10 Best Ultralight Backpacking Tarps of 2026
Recommended flat tarps and catenary-cut tarps
Backpacking tarps are a great camping option if you want to significantly reduce your backpacking gear weight while experiencing a deeper connection to the outdoors by sleeping under a shelter without walls. Backpacking tarps come in two basic flavors: shaped, catenary-cut tarps with curved sides to reduce weight and flapping in the wind, and square, flat tarps with 90-degree corners, which can be pitched in many configurations but take more skill to use. Ground sleepers usually sleep in bivy sacks under such tarps for insect protection, along with a waterproof groundsheet, a sheet of Tyvek, or plastic window wrap.
Here are the best ultralight backpacking tarps we recommend:
| Make / Model | Type | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperlite Mountain Gear Flat Tarp | Flat Tarp | 10.6-11.6 oz / 255-328 g | $390-$420 |
| Zpacks 8.5' x 10' Flat Tarp | Flat Tarp | 6.9 oz / 195g | $399 |
| Gossamer Gear Twinn Tarp | Catenary Cut | 9.7 oz / 275g | $175 |
| Mountain Laurel Designs Grace Duo | Catenary Cut | 5-11 oz / 149-315g | $180 |
| SlingFin NFT Tarp | Catenary Cut | 13.5 oz / 383g | $250 |
| Hilleberg Tarp 5 | Catenary Cut | 11.3 oz / 320g | $210 |
| Paria Sanctuary Sil Tarp | Catenary Cut | 10 oz / 283g | $90 |
| Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar | Catenary Cut | 12-15 oz / 340g - 428g | $245 |
| Slingfin SplitWing UL Tarp | Catenary Cut | 7.9 oz / 224g | $200 |
| Yama Cirriform Shelter | Catenary Cut | 11.7 oz /510g | $185 |
1. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Flat Tarp
2. Zpacks 8.5′ x 10′ Flat Tarp
3. Gossamer Gear Twinn Tarp
4. Mountain Laurel Designs Grace Duo Tarp
5. SlingFin NFT Tarp
6. Hilleberg Tarp 5
7. Paria Outdoors Sanctuary Sil Tarp
8. Mountain Laurel Designs Trailstar
9. SlingFin SplitWing UL Tarp
10. Yama Mountain Gear Cirriform Tarp
Key Considerations
Tarp Types: Flat Tarps vs Catenary Cut Tarps
Flat tarps have 90-degree corners with flat sides and are shaped like squares or rectangles. They can be set up in a wide variety of different pitches that emphasize views, airflow, or weather protection. Catenary cut tarps have curved sides and ridgelines which reduce the amount of fabric required to make them and lowers their weight. But this limits the ways they can be set up, often leaving them with a simple A-frame pitch. Catenary cut tarps are also quieter in the wind because the fabric is stretched more tightly. Some catenary-cut tarps are tapered, meaning one end is wider than the other. This is also a weight-saving measure.
Fabric/Materials
Tarps are available in several fabrics that confer different properties.
- Tarps made with Dyneema DCF are very lightweight and have very little stretch. However, this can limit how they can be configured and their ability to deal with uneven ground or obstructing vegetation. Dyneema DCF tarps do not require seam sealing and are very waterproof. They are bulky, however, and take more room to pack in a backpack.
- Tarps made with Siliconized Nylon (silnylon) or Siliconized Polyester (silpoly) usually need to be seam-sealed to prevent leaks in the rain. They make good flat tarps because they have some stretch, which can be useful when pitching them in different patterns.
- Tarps coated with Polyurethane (PU) or Silicone/PU are usually seam-taped and don’t need seam sealing.
One and Two Person Tarps
Most people prefer two-person tarps to one-person tarps, even when camping solo, because they have more room to spread out their gear out of the rain and keep it close at hand.
Knot Tying and Guylines
Most catenary cut tarps come with integrated line loc tensioners that eliminate the need to tie knots. When it comes to flat tarps, different people have different preferences. On larger square or rectangular tarps, fixed guylines can add unnecessary weight and clutter, and many people prefer to add guylines only when setting up their tarp. Some knowledge of knots can be helpful or the use of knot-typing devices like Figure 9s.
Insect Protection and Splashback
Most tarp users sleep in bivy sacks or larger bug bivies for protection from insects and other creepy crawlers. Bivy sacks also provide added rain protection from what is known as “splashback”: when rain bounces off the ground along the sides of the tarp and then reflects back under it, getting your gear wet.
- Paria Outdoor Breeze Mesh Bivy
- Katabatic Gear Pinon Bivy
- Mountain Laurel Designs Superlight Bivy
- Borah Gear Ultralight Bivy Sack
Groundsheets
While many bivy sack bottoms are waterproof, it’s convenient to sleep on top of a groundsheet so you can spread your gear out around you at night. Most ultralight backpackers use a sheet of Tyvek, polycryo plastic sheets (sold by Gossamer Gear), plastic window insulation wrap, or even a Dyneema DCF groundsheet, although the latter is quite expensive compared to other alternatives.
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Although I have some lightweight tents, the last few years, I’ve usually slept under a tarp, whether hammocking or ground dwelling. I love the flexibility. My present tarp is the Zpacks Dyneema model.
One of the biggest issues I’ve had with it is rolling up something so wispy and getting it into its stuff sack for packing, because any puff of wind will mess up the efforts. I figured out a work around when using the hammock.
The tarp gets set up on the long axis of the hammock. I take the hammock loose and let it drape over the hammock. I unzip the hammock, stuff it in all along the length, and then zip the hammock up. The next time I set up the hammock, the tarp is already there, stretched out and it’s an easy install. I know there’s a flaw in my technique if facing heavy rain, but I haven’t had to deal with that yet, and setting up in driving precipitation is always an exercise in dealing with challenges.
I bought a hammock sock last fall from Dutchware which I haven’t used yet which let syou roll up your entire hammock system in one bundle. Alternatively, you might try a tarp snakeskin, which does the same thing, but with just the tarp.
Slingfin NFT is one that should not be overlooked.
The Stone Glacier is the same tarp, only rebadged and made by Slingfin’s factory.
Rather, the factory Slingfin uses. But it is Slingfin’s NFT design. Worded better here.
I love the idea of a tarp. Can’t get past the time I was at a girls camp in Maine and we went on a week long canoe trip deep in the woods. While sleeping under a tarp was fun, having bugs and snakes getting in my business is not something I want to relive again. Sure I could add a bug bivy or net but then the weight is essentially equal to most ultralight tents. Small tarps are extremely useful to carry on almost all my hikes, so I usually have one no matter what. Happy hiking.
True, but you can’t set up a UL tent in a shelter, lean-to, or in a bunkhose and you can a bivy sack with a head net. I’ve done it many times. While weight is a consideration, think about the increased connection with the outdoors that comes from sleeping in a shelter without walls. It’s profound.
Im with Cathy on this one.
On the Eastern seaboard we have a lot of Critters that fly ,scurry, and slither out there that make a standalone tarp a real challenge and not something I look forward to.
Ill take my off the ground Hammock with Dyneema fly set up away from other campers who snore, cough, sneeze and come clomping in all hours of the night thank you very much.
I’ve got a Snakeskin from Dutch but haven’t used it yet.
Hope this helps.
warbonnet mini fly for me in either 1/2 shelter lean-to or full if it’s going to mist or rain. I am a huge fan of all touching the leaves and critters well not the slugs.