SlumberJack Satellite Tarp

SlumberJack Satellite Tarp

By Cory McLaughlin

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Just the Facts:

Meet your new favorite piece of gear! Lightweight, durable & compact, this tarp will quickly earn a permanent spot in your pack. Easily set up with trekking poles or P-cord strung between trees, the Satellite tarp can be pitched in almost limitless configurations. This tarp excels as a lightweight backcountry shelter for 2, feeds 4 during meals at spike camp, or can provide much needed sun shelter on hot days at the range. An integrated hanging pocket keeps key items organized, doubles as a carry bag, and is sewn on so it won’t blow away. Combined with Kryptek™ Highlander camouflage, the Satellite tarp will literally help you disappear into the wild.

Source: Imported

SPECS

• Capacity: Sleeps 2, Feeds 4
• Packaged Weight: 1 lb 14.7 oz
• Minimum Weight: 1 lb 10 oz
• Dimensions: 124″ x 103″
• Packed Size: 12″ x 7.5″ x 2.5″
• Fly Material: 70D Coated Polyester

DETAILS

• Multiple pitch options create an extremely versatile shelter
• Integrated hanging pocket helps organize gear and converts into stuff sack
• Catenary-cut ends maintain a taut set up
• Four additional guy-out points allow 7.5″ of material to be folded under on each side, improving weather resistance and creating storage options for your rifle
• Waterproof taped seams
• 10 aluminum stakes & 8 guy-lines included
• Trekking poles not included

My Story:

I love to backcountry hunt. I have had some of my greatest adventures in areas that will never see asphalt or hydroponic gardens. These remote areas are pristine and wonderful and they remain that way for a reason, they are hard to get to and can be very inhospitable. Nonetheless, I love these places and seek them out as often as I can.

When adventuring as I do so often it is an absolute necessity that I have great gear. I have been fortunate enough to test some very amazing products and through that testing I have learned never to let any preconceived judgments dictate what I consider. This is the case with Slumberjack as they are not a name synonymous with extremely high price points or endorsements from very pretty famous folks. Slumberjack (SJK) offers a product line that fits more closely to the lifestyle and budget of average people that are not pandering to the ultra-popular. I’m not saying those expensive companies don’t make great gear, I am saying that you can obtain great gear at a fraction of the price if you know where to look. That search should start and possibly end at Slumberjack.

When I was packing for my 2019 Idaho hunting trip I knew I was going to bring my newly acquired SJK Satellite Tarp. Past experience in the area taught me that a tarp is a necessity as weather can roll in quickly leaving a hunter in a possibly dangerous situation far from base camp. A tarp is one great way to extend a hunt and something that I have learned never to leave without.

The snow was horrible during the beginning of our hunt. It poured down and soon we had over a foot of snow to deal with. It made hiking awful and very slow. I didn’t think things could get much worse until the rain came. It was relentless and miserable but it was also slightly welcomed as it beat away at the snow. The only real problem that I faced was that it came while I was 4 miles deep in the Idaho wilderness with a whole day of hunting still ahead of me. In my younger and more foolish years I would have pulled out and went back to camp. Luckily, I am not as young or foolish as I once was so I reached into my pack and pulled out the SJK Satellite Tarp.

I was looking into a basin that I had come to know as an active game route. My plan before the rain came was to get to the basin and glass it all day until I found an animal to pursue. The SJK Satellite Tarp is the only reason I was able to see this plan through. I set up the tarp on a hillside and my hunting partner and I crawled under it to get out of the rain. It literally saved our hunt on that wet and nasty day.

The next few days of hunting were tough and I was still holding onto a tag. My hunting partner had to leave back for town and I was going to be solo hunting for the next few days. I hatched a plan to get myself into the prime area and I knew that the SJK Satellite Tarp was going to be an integral part of my hunt. I planned to hike about 3 miles into the area that was close to where I wanted to hunt and “Spike Camp” so I was closer to where I wanted to spend my time at first light.

The plan was a great success and I was able to harvest a bull the next morning. The SJK Satellite Tarp served very well as my shelter for the night and I was happy to see it again when I was packing out meat. I feel that the SJK Satellite Tarp is a very functional product that is fairly priced. You will not be sorry you made this purchase.

Find it here:

https://slumberjack.com/satellite-tarp/

What can be done better?

Can’t really think of anything I would change with the tarp. Might a few more stakes? That is about it. For those that think the 70D is a bit much, well I guess that depends what you are doing with it. For my intended use I liked the thicker more robust material as it held up in some pretty nasty weather.