What size tarp do I need?

For one person or a hammock, a 10 x 7 or 10 x 10 foot tarp; for two people with packs, 10 x 10 or 13 x 10; for a group kitchen or four people and their gear, 15 x 15 or 20 x 13. The AquaQuest Defender, Safari and Guide come in all five sizes and the Survivor in 10 x 10 and 15 x 15, and the finished size is the same for every model: a 10 x 10 measures 9 feet 7 inches by 9 feet 7 inches whichever tarp you buy. Choose the size first and the model second.

Named size and finished size

Tarp sizes are named in round feet. The finished tarp is a little smaller, and every AquaQuest model finishes to the same dimensions for a given size.

Named size (feet)	Finished size
10 x 7	9 feet 7 inches by 6 feet 7 inches
10 x 10	9 feet 7 inches by 9 feet 7 inches
13 x 10	12 feet 9 inches by 9 feet 7 inches
15 x 15	14 feet 7 inches by 14 feet 7 inches
20 x 13	19 feet by 12 feet 10 inches

How much floor a pitch gives you

The named size is the flat sheet. How much of it becomes covered ground depends on the pitch.

An A-frame folds the tarp over a ridgeline. The ridge is one side of the tarp; the other side is split between the two walls. Steep walls shed rain and wind and give you less floor; flat walls give headroom and let rain in at the ends. A 10 x 10 pitched as an A-frame gives a 9 feet 7 inches ridge with about 4 feet 9 inches of fabric on each wall.
A lean-to uses the whole sheet as one sloped roof: one long edge high on the ridgeline, the other staked to the ground. Most coverage per square foot, one open side.
A plow point stakes one corner to the ground and lifts the opposite corner to the ridgeline or a pole. A closed back to the wind and a pointed open front, at the cost of floor space.
A diagonal pitch runs the ridgeline corner to corner. On a 10 x 10 that ridge is about 13 and a half feet, which is how hammock campers get overhang at both ends out of a square.

The five sizes, and who they suit

10 x 7 feet. The solo size. Folded over a ridgeline along its 9 feet 7 inches length, each wall is about 3 feet 4 inches of fabric, so it pitches low: a bivy under it, or one person and a pack under a lean-to. Lengthwise it covers a hammock in calm weather. Guide 0.9 lb, Safari 1.3 lb, Defender 2.4 lb.

10 x 10 feet. The all-round size: a two-person A-frame, a hammock fly on the diagonal, or a square lean-to over a camp kitchen. Guide 1.3 lb, Safari 1.7 lb, Survivor 1.8 lb, Defender 3.3 lb. A Survivor owner on aquaquest.com: "I have taken this 10x10 tarp out several times over the past 2 years." (Max M.)

13 x 10 feet. Two people with packs, or a hammock with real overhang at both ends. A Guide owner on aquaquest.com pitched her 13 x 10 as an A-frame for "3 days of intense ... rain (47mm overnight) and I was cozy and dry. It sounded like bullets." (OutdoorEd Laura). Guide 1.7 lb, Safari 2.2 lb, Defender 4.2 lb.

15 x 15 feet. A cook shelter for a group, pitched high on one side for standing room, or a square big enough for a closed plow point in wind. Guide 2.6 lb, Safari 3.8 lb, Survivor 4 lb, Defender 7.2 lb.

20 x 13 feet. Four people and their gear. A Defender owner on aquaquest.com reports a 20 x 13 keeping four people and their gear dry through 2 inches of rain (the quote is on the which-tarp page). Guide 3.75 lb, Safari 4.5 lb, Defender 8.2 lb.

Weight and tie-outs for every size of every model

Weights are the size-chart weights. Tie-out counts depend on each size's layout and bigger does not always mean more: the Defender 10 x 7 has 21 and the 10 x 10 has 19; the Safari 15 x 15 has 29 and the 20 x 13 has 25; the Guide 15 x 15 has 23 and the 20 x 13 has 21.

Size (feet)	Defender (weight, tie-outs)	Safari	Guide	Survivor
10 x 7	2.4 lb, 21	1.3 lb, 15	0.9 lb, 13	Not made
10 x 10	3.3 lb, 19	1.7 lb, 19	1.3 lb, 17	1.8 lb, 19
13 x 10	4.2 lb, 25	2.2 lb, 19	1.7 lb, 17	Not made
15 x 15	7.2 lb, 37	3.8 lb, 29	2.6 lb, 23	4 lb, 29
20 x 13	8.2 lb, 47	4.5 lb, 25	3.75 lb, 21	Not made

Packed size

Packed sizes in inches, from the size charts.

Size (feet)	Defender	Safari	Guide	Survivor
10 x 7	7 x 7 x 5	11 x 5 x 2	11 x 4 x 3.5	Not made
10 x 10	8.5 x 6 x 4.5	12 x 5 x 3	11.5 x 4.5 x 3	12 x 5 x 3
13 x 10	10 x 6 x 4	11 x 5 x 4	10.5 x 5 x 2.5	Not made
15 x 15	15 x 7.5 x 4	14 x 6 x 3	12 x 4 x 4	13 x 6 x 4
20 x 13	15 x 7 x 8	17 x 7 x 3	15 x 4 x 2	Not made

Three rules of thumb

If you are between two sizes, take the bigger one. Rain comes in at the ends of an A-frame and under the edges of a lean-to, and the extra feet are what keep the packs dry.
Count the people, then add the gear. Two people sleep under a 10 x 10; two people, two packs and a stove want a 13 x 10.
Weigh the weight against the trip. The step from a Guide 10 x 10 to a Guide 13 x 10 is 0.4 lb; the step from a Defender 15 x 15 to a Defender 20 x 13 is 1 lb.

Whatever the size, pitch it for the trip and take it down after; these are camping tarps, not standing shelters.

FAQs

What does a 10 x 10 tarp actually measure?

On every AquaQuest model the 10 x 10 finishes at 9 feet 7 inches by 9 feet 7 inches; the 10 x 7 at 9 feet 7 inches by 6 feet 7 inches; the 13 x 10 at 12 feet 9 inches by 9 feet 7 inches; the 15 x 15 at 14 feet 7 inches square; the 20 x 13 at 19 feet by 12 feet 10 inches.

What size tarp do I need for a hammock?

A 10 x 7 pitched lengthwise covers a hammock in calm weather; a 10 x 10 pitched on the diagonal (about 13 and a half feet of ridge) or a 13 x 10 gives overhang at both ends in rain.

What size tarp for two people?

A 10 x 10 for two people sleeping under an A-frame; a 13 x 10 when two people also want their packs and a cooking area under cover.

How much does a 10 x 10 tarp weigh?

AquaQuest's 10 x 10 weighs 1.3 lb in the Guide, 1.7 lb in the Safari, 1.8 lb in the Survivor and 3.3 lb in the Defender.

Do bigger tarps have more tie-outs?

Not always. The AquaQuest Defender has 21 tie-outs on the 10 x 7 and 19 on the 10 x 10, and the Safari has 29 on the 15 x 15 and 25 on the 20 x 13; the count follows each size's layout.

Fear no forecast.
Waterproven since 1994.