The Warbonnet Outdoors Edge tarp is the smallest and lightest tarp of the offerings produced by Warbonnet. While providing good 3 season coverage from the elements, the Edge remains easy to set up and keeps the weight and packed size down. Warbonnet kindly sent an Edge tarp for a review, so I was happy to have another excuse to get outside and start testing the Edge.
Like all gear from Warbonnet Outdoors, the Edge is very well built. To keep weight down, it’s made from 1.1oz/30D 200 mm NeverMist™Silnylon. Silnylon, as the name may suggest, is a silicone impregnated nylon fabric. The silicone in the nylon makes the fabric waterproof. The stuff is crazy lightweight, but seems to be plenty strong. I applied quite a bit of tension to the guy lines to get a taut pitch with no problems. From the pictures, you will see that the sides and top of the Edge are cut in a curve. This is done to allow for tighter pitching of the tarp. A taut pitch means that the Edge will not be rustling in the wind, making noise and possibly working knots loose.
The Edge has a ridgeline length of eleven feet and the tarp is seven feet ten inches wide. The Edge weighs in at 11.25 ounces. Guy lines, ridge lines and stakes will bump that weight up depending on personal choices. The tarp easily fits into a four by ten inch stuff sack even after I attached the necessary cordage to the tarp. Zingit was used for the ridgelines and Lawson Glowire is used for the guy lines to help prevent me from tripping over them. With the Edge fully rigged, I am able to compress it into a four inch diameter ball. Aside from the two metal rings attached to the ridge of the tarp for ridgelines, the Edge has four tie outs on the corners. Setup is quick and easy.
Warbonnet Outdoors offers a few tarps or rain flys for hammock camping. Why choose the Edge over its larger siblings? There are times when protection from the elements is the top priority. Warbonnet expertly makes tarps for those situations, but I like the Edge because of its light weight, packed size, and I have discovered that a look around while lying in the hammock is really desirable. With a little practice and advance work, coffee and breakfast can be prepped and enjoyed while the sun comes up without really leaving the hammock. Things don‘t get much better than that. The Edge is big enough to cook under, and if you choose to add the Warbonnet Outdoors door kit, the Edge makes a fully enclosed hammock shelter.
The Warbonnet Outdoors Edge is available in olive brown and digital camo. In olive brown, the Edge sells for $85 dollars. Digital camo costs a bit more at $110. Check out all of their quality made in the USA products at http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com
– Mark