I posted this, probably mistakenly, in the gear section.

Hey all, I'm new to the forums, although I've browsed them for a while. Right now I'm in the market for a tarp. I'm thinking the 8.5' x 10' MLD Super Tarp in silnylon. How much harder is it to get a tight pitch in various configurations with a rectangular tarp than with a square one? What are some of the better pitch options for a rectangular tarp other than an A-frame?

Also, I'm leaning towards a tarp/bivy combo. If I go with cuben (stays taut when wet, right?) will I be able to forego the bivy for most situations? Any thoughts and/or advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

Doesn't matter for most pitches. For example you can pitch a diamond shape with either,
tho the rectangular tarp will be asymetrical, but still just as tight. The right size
retangular tarp may end up being more efficient since the human body has a a long and
a short dimension.

I remember one guy had a custom rectangular tarp made with the tie outs at a place where he could set it up as a square with the edge tucked.

I use a bivy more for protection against misting and extra warmth. The material of the tarp has very little to do with it since the bivy comes no matter what.

Steve Evans has a video with 3 different pitches of a rectangular tarp (Episode #9):

http://www.suluk46.com/videos.html

He's using a small poncho tarp (5 x 7 ?) but should be applicable to a larger tarp.