AquaQuest Safari tarp review: the all-round tarp for hammocks and camp
Most campers who buy a tarp need it to do two jobs: go over a hammock or a cooking area on a walk-in trip, and come along on the car-camping weekend as well. The AquaQuest Safari sits in the middle of the range for that reason. It is about half the weight of the heavy-duty Defender, and still made of a fabric that takes repeated use.
Quick take
The middle of the AquaQuest range and the most useful for most people: 70D ripstop nylon, heat-taped seams, a 5,000 mm waterproof rating and 19 tie-outs on the 10 x 10, at 1.7 pounds (770 g). It is light enough for a backpack or a canoe pack and sturdy enough to pitch every weekend. No cord or stakes are included.
What it does
The Safari is a flat tarp made of dual-coated 70-denier ripstop nylon, a fabric woven with a grid of heavier threads that stops a small tear from spreading. Its waterproof rating is 5,000 mm, a measure of how tall a column of water the fabric holds back before it leaks. That is well above the 1,500 to 3,000 mm typical of tent flies. The seams are heat-taped at the factory.
The 10 x 10 has 19 tie-out loops along the ridgeline, the edges and the corners, with doubled fabric at the corners and bar-tacked stitching on the loops. A reinforced strip runs along the ridgeline, where a tarp carries the most tension. With that many attachment points it pitches as an A-frame over a hammock, a lean-to, a flat kitchen roof, or a low storm shelter on trekking poles, a use we cover in our trekking pole guide.
AquaQuest backs it with a lifetime warranty.
Sizes, and which one covers a hammock
The line comes in 10 x 7 ft (3 x 2.1 m), 10 x 10 ft (3 x 3 m), 13 x 10 ft (4 x 3 m), 15 x 15 ft (4.6 x 4.6 m) and 20 x 13 ft (6 x 4 m). The finished size of the 10 x 10 is 9 feet 7 inches (2.9 m) a side, or 92 square feet (8.5 m²).
Over a hammock, that finished length matters. An 11-foot (3.4 m) hammock hung with a proper sag spans a little over 9 feet (2.8 m), which leaves less than 3 inches (7 cm) of cover at each end under a 10 x 10 pitched square. Either pitch the 10 x 10 on the diagonal, corner to corner, which gives about 13.5 feet (4.1 m) of ridgeline, or buy the 13 x 10 and run the long side along the hammock. For a ground shelter, a cooking fly or a cover over a small tent, the 10 x 10 is the all-round size.
What verified buyers say
Across verified-purchase reviews, the same points come up:
- Dry through violent weather. Owners describe long thunderstorms with shifting wind and steep, driving rain, and staying dry under it while other tarps in the same camp failed.
- Well made. Stitching, seam tape and reinforcements are singled out, and people who own two say both arrived to the same standard.
- Light and compact. Buyers moving from polyester or hardware-store tarps are surprised at how small it packs and how much quieter it is in wind.
- Lots of tie-outs. The number and spacing of loops gets steady praise for making setup quick.
- Holds in strong wind. Reports include gusts of 40 to 50 mph (65 to 80 km/h) and a windy week in canoe country.
- The centre loops look light. One owner felt the loops on the ridgeline strip looked less sturdy than the edge tie-outs after a stormy trip.
Worth knowing
It ships as a tarp and a stuff sack only. You supply the ridgeline cord, guylines and stakes, so budget for about 50 feet (15 m) of cord and six stakes, and learn two or three knots before the trip. A tarp is open at the ends and sides: in wind-driven rain it has to be pitched low, and it is draughtier than a tent. Nylon stretches when wet, so re-tension the guylines after the first hour of rain.
Who it is for
The Safari is for the camper who wants one tarp for most uses: hammock campers, canoe trippers, backpackers who value a dry place to cook, and car campers who do not need the heavier fabric of the Defender. In the 13 x 10 size it is our first choice over an 11-foot (3.4 m) hammock.
Choose the Defender if the tarp will stay up for weeks or take rough handling around a base camp, and the Guide if every ounce in the pack counts.
Specs at a glance
- Typeflat tarp
- Fabric70D ripstop nylon, dual coated
- Waterproof rating5,000 mm
- Seamsheat-taped
- Tie-outs19 (10 x 10)
- Listed weight1.7 lb (771 g) · 10 x 10 ft
- Includestarp and stuff sack
- Warrantylifetime
- Best forhammock camping, canoe trips, general use
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The Verdict
The AquaQuest Safari is the tarp we would recommend to most readers. It is properly waterproof, carefully made, light enough to carry and strong enough for regular use, with a lifetime warranty behind it. Buy the 10 x 10 for general camp use or the 13 x 10 for a hammock, and add cord and stakes. The heavier Defender is the better choice for a fixed camp, and the Guide saves a further 6 ounces (180 g) for backpackers. For how a tarp fits into a hammock setup, see hammock or tent.
