USMC Tarp, MARPAT/Coyote, Surplus

A good old tarp, this time courtesy of the US Marine Corps. Woodland MARPAT camo on one side, and Coyote Tan on the other. This ruggedly handsome tarp is made from strong Nylon and can even be buttoned to other tarps or itself.

Features

The USMC reversible tarp is a rectangular piece of waterproof ripstop-reinforced Nylon, with grommets on the edges for your field setup fantasies. On both sides, there's also a row of snap fasteners around all edges to attach more tarps. You can build anything ranging from a two-person shelter to a hobo village out of these. Maybe real tents were too wimpy for the Marines, so they just camped under these tarps doing knuckle pushups in broken glass. However, the center seam is off-center, so at least the tarp won't leak straight on your high and tight.

Measurements c. 200 x 220 cm (79" x 87"), the weight c, 950 grams (2 lb 1.5 oz).

Use

Even though the modern USMC tarp is just a bit bigger than the old Soviet Plash-Palatka, you can make virtually anything out of it. A basic trick is to rig one or two corners to a tree and stake the rest to the ground, making a simple lean-to. By attaching two or more together, you can create all kinds of tent-like accommodation solutions.

The tarp can also be snapped shut to form a tube to work as a waterproof bivy cover for your sleeping bag. When you tie a Woobie inside, you'll get a lightweight summer sleeping bag. By using creative ways with the snaps, you can conjure up all kinds of rain capes and body bags or whatever, it's amazing. As with most American-made gear, the snaps are super tight - to operate, you'll need fingers that have witnessed a thousand battles.

Condition

Used USMC surplus. Some of these have seen more use and some less. The more heavily used ones may have some small, easy-to-fix holes, damaged tapings on the seams, and other signs of use. Some have been packed in pretty tight bundles, and when you unfold them, some PU coating on the inside might suffer a bit, potentially affecting water repellency. Well, that's used USMC gear for you. Oh, and these also might have the traditional American military surplus poly/nylon smell. If you don’t like the smell of freedom, airing it out can help a lot.