from Hammock Gear. All of the cordage, carabiners and hardware are all from Dutchware. The trekking poles I use are the Get Out Gear Goat Stix, which are my favorite trekking poles. Stakes are the MSR Groundhogs. I hope you all enjoy the video and take something from it for your next hiking or camping adventure!