What Size Hunting Tarp Do You Need? 5 × 4 vs. 7 × 8 in the Field

A 5 × 4 hunting tarp is the better choice when you need a compact clean-work surface or meat pack liner. A 7 × 8 tarp earns its space when you need more overhead coverage for a partner, gear, or a longer weather hold. Neither size replaces breathable game bags or the need to cool meat.

Start with the job you cannot do without. A tarp laid under a quarter cannot also be pitched above it. That single constraint often makes the size decision clearer than a list of possible tarp uses.

Start with the job the tarp must do

If your primary problem is keeping meat and gear off wet or dirty ground during a short breakdown, look first at the 5 × 4. If your primary problem is keeping rain or direct sun off a working area while people sort gear or handle bagged meat, look first at the 7 × 8.

Think about whether you hunt solo or with a partner, whether you can rig to trees or will need stakes and lines, and whether the tarp will be used mostly at a kill site or as a pack liner during the carry out. Those choices matter more than trying to find one size that does every job equally well.

What 5 × 4 and 7 × 8 actually give you

Laid flat, a 5 × 4 tarp has 20 square feet of fabric. A 7 × 8 has 56 square feet—2.8 times as much flat area. The larger sheet gives you more options for a pitched roof, but the space underneath depends on pitch, tie-down points, anchor height, and the weather. Flat dimensions are not the same as usable shelter dimensions.

• 5 × 4: Easier to assign to one focused task: a temporary clean surface, compact cover, or pack liner. Expect limited room if you pitch it overhead.
• 7 × 8: More fabric to extend coverage beyond one pack or work spot. Plan for a larger packed item and the anchors needed to make that coverage useful.

Do not choose solely by animal size. A solo elk hunter who wants a clean surface during breakdown may favor the smaller tarp; two hunters working through uncertain weather may get more value from a larger roof. The use case—not the species name—sets the size.

Choose the 5 × 4 for clean handling and a pack liner

The 5 × 4 Hunters Tarp Meat Pack Liner fits a kit built around one small, deliberate work zone. It can give you a temporary barrier between a clean game bag and the ground, then serve as a liner to help protect the inside of a pack during the carry out. Keep the ground-facing side away from clean meat and bags if you change jobs.

The current product listing describes the tarp as waterproof and gives a 5.6-ounce packed weight with its stuff sack and four aluminum stakes. That can help when carried weight matters, but ounces alone should not decide the purchase: a small sheet will not provide the same working roof as a 7 × 8 pitch.

It is the size to choose when you already have a separate plan for overhead weather protection, or when your tarp's main value is a clean surface and a pack barrier rather than shelter for two people.

Choose the 7 × 8 when overhead coverage comes first

The 7 × 8 Montana Hunters Tarp is the stronger fit when the tarp's first job is a roof. Its extra fabric can cover a broader working area or give two hunters more room to get gear out of weather. A pitched tarp still needs a sensible location and sound anchors; size cannot fix a poor setup.

Caribou Gear lists 23 exterior tie-down locations and three interior loops. The current package includes a stuff sack, four 7-inch aluminum stakes and their sack, two 9-foot guylines, and six attached 19-inch guylines. Those rigging options are useful if you will actually practice your pitch before the hunt.

This is not the automatic answer for every hunt. More fabric and more rigging make sense when you expect to use the coverage, not when you only need a brief clean place to set a bag or line a pack.

Pack the setup, not just the fabric

Before buying or packing either size, decide how you will put it to work. For a ground surface, choose a spot away from runoff and sharp debris, and keep the cleaner face for clean bags. For overhead cover, identify whether your terrain offers suitable trees or whether you must carry a workable stake-and-line setup. Practice a pitch that sheds water away from the work area.

Compare carried kits on the same basis. The 5 × 4 listing specifies 5.6 ounces packed with stakes and sack. The Montana listing gives a 12.8-ounce weight but does not say whether that figure includes every listed accessory, so it is not a direct packed-kit comparison. Add any poles or extra cord you would actually take.

If you need both a clean surface and an overhead roof at the same time, one tarp of either size is not two tarps. Assign another clean surface, a second tarp, or a staged workflow before you are working in bad weather.

Keep tarp cover separate from meat cooling

Use a tarp to manage contact with the ground and short-term exposure to weather. Use breathable game bags to contain meat while allowing air movement, and get quarters cooled and hung or otherwise spaced for airflow as conditions allow. Do not wrap warm meat tightly in waterproof fabric and treat that as storage.

Rain complicates the balance between protection and ventilation. If you expect a wet packout, read how to handle wet elk game bags during a packout before you leave. The tarp can create a temporary working roof, but the bags and airflow still do their own jobs.

Make the decision before you leave

• Choose 5 × 4 if the tarp will mainly be a compact clean-work surface or meat pack liner and you can accept limited overhead room.
• Choose 7 × 8 if your main need is more overhead cover for people, gear, or a working area and you can carry and rig the larger sheet.
• Plan for two separate surfaces or stages if the same hunt may require ground protection and a roof at once.

Pack the size whose primary job you can name, along with the anchors and handling routine that make it useful in your terrain. That is a better field decision than carrying extra fabric without a setup plan.

Hunting Tarp Size FAQ

Can a 5 × 4 hunting tarp work as a shelter?

It can provide compact personal cover when rigged well, but its 20 square feet of flat fabric leave limited room once pitched. Choose the 7 × 8 if useful overhead working space is the main requirement.

Should I carry both tarp sizes?

Only if you have two simultaneous jobs that justify the added kit—such as a dedicated clean surface below and weather cover above. For a simpler setup, choose the size that handles your priority job and plan the other task separately.

Can a waterproof tarp replace game bags?

No. A tarp can provide a temporary barrier or cover, while breathable game bags contain meat and permit airflow. Do not tightly wrap warm meat in a waterproof tarp.