Kelty Noah's Tarp – Waterproof Camping Tarp Shelter, Rain Sun Shade (16FT)

This thing is big enough to cover a 4 man tent and provide shelter for a table & chairs to protect from rain / sun. It’s very light weight and packs down a lot smaller than an equivalent sized tarp. In some camp sites it’s too big so it takes a little more time to adjust, fold and set up. Maybe I’ll buy the smaller version to give me easy options in the future. I use it with two adjustable tent poles and they really help with creating the slope of the tarp which is essential to stop water pooling in heavy downpours. So far it’s holding up very well!

This thing is awesome. My girlfriend and I spent 3 night in the CO wilderness with this as our sun shade for cooking and relaxing. It also sheltered us from some rain showers and high winds. The pre attached paracords in the velcro pockets on the corners makes for an easy set up. Im considering another smaller one for over my tent. Well worth the money.

I use this on my sail boat to provide shade and protection from the rain while anchored. Works very well, but ripped apart in 30 knot winds. I don't expect it to withstand 30 knot winds, but you should take it down when high winds are expected.

Update (Aug. 2026): After three nearly back-to-back torrential downpours with violent winds, there was absolutely no leak-through. The tent stayed completely dry. I highly recommend staking out and securing all sides of the tarp if you anticipate heavy rainstorms or windy conditions. Original: The Kelty Noah 16 is a good sunshade and weather canopy, providing enough coverage to fully protect a large MSR Habitude 6 tent (Dimensions LxWxH: 95 x 95 x 73 in). On a recent summer trip with oppressive 80°F nights and 75% relative humidity, this tarp allowed us to prepare for potential downpours without having to put the rainfly over the tent. Because the 16-foot footprint is wide enough to block even wind-driven side rain, we were able to leave the rainfly off completely. This gave us total peace of mind against the weather while allowing much-needed, uninterrupted airflow through the open tent mesh all night. Additionally, pitching the sides low to the ground created an excellent visual barrier at night. It blocked the view of the dark, moving forest, which effectively stopped our dogs from jumping up and barking at shadows at 3:00 AM. Managing a tarp of this scale requires upgrading from the stock hardware to a heavy-duty rigging system. For structure, I used the orange Kelty adjustable poles, which telescope from 80 inches to 99 inches in length (not included unfortunately and needed to clear the tent’s dome ceiling poles to avoid water beading). This adjustable range is critical because it allows you to dynamically change the peak height and tension depending on your campsite layout. To assist with the overall structure, I ran a continuous center line underneath the tarp ridge and tied it securely to opposing trees. This line not only adds excellent structural support against wind and sag but also doubles as a perfect clothesline for later hanging gear dry. For the tie-outs, I paired 5mm paracord with aluminum Nite Ize CamJam tighteners, which made it incredibly easy to tension the lines without tying complex knots. Everything was anchored securely into the ground using rigid, diamond-shaped stakes. When breaking camp, keep in mind that packing this large tarp requires disciplined, organized folding practices. If you just stuff it or roll it haphazardly, it traps a lot of air and packs down bulky. It may feel slightly heavy for minimalist packing. Does require a large, wide-open spread at your campsite to set up and tension properly.

I bought the big tarp...haven't used it, does not come with poles so it is just a fly. Ropes are part of it