They seem more versatile than those funny shaped things that look like bat wings or something.
I'm just not sure on the size. While there is certainly some personal preference involved, what is your preferable tarp size? I am usually by myself, occasionally with one other person, rarely with more.
Is a 10x10 foot big enough? Should I go larger?
Those parabolic wing tarps with a true catenary cut have their place. That place being in high winds and open ground. But the low sides lose a lot of usable space underneath and they are not as multi-functional as a flat tarp in terms of setting up as a lean.
This wing withstood a couple days of 30-40 mph wind, with gusts to 50+. Keeping it anchored took three guylines off each end and mil-spec stakes with 100 lbs of rocks piled on top. I was impressed that the guylines held and the stitching didn’t fail, but such is the wind shedding design of a cat cut tarp.
One advantage of a wing is that they drain water at two precise low end points, which is nice both for predictably directing the roof runoff away from working areas and for collecting fresh water on desert or salt water trips. Note the bucket at one end; gallons of freshwater in minutes.
But for most uses a flat tarp has distinct advantages. No loss of headroom at the low wing ends, a variety of set up configurations (with a wing you pretty much have one choice), easier to put up solo using a center ridgeline.
Size wise a 10x10 seems small to me even for solo trips. The sil-nylon Tundra Tarps are so light and pack so small that a couple of extra feet of length is a small price to pay. In any kind of blowing rain a 10x10 doesn’t leave enough dry space for me even when solo, and dropping one side for a windbreak lean leaves even less.
I’d want a (at least) a 10x12 for solo and probably a 10x14 for a companion.
I want a tarp large enough to drop one end for wind protection and long enough to cover my hammock. This is our family-sized 10x14 Tundra Tarp, splurge carried on a solo trip. I wasn’t sorry for the extra coverage. On group trips that 10x14 is just adequate for 4 people and a kitchen area.
When I ordered our Tundra Tarp I originally asked Dan for green, thought about the dreariness of spending a rainy day under a dark tarp and quickly called back to ask for multicolored bright and cheery instead.
If you stealth camp or simply prefer earthtones maybe not so much. We have a large Riverwing tarp in green and I have had a hard time spotting it at a distance, which was occasionally discomforting when I wasn’t quite sure exactly where camp was.