What the manufacturers say:

The Iphis is an ultra light tarp designed with the minimalist camper in mind. GorLyn 30 Silicone fabric ensures strength and durability. A trapezoid shape gives you multiple stake points to add to the overall stability of the shelter. The Q-ring attachments makes it easy to pitch as shelter. Available in Medium and Large. All stress points are Reinforced with Gornyma. Handy 290x355cm tarp from siliconized nylon with an unmatched weight. Thanks to the many stake points, reinforced with Gornyma fabric and Q-ring attachments, it is easy to pitch and guylines can be added/taken in seconds.

Features:

Fly                                         GorLyn 30 Ultra Lite 30D siliconized ripstop 6.6 Nylon min. 4000mm
Floor size Tent                      355x330cm
Minimum Weight                   550g
Packed Weight                      802g
Pack Size                              20x30x2cm

• Siliconized lightweight Golyn 30 6.6 Ripstop Nylon ensures strength and durability
  Coverage 290x355cm
• Compact and light storage size
• Gornyma reinforced stress points
• Q-ring attachments makes it easy to pitch as shelter
• J-stakes included

Nigor Iphis M Tarp on test:

To the uninitiated a tarp is a tarp - a cheap rectangle of nylon you can use to cover garden furniture or pull out as an emergency groundsheet. Well apart from the nylon that couldn't be further from the truth when it comes to the Nigor Iphis; it's not cheap, it's not entirely rectangular and it's designed for the great outdoors not your garden.

It's not a bad idea to practice pitching in your garden first.

In shape it's almost rectangular at 3.5m long and a width that tapers from 3.3m at one end to 3.0m at the other end. The guying options consist of the 4 coners and a central guy point down each side with 3 further tie-ins along the central ridge line. Initially this may seem a minimal number for what's actually quite a large tarp but the secret lies in the contraction of the width to 2.9m at the mid point. This creates a curve on either side of the mid length guying point that helps the tarp retain tension.

Each of the guying points is really well reinforced with large Gornyma (think Dyneema) panels and a tape loop rather than a hole. Pre-attached to the loop is Nigor's Q-ring attachment for quick guying. To make sure you're ready to go straight from the bag the Iphis comes complete with a full set of guys, and by full I mean enough for every attachment point and some, and 10 high quality J-stake pegs.

Not only does it come with everything you need to pitch your tarp (walking pole(s) excluded) but it doesn't take long before you realise the guys and pegs aren't just randomly selected, they're very much part of an integrated package. The guys are precisely sized to slide through the Q-rings before locking at a single knot. The notches on the J-stakes are also matched perfectly for the supplied guys to give a securerecess to trap the line in.

When it comes to ground pitching the Iphis works in pretty much all the classic tarp layouts from a A frame, double poled, sun canopy to a Flying V. With 3.5m of length to play with there's more than enough room in most setups for two people and it's positevly luxurious for 1. The preformed curves either side of the midpoint both create tension and provide excellent ventilation while the taper makes it easy to vary the height of the tarp at either end. With the narrow end into the wind you can have the tarp down to ground level to the mid point with the forward half slightly raised to give ventilation.

The Gornyma reinforced panels should provide durability while withstanding a fully tensioned tarp, although the tape loop could prove to be the weak spot. Although double sewn through the Gornyma panel and the main seam should the loop itself get abraided it would require specialist repair. That said, the Q-rings should minimise abrasion of the loops by removing the need for any direct attachment. The combination of Q-rings, a perfect diameter guy and line-locks make initial pitching the Iphis extremely quick and simple and fine tuning equally rapid. Rather than the guying points along the edges conforming to the straight edges of a rectangle they extend slightly with the result, enhanced by the curves to the midpoint, that the Iphis is easy to tension.

Q-rings can be attached directly to the J-stakes for positioning the tarp low to the ground

Pitched as a tarp cover the Iphis is hard to beat. The Q-ring system works a treat when you're trying to centre the tarp between trees. The coverage from what's a slightly larger than normal tarp is ideal for hammocking with not just cover for the hammock itself but enough space to keep your pack and other items under cover. Tensioned between trees with the corners and sides pegged out the Iphis proved its ability with over 13 hours of continuous rain in our final test.

The Iphis gives extensive ground coverage with room to store lots of equipment even when used with hammocks

It's not the lightest tarp on the market and with a list price of 300 Euros (Street Price from £186) it's nowhere near the cheapest, but it reminds me of a Hilleberg Akto. From the over-generous provision of guy-lines to the carefully selected diameter of the lines themselves and the Gornyma reinforcement to the sculpted shape the Nigor Iphis screams build quality and reliability. The attention to detail is reassuring and you get the feeling that once you've made the investment it's something that's going to give you years and years of use.