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Testimonials
Erika F. : This is an excellent book about efficiently and safely using and making a tarp. It covers every aspect of tarp camping, from choosing a site to regulating your tarp for any weather condition. It also includes extremely detailed step-by-step instructions on how to sew a "Ray-Way" lightweight tarp, together with a net tent. You can also visit Ray's website, where you can get complete and cheap kits to build these projects. I already made my own tarp with virtually no sewing experience and it came out great! I really recommend this book! Thanks Ray!
Ralph S.: Just received my Ray Way Tarp Book today. Once again I am impressed! I was surprised how long the book was. One look, and I knew that I was going to absorb some awesome info! Great work! Please don't stop writing. I work with engineers, so your writing style of explaining the why it works and not just the how-to, appeals to the common sense!
I really like the "Poly-Tarp" section. Scout leaders should take note! It's hard to find a lightweight shelter for 4 people that can compare to the poly-tarp. But, for me, the Sil-Nylon is the only way to go.
The chapter on "Methods of Pitching" is probably the most in-depth chapter on the technique of tarp pitching ever written.
I don't even have to comment on the Tarp and Net Tent construction chapters. They were exactly to the high standard that you write at!
Thank you both once again for the inspiration and the superior books that my wife and I enjoy!
Dodge D.: Making your gear is fool-proof. I've used the tarp on several trips in various weather conditions and it has worked wonderfully. Thank you for sharing your ideas. It will make all my trips more enjoyable.
David M.: I have just returned from a rainy, five day, four night canoe trip in the Oswegatchie Wilderness of New York's Adirondack Park. The area is a beautiful roadless wilderness and there is old growth timber at Griffin Rapids. I camped in my new, self-made, Ray-Way two person tarp with beaks. I am thrilled with the results: the tarp is very dry, spacious, and comfortable. As predicted, I had no problem with water although the people in tents did.
Patrick W.: The sewing projects have changed the way I look at life. Before I started reading Beyond Backpacking I was caught up in the gear buying trap. I have since completed my first tarp, and I am almost finished with the net-tent Beyond sewing and saving money and weight I feel empowered to explore my creative side, a part of me that needs to expand. Sewing has opened a whole new vista on the way I lead my life. It has shown me that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. Thank you for sending me down my own path.
Doug A.: Wonderful philosophy and incredible experiences--a few lifetimes worth for most folks! Tried out your tarp and net-tent in heavy rain and wind out in Anza-Borrego. Super design. Thanks for the equipment design and thoughts.
Philip C.: I made your tarp over the weekend. The whole project went very well considering I'd never used a sewing machine before. I left the tarp up over the weekend in windy and rainy New Zealand and it worked very well. A couple of the neighborhood cats took up residence in it for a while so it must be good. Thanks very much for a great project.
Brian B.: Just wanted to let you know that I finished a tarp based on your specifications. Sewing got much easier as the project progressed and I imagine my next project will be even better. The tarp worked well on a very wet trip this weekend to the Mt. Mitchell area of North Carolina. Setup really is no problem. I think my fiancée is beginning to see the light. We incorporated a lot of your ideas on this trip. The light packs and running sneakers made the tough terrain seem easier.
Jack H.: Impressive, inspirational books. Thanks to your sound evolutionary engineering and willingness to share, I've just completed a tarp and quilt. Thanks so much for sharing and caring about others.
David M.: I finished the tarp today, and I can't wait for the seam sealer to set up. A lot of the time, I will use it for canoe camping, and so can use a couple of paddles for the main supports.
Karen: I just returned from Montana's Glacier National Park where I used my newly made tarp, net-tent, and pack. My husband kept his traditional gear but agreed to leave the tent and use my new stuff. We both loved it! We had a fantastic trip and a few people we camped with were curious about my homemade gear. And with a 20 pound pack I had much more fun than my last trip to Glacier where I carried 50 pounds. Thanks for the great ideas.
Nickolas G.: I constructed the tarp according to your instructions. It worked marvelously, both in high winds and substantial rain during a kayaking trip. I think this was the first time on the northwest coast of British Columbia that I have ever been totally dry and condensation free in the rain. Thanks!
Tom J.: I just finished a thru-hike of the John Muir Trail in 15 days. I am 46 years old. I could not have done the hike without the "Ray Way" and equipment. Thank you for giving me the knowledge and the methods to complete the journey.
David S.: Thank you for all the help you've been to me. After reading Beyond Backpacking, I sewed my own quilt, tarp and net-tent. My approach to backpacking has changed for the better, and I want you to know I appreciate your part in it.
Gordon: I just yesterday finished the net tent and tarp projects and was writing to tell you thanks for the advice and reassurance you've given. The directions were right on and clearly laid out. Your efforts have made a big difference for me. I had contemplated making a home-made tarp. Now, I've done it. I've thought about making clothing to get away from the highly marketed and "logoed" commercial stuff. Now, I have confidence to do it. Suffice it to say that your books and web site have provided me with inspiration. Particularly because you seem to have done all this in a way that's all about enjoying the beauties of nature and realizing goals and attributes people already have inside them.
Charlie D.: One-person tarp completed. The project has taken maybe two weekends. Without lines, stakes, seam sealing, and stowbag, the tarp weighs 10.5 ounces. Thanks for challenging me to learn a new skill, and also for supplying the tarp design.
Jake S.: Just got your book and read it. Love the concept and the tarp worked great during a huge Alabama rain storm.
Kirsten M.: My husband received your latest book for his birthday. On a recent weekend snowshoeing trip in the El Dorado National Forest we had a chance to try a poly-tarp instead of our tent. We had a sturdy, spacious comfortable shelter in only 15 minutes. Not bad for a first try! Now I'd like to surprise him with a sewn tarp.
Steven: Finished sewing your tarp project today, I really enjoyed the project and can't wait to try it out! Have found your books educational, entertaining and inspiring! Thank you for sharing!
Joe G.: I think the hardest part about the ultralite concept is shifting the paradigm from what you THINK you need to what you REALLY need. I think the outdoor gear market is going to change for the better as a result of your contributions and I look forward to your next projects!
Klondike: I finished the two person silicone nylon tarp. My wife was impressed with my new sewing skills.
Joe H.: Last September my wife Buttercup and I were sitting at a camp site in the Sierras after lugg'n my 65 and her 45 lb pack up 2000 ft for 10 miles. I was staring at my swollen knee wondering what I could possibly do to lighten my load. I couldn't think of anything. We came across another hiker that was carrying a 30 lb pack and he told us about "Beyond Backpacking." Three months later I had knee surgery and spent two months in a wheelchair. Concerned about my continued prospects for hiking I purchased your book.
I've been hiking for 40 years, and spent most of my life in the woods or on the water. I had experienced all that I read in your book, but was unable to put it together as a hiking process. You did that for me.
Last week, Buttercup and I completed a test hike on the AT. We were carrying 20 lb Ray Way packs. We had a Ray-way tarp and quilts. We wore trail running shoes. The trip was a complete success. The small amount of gear we had was all we needed. The tarp performed very well in a heavy mountain storm due to proper site selection. We enjoyed the trip more than most, not because of the trail, but primarily because the focus was on the hike and not the heavy burden of the pack. My knee tolerated the light load without difficulty.
I'm glad I ran into that disciple of lightweight backpacking that starry night, and I thank you for your words which helped me stay on the trail.
Eric: I have read Beyond Backpacking and sewn a tarp, also a one person version, a net tent, a large quilt, two small quilts and several stuff bags. My pack now weighs much less. My wife and I will continue to enjoy nature with less on our backs. All of these changes are in large part due to your life, which has a very definite ripple effect on many more people than you will ever know. I for one would like to thank you.
Mike K.: I just returned from a backpacking trip with my brother in the Smokies. We used his new "light weight" single wall tent. This tent, from a major manufacturer, had 1' x 4' vents with awnings along the bottom of both sides, one 1' x 1' vent at the top and one small vent in the vestibule. We had excessive condensation inside the tent. It was so bad, that one night, the impact of the raindrops sprayed the condensation on us. The next trip we are going to use my home-made tarp.
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