Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent vs Standard Tarp With Doors - Hammock Shelter - Lightweight - Camping - Hammock Gear: which is safer?

Standard Tarp With Doors - Hammock Shelter - Lightweight - Camping - Hammock Gear is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Big Agnes Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent

Big Agnes

Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 2/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Nylon ripstop with water-repellent coating (type unspecified)

Confidence

55%

PossibleFluorinated water-repellent coating residues (PFOA/PFCs in historical treatments)

PossibleMold and bacterial growth in stored damp fabric

ReportedHeat sensitivity of water-repellent coating-coated nylon near fire or stove

Our pick

Standard Tarp With Doors - Hammock Shelter - Lightweight - Camping - Hammock Gear

Hammock Gear

Standard Tarp With Doors - Hammock Shelter - Lightweight - Camping - Hammock Gear

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 8/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Nylon ripstop or polyester with unspecified water-repellent coating

Confidence

45%

Possiblewater-repellent coating degradation and particle release

PossibleMold and bacterial growth on wet fabric

PossibleMicroplastic shedding if tarp is torn or abraded

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Fluorinated DWR coating residues (PFOA/PFCs in historical treatments), Mold and bacterial growth in stored damp fabric and Heat sensitivity of DWR-coated nylon near fire or stove on the Big Agnes and not on the Hammock Gear.
  • We flag DWR coating degradation and particle release, Mold and bacterial growth on wet fabric and Microplastic shedding if tarp is torn or abraded on the Hammock Gear and not on the Big Agnes.
  • The Big Agnes is Nylon ripstop with DWR coating (type unspecified) where the Hammock Gear is Nylon ripstop or polyester with unspecified DWR coating, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

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