Does anybody know of anyone who
Makes budget tarps.
I am thinking out of tyvek or uk equivalent material.
Just forming the haziest of notions ay the mo.
Could one make one without sewing?
Some kind of adhesive tabs and edging?
Throw me a rope I'm drowning.
Cheers.
Tk.

Polythene tarp below:

http://welshridething.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... ation.html

And here's how it faired:

http://welshridething.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... st-in.html

What price do you call budget?

I would say 30 to 50 quid is low budget for a theoretical tyvek 3x3 tarp. maybe?
would be even nicer if it didnt have any brand names plastered all over it.
Would consider making one if I could find an offcut the right length.
I dont have any sewing skills though.
have seen stick on tabs with eyelets.

I wouldnt mind an alpkit tarp but by the time you factor in the weight of a bivi bag
you might as well take a tent.
Maybe I should man up and just use a bivi bag?

You can get a Terra Nova Comp 1 silnylon tarp for £40 (1.5 x 2.5) if you look around, good for fine to poorish weather. It's what I have used for the last year but i'm not saying it's the best. A 2 x 2.5 is a much more usable size but no one seems to make them that size, a 3 x 3 is a bit big for one I think.

Mattress shop, mattress bag, cut open, bunch corners and larks foot the guys. Exceptionally cheap though often heavy. Will condense quite heavily but allow some visibility.

If you are certain that it'll be dry, a bivvy bag is ideal but can be hellish in the wet or if midges are about (although a tarp won't save you from that).

May just be me (and this will sound pathetic) but I feel less secure in a bivvy bag. The mental security of a thin wall of silnylon in a tent can make all the difference!

I got a 2 x 2.5m ish tarp made from a guy called Unsponsored (Phil). He used to run the bikeandbivi forum but it looks like he's taken the site down. You can probably contact him via the singletrack forum or via his blog http://www.unsponsored.co.uk/press/ .

Think he charged me around £50 and the tarp is really well made with linelocks on all the tie out points. It weights around 200g. Add some 3mm dyneema line and you're laughing.....

I picked up a bicycle second hand and have used it once so far - very impressed with it and a very useable size

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?tar ... ory_id=290

You can use contact adhesive to hem PU coated nylon (you want the coating on one side only and don't use silnylon because it won't stick). I wouldn't trust it to hold any tie out points though. For that you could buy a packet of tarp clips: http://www.uktarps.com/hold-on-clips

So, buy a 3m x 1.5m length of PU coated nylon, cut it to size, use glue to hem it and add clips for your tie out points.

Trouble is, after all that you'll still only £20 better off than you would be if you just bought a bicycle from AlpKit.

Looks like I may have to push the plans to make some simple, cheap, sil' tarps forward a little

Plenty of ex army basha's going on ebay for £20 - £25.

Vango Adventure Tarp £17 from Go Outdoors.