Escapist Evo Tarp

The Sea to Summit Escapist Evo Tarp is an ultralight shelter made from Ultra-Sil LS, a recycled nylon ripstop with a polyester grid, built to go up on a pair of trekking poles and stay tight when the wind gets up. Two sizes: the M at 260 x 201 cm and 348 g, and the L at 320 x 290 cm and 499 g.

What it does

Roof over your head for a fraction of the weight of a tent. Drop your trekking pole tips into the reinforced bar tacks, run out the guy lines, and tension each one from underneath with the line tensioners at the tie-outs. On a clear night you pitch it high and open for the breeze; when a southerly change rolls through, drop the windward end to the ground and the catenary-cut edges hold taut instead of flapping all night.

No trekking poles? Hang it from a branch by the central loop, or use the stuff sack, which clips to the tarp, as a pocket for a stick or a paddle in place of a pole. That makes it a strong pick for packrafters and paddlers as well as walkers on the Australian Alps Walking Track or the Larapinta.

Which tents it fits

The Escapist Evo is a shelter in its own right, and it pairs with the Sea to Summit Escapist Mesh Bug Shelter, which clips on and hangs beneath the tarp to give you a fully enclosed, bug-proof bed on mosquito-heavy coastal and tropical trips. Pair it with your own groundsheet and it becomes a complete ultralight setup.

• M (260 x 201 cm): the solo walker's roof, with room for one person and their pack
• L (320 x 290 cm): space for two, or one person who wants a big dry porch to cook and sort gear under

Fabric

Ultra-Sil LS is 15D nylon woven with a 30D polyester ripstop grid and finished with a silicone and polyurethane coating plus a PFAS-free water-repellent face. The polyester yarns mean less stretch when the fabric gets wet, so you are not crawling out at 2am to re-tension the lines, and the fabric soaks up less water and dries faster before you pack it. All the yarns are recycled, the fabric is bluesign APPROVED, and there are no PFAS or flame retardants in any of the materials.

Weight and packed size

• M: 348 g, or 260 g minimum trail weight, 360 g packed; packs to 18 x 8 x 8 cm
• L: 499 g, or 418 g minimum trail weight, 519 g packed; packs to 20 x 9 x 9 cm

Toggles let you unclip the guy lines before you roll it up, so they go in the sack in a neat bundle and come out untangled next time. Pegs are not included: most tarp pitches use trees and rocks as anchors, and Sea to Summit Ground Control pegs are the match when you need them.

Looking after it

At the beach, use sand pegs, keep the tarp out of the midday sun when it is not in use, and rinse salt and sand off before storage. At home, dry it fully before packing it away for the season.