Hey Buzzards. Looking to see what people like for shade structure. I have looked into and read about several products, but figured it would be best to hear from our own community on their likes and dislikes. Also trying to kill two birds with one stone and take it with us to Baja on the beach for spring break. Ideas, pictures, curse words... all are welcome.
Best Shade Structure?
markfortcollins
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Big fan of these guys. They are from New Zealand and are now in Washington. The batwing is bomber and the price is pretty good. I like their gear.
https://luxe-hiking-gear.com/collec...m/collections/lightweight-camping-tents/products/batwing-group-lightweight-tarp
https://luxe-hiking-gear.com/collec...m/collections/lightweight-camping-tents/products/batwing-group-lightweight-tarp
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422 Posts
I cannot, I've come accross those wile looking for rigging, I am curious about durability and ease of set-up with oars myself. If they are solid (which I suspect they are) I'd like to get one for my San Juan trip in July. I've also wondered how the bigger sizes do in wind and how small tney pack down.
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It looks like the difference of the whitewater worthy ones vs some of the others mentioned is that it is a polyethylene tarp material. more of what you think of as a tarp...blue tarp, silver tarp. thick reinforced plastic material. the batwing/msr/kelty whatever are a polyester fabric with coating, more of what you think of with a tent fly.
Is anyone going to mention anything practical for a poverty boater with kids?
There is always the option of the pop up event style tents. Yeah, they are bulky but they can be found cheap and go up quick and easy. Some of them have attachable walls. Those light expensive tarps are great and all but they are not fun to set up on the beach if the weather is already unpleasant and you have kids to juggle. One person can easily set it up in the wind and rain. And they don't collapse on the kitchen if children running around trip over the guylines (good luck not swearing like my drunk grandmother when that happens). They may be big, but they are stress free if you have a 7 and 9 year old, are weather resilient and easy to move if the sun does (which I guarantee you it will as it always does). They aren't light and don't have the "cool gear" factor, but they are way more affordable (a NRS River Wing is $400) and are more practical if you are not on an ounce-counting adventure. Free standing is the way to go if you are setting up with kids.
for example there are hundreds of options under $100 like https://www.walmart.com/ip/Best-Cho...ebo-Canopy-Shade-Tent-w-Adjustable-Height-Wind-Vent-Carrying-Bag-Blue/265252056
Another option that I have become fond of and would recommend if you care about bulk but still want the quick setup is the massive sportbrellas. They have guylines and are very wind resistant. If you want beach shade they provide complete cover for four people when on their side. And when the sun moves you can move them. Last year on Deso we spent a while setting up the fancy tarp shelter and the sun lowered half an hour later and it provided no shade to the seating/cooking area - we moved everything else because we didn't want to set it up again. If you need instant rain cover, like boating in monsoon season, they are the easiest. We got hit by a monsoon right as we set up the kitchen on the Grand last summer and our group had three of the same 9 foot sunbrellas (coincidence) and managed to create almost complete cover for the work station in minutes. And if you don't have a bimini then you should already have an umbrella stand on your boat and aren't giving up any space by using this option.
https://www.amazon.com/Sport-Brella-BRE01-XL-070-Parent-X-Large-Umbrella/dp/B01M9CHLXE
If you are determined to spend a frustrated 15 minutes setting up a non-freestanding tarp with a bunch of long poles, guy lines everywhere, and stakes that won't stay where you want them, while arguing with Santi and Chris about what angle the oars should be at and how far the lines should go out, there is always the option of the regular ol' big green truck tarps (the good ones). They are bomber, inexpensive, and the one I found in my garage (no idea where it came from) even has little corner pockets that fit oars perfectly. And the eyelets give so many options for tie out arrangements while those fancy pants tarps have pretty limited setup options. And you probably have one in your garage.
If you are a weight weeney or gear junkie ignore everything I said - I love my two pound MSR shelter but I feel like a monster when I tell my five year old I don't want her to help the adults set up shelter while thinking I could already be drinking a (2nd) beer if I had packed a pop up shelter. Also, you could buy all three of the things I suggested for less than the price of a Big Agnes Deep Creek Tarp (which as a gear junkie I do really want). The kids can help (and not be a nuisance) with options 1 and 2. As a river parent you have to get past the cool factor and be practical and budget conscious.
Full disclosure: I am an ounce counter and my backpacking setup tops off at 14 pounds. I got into rafting because sometimes I want the excess luxuries in the wilderness without being weight/space conscious.
If you read this post in its entirety, you will never be able to deal with struggling to set up an expensive ultralight tarp in the sand surrounded by kids without thinking about how nice it would be to have a free standing pop up arrangement.
So help me science, if anyone brings up "Made in China" sh!t I swear I will delete my mountainbuzz profile.
There is always the option of the pop up event style tents. Yeah, they are bulky but they can be found cheap and go up quick and easy. Some of them have attachable walls. Those light expensive tarps are great and all but they are not fun to set up on the beach if the weather is already unpleasant and you have kids to juggle. One person can easily set it up in the wind and rain. And they don't collapse on the kitchen if children running around trip over the guylines (good luck not swearing like my drunk grandmother when that happens). They may be big, but they are stress free if you have a 7 and 9 year old, are weather resilient and easy to move if the sun does (which I guarantee you it will as it always does). They aren't light and don't have the "cool gear" factor, but they are way more affordable (a NRS River Wing is $400) and are more practical if you are not on an ounce-counting adventure. Free standing is the way to go if you are setting up with kids.
for example there are hundreds of options under $100 like https://www.walmart.com/ip/Best-Cho...ebo-Canopy-Shade-Tent-w-Adjustable-Height-Wind-Vent-Carrying-Bag-Blue/265252056
Another option that I have become fond of and would recommend if you care about bulk but still want the quick setup is the massive sportbrellas. They have guylines and are very wind resistant. If you want beach shade they provide complete cover for four people when on their side. And when the sun moves you can move them. Last year on Deso we spent a while setting up the fancy tarp shelter and the sun lowered half an hour later and it provided no shade to the seating/cooking area - we moved everything else because we didn't want to set it up again. If you need instant rain cover, like boating in monsoon season, they are the easiest. We got hit by a monsoon right as we set up the kitchen on the Grand last summer and our group had three of the same 9 foot sunbrellas (coincidence) and managed to create almost complete cover for the work station in minutes. And if you don't have a bimini then you should already have an umbrella stand on your boat and aren't giving up any space by using this option.
https://www.amazon.com/Sport-Brella-BRE01-XL-070-Parent-X-Large-Umbrella/dp/B01M9CHLXE
If you are determined to spend a frustrated 15 minutes setting up a non-freestanding tarp with a bunch of long poles, guy lines everywhere, and stakes that won't stay where you want them, while arguing with Santi and Chris about what angle the oars should be at and how far the lines should go out, there is always the option of the regular ol' big green truck tarps (the good ones). They are bomber, inexpensive, and the one I found in my garage (no idea where it came from) even has little corner pockets that fit oars perfectly. And the eyelets give so many options for tie out arrangements while those fancy pants tarps have pretty limited setup options. And you probably have one in your garage.
If you are a weight weeney or gear junkie ignore everything I said - I love my two pound MSR shelter but I feel like a monster when I tell my five year old I don't want her to help the adults set up shelter while thinking I could already be drinking a (2nd) beer if I had packed a pop up shelter. Also, you could buy all three of the things I suggested for less than the price of a Big Agnes Deep Creek Tarp (which as a gear junkie I do really want). The kids can help (and not be a nuisance) with options 1 and 2. As a river parent you have to get past the cool factor and be practical and budget conscious.
Full disclosure: I am an ounce counter and my backpacking setup tops off at 14 pounds. I got into rafting because sometimes I want the excess luxuries in the wilderness without being weight/space conscious.
If you read this post in its entirety, you will never be able to deal with struggling to set up an expensive ultralight tarp in the sand surrounded by kids without thinking about how nice it would be to have a free standing pop up arrangement.
So help me science, if anyone brings up "Made in China" sh!t I swear I will delete my mountainbuzz profile.
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How about a carport? Only a measly 60 lbs.
https://www.amazon.com/ShelterLogic...anopy+10x20+heavy+duty&qid=1551289474&s=gateway&sprefix=carport,aps,205&sr=8-19
https://www.amazon.com/ShelterLogic...anopy+10x20+heavy+duty&qid=1551289474&s=gateway&sprefix=carport,aps,205&sr=8-19
Correction: the earth spins as it goes around the sun and therefore your relative position to its rays changes. Apologies for the scientific inaccuracy. Flat earthers need not reply.
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28 Posts
We LOVE our Dragonfly Tarp, and Matt is a really good guy, super easy to deal with and quick to respond. High quality gear/company in our book. The tarps are easy to use with oars or trees.... or he sells adjustable posts that you can drive into most grounds to go with the tarps. We just use our oars (2x9’ & 2x8’ ers) with rocks to anchor and trees and it has worked well for us, even in winds. We love our first one so much we talk about purchasing a smaller one to use for quick lunch shade set ups. I have also been on trips where we have used the Kelly Noah and it works great as well. We went with Dragonfly to support a small business and get a USA-made product.
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Big Agnes will treat you right
I too own a Big Agnes Three Forks shelter. Upside? Great customer service. How do I know this? One of the poles bent so badly on its first use that I asked for a replacement and BA delivered no problem. Left it up all day while fishing in Wyoming and it got a mighty windy. While it was still standing when we got back, it was a bit cockeyed. I think the river wing is the best for rafting, but wouldn’t use it for any other purpose. Like someone else said, the perfect multi purpose shade tarp just doesn’t exist.
I too own a Big Agnes Three Forks shelter. Upside? Great customer service. How do I know this? One of the poles bent so badly on its first use that I asked for a replacement and BA delivered no problem. Left it up all day while fishing in Wyoming and it got a mighty windy. While it was still standing when we got back, it was a bit cockeyed. I think the river wing is the best for rafting, but wouldn’t use it for any other purpose. Like someone else said, the perfect multi purpose shade tarp just doesn’t exist.
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365 Posts
Weeeellll, the sun does actually move through the galaxy in an up and down orbit, but that's just nitpicking because it doesn't affect the position of the sun relative to the Earth's surface
And to be fair, even though I was expressing my disappointment with the BA Three Forks, it is a decent product and BA customer service is great. The product in question simply didn't do what I wanted as well as I wanted. Namely, set up by one person in under ten minutes and stand up to inclement weather. I'll still buy BA gear in the future and I'm keeping my Three Forks, it just isn't going on the river with me anymore.
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554 Posts
Whatever you get, get a something dark!! Or get it with a silver lining on one side. UVB rays can go right through nylon tarps. UVB is what makes your skin feel hot in the middle of the day. The darker the color, the less UVB gets through, even if the fabrics are the same. So the same tarp, same fabric, darker color will feel a lot cooler than the lighter colored tarp.
Buyer beware. Light colored tarps like the Kelty, Big Agnes, etc are not shade tarps. You will feel very little relief from the heat of the sun and will still get sunburned under them. They are rain tarps.
I own two dark navy blue DragonFlys built by local Idahoan and buzzard Matt Nelson of Arco, Idaho. They are great. I have the 25’x18’ size. By far the best tarp I have seen. Catenary cut, shed the wind and rain. Mine provide excellent shade. But fun fact, he offers them in several colors, get one that is DARK. His standard offering is royal blue, which will beat any of the other grey or yellow tarps by Kelty or BA. But, you are better off getting a darker one like Navy Blue or Purple.
I used to have a royal blue colored DragonFly. I bought it from Cascade River Gear instead of ordering another navy blue one from Matt like my first DragonFly. I thought it would be fine. I was so wrong. We camp on a beach on the Salmon near Riggins for a week in July every summer. Temps usually run into the 100°s. With both tarps set up side by side, I noticed that the royal let a lot more light through than the navy. It also felt 10-15° hotter under the royal blue DragonFly. In the end, it worked well for rain, but every one crowded under the navy blue tarp when it was sunny. I sold it and ordered another navy blue one from Matt. I’ll attach a pic of both of them side by side.
Those pop up self supported shades make great kites in the wind I’ve seen 3 fly high one over 50’ in the air. It is super scary when they come down. Luckily, no one got hurt but the tarp was trashed.
UVB, it’s real.
Buyer beware. Light colored tarps like the Kelty, Big Agnes, etc are not shade tarps. You will feel very little relief from the heat of the sun and will still get sunburned under them. They are rain tarps.
I own two dark navy blue DragonFlys built by local Idahoan and buzzard Matt Nelson of Arco, Idaho. They are great. I have the 25’x18’ size. By far the best tarp I have seen. Catenary cut, shed the wind and rain. Mine provide excellent shade. But fun fact, he offers them in several colors, get one that is DARK. His standard offering is royal blue, which will beat any of the other grey or yellow tarps by Kelty or BA. But, you are better off getting a darker one like Navy Blue or Purple.
I used to have a royal blue colored DragonFly. I bought it from Cascade River Gear instead of ordering another navy blue one from Matt like my first DragonFly. I thought it would be fine. I was so wrong. We camp on a beach on the Salmon near Riggins for a week in July every summer. Temps usually run into the 100°s. With both tarps set up side by side, I noticed that the royal let a lot more light through than the navy. It also felt 10-15° hotter under the royal blue DragonFly. In the end, it worked well for rain, but every one crowded under the navy blue tarp when it was sunny. I sold it and ordered another navy blue one from Matt. I’ll attach a pic of both of them side by side.
Those pop up self supported shades make great kites in the wind I’ve seen 3 fly high one over 50’ in the air. It is super scary when they come down. Luckily, no one got hurt but the tarp was trashed.
UVB, it’s real.
Attachments
NRS River Wing is a great option with upgraded sand stakes. Excellent sun and rain protection. Multiple, multiple ways to set it up using just poles provided or adding oars. Takes practice to get it perfect, but worth it. I paid about $275 for mine 9 or 10 years ago, still going strong. I think they cost more now, but good shade can be the difference between a great afternoon and a shitty one with grumpy overheated folks.
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I also been using those for about 12 years. They are great. Mine are painted orange so I don't loose them. I also have a bunch of them that are a bit shorter as well. FYI - They sell them at Andy n Bax if anyone is around Portland, ORI have been using 12" surplus military stakes from Ebay for several years. You can get 24 shipped for $30. They hold surprisingly well in sand, we even use them for a volleyball net on the Salmon.
![Image]()
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Those are the stakes that come with the DragonFly. I haven’t had much luck with them in the salmon or the snake. They’re ok until the afternoon wind storm comes up and then they pull out.
Truth is, none of the things I’ve tried have worked very well. I’ve tried those orange aluminum sand stakes (tuff stakes). They kind of work if you wet the sand down. So far, large rocks seem to be the best. I’m really interested in the plastic sheet with para cord. That sounds very interesting. Cody, can you tell us where you get the plastic from?
Truth is, none of the things I’ve tried have worked very well. I’ve tried those orange aluminum sand stakes (tuff stakes). They kind of work if you wet the sand down. So far, large rocks seem to be the best. I’m really interested in the plastic sheet with para cord. That sounds very interesting. Cody, can you tell us where you get the plastic from?
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Riverwing
I struggled with the same shade/rain issues - never regretted purchasing the NRS Riverwing - it's worth the investment!
I added extra aluminum extension poles (Kirkham's in SLC- they're tent specialists) for the side wings - they really expand the usable area underneath - and allow me to adjust the elevation of each guy-point to prevent rain pooling on the tarp.
I'm not a fan of using oars - too heavy, and I hate the extra rig/un-rig and haul to river & back.
I made up a set of 24" aluminum angle stakes that I use for the main anchor lines - they don't pull out. I also use a bunch of the aluminum military surplus stakes mentioned by athelake & shappatack for the other ropes.
Andy - What are the plastic jugs hanging from each of your wing poles? Are they filled with water with pennies inside for fly (insect) control?
I struggled with the same shade/rain issues - never regretted purchasing the NRS Riverwing - it's worth the investment!
I added extra aluminum extension poles (Kirkham's in SLC- they're tent specialists) for the side wings - they really expand the usable area underneath - and allow me to adjust the elevation of each guy-point to prevent rain pooling on the tarp.
I'm not a fan of using oars - too heavy, and I hate the extra rig/un-rig and haul to river & back.
I made up a set of 24" aluminum angle stakes that I use for the main anchor lines - they don't pull out. I also use a bunch of the aluminum military surplus stakes mentioned by athelake & shappatack for the other ropes.
Andy - What are the plastic jugs hanging from each of your wing poles? Are they filled with water with pennies inside for fly (insect) control?
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554 Posts
Daryl,
They are for ambiance and light. They are these little inflatable solar powered LED lanterns called Luci from an outfit called Mpowered. They have a photovoltaic cell and batteryon top. The ones I got are multi-colored. They each have 6-7 colors. You can pick which color or have them scrolling through all of them. This picture of my wife has a couple glowing red and one blue behind her.
They are for ambiance and light. They are these little inflatable solar powered LED lanterns called Luci from an outfit called Mpowered. They have a photovoltaic cell and batteryon top. The ones I got are multi-colored. They each have 6-7 colors. You can pick which color or have them scrolling through all of them. This picture of my wife has a couple glowing red and one blue behind her.
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Andy - Thanks! Those look like a great idea, and probably provide just enough light around the edges to keep from killing yourself falling over all of the stuff we gear-heads have on the periphery!
I carry several strands of LED string lights to accomplish a similar goal.
The only thing I don't like about my NRS Riverwing is the skinny paracord guy lines - they're bright orange, but still not very visually discernable. Your strap style lines stand out much better.
Darryl
Best stakes I’ve found are called sst pins, can get them from Kifaru, not cheap. Essentially a long piece of 3/8 or so emt, eyelet stilled through top to get hem out. Never had a set pull out, sst stands for sand, snow, tundra and i use them on the snow and sand for my tipi. Drive them in at a decently shallow angle and they have lots of resistance to the wind. Can be homemade for sure.
https://store.kifaru.net/mobile/snow-sand--tundra-sst-pins-p96.aspx
https://store.kifaru.net/mobile/snow-sand--tundra-sst-pins-p96.aspx
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253 Posts
I use the 90% shade tarps in Baja exclusively. Won’t help with a torrential downpour, but light storms it keeps the rain off. The mesh let’s breeze through so it stays really nice and cool under. I pitch mine so if I needed to I can pull a Noah’s tarp over it for a storm or expand the footprint out.
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