I admit I’ve caught the bug for cutting pack weight. Naturally this occurred only after I had purchased a six-pound pack and a five-pound tent.
Lately I’ve been poking around and looking for ideas about camping with a tarp, and since everyone was so helpful last week telling me where to camp, I thought I’d put out a plea for tarp advice: what to try, what to avoid, how to pitch, etc.
So, all recommendations are welcome.
Hi, Tom. I sometimes use my 5×8 Siltarp in combination with a light bivy sack. I could rely on the bivy alone, but I want more protection than that for my down bag, and I like having a somewhat sheltered space in which to sort gear, cook, and so on.
A bit more on this…
There are a bunch of ways to pitch a tarp – that is part of the appeal of tarps I think. I’ve set mine up as a windbreak, set it up pup tent style, erected it “sideways” to provide working space around my bivy, attached it to trees and rocks.
If nothing else, a tarp can provide you with hours of entertainment as you experiment with different ways to use it.
I recommend that you get a cheap vinyl tarp at Walmart first. You can play with it and see how you like tarping, before you invest in a silnylon tarp. 8 x 10 is a good starting size.
It’s also a good idea to get a couple moveable tarp attachments\keepers (name?) that allow you to hook onto the tarp where their isn’t any grommits or loops. (small rubber ball and metal or plastic wire in a keyhole shape)These can be very helpful in tightening the tarp, raising the roof, or just hooking to your hiking pole.
You might also consider hammock camping.
Have you visited Just Jeff’s or Risk’s sites?
http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockCampingWarm.html
http://www.imrisk.com/
DK: great advice, and only a couple hours too late — I ordered a 5×8 silnylon tarp like Dan described from REI because I wanted to use my 20 percent member discount on something cheap ($70) so I wouldn’t be tempted to use it on something expensive.
I’ve already got a bivy so that’ll give me a better survival package to have in my daypack when I go on all-day hikes in unfamiliar terrain.
And thanks for the hammock links — after I try tarping I may try that as well.
I have used a tarp quite a bit before I recently switched to a tent. I used to always do either an A-frame over a rope between two trees and the corners staked, or else more of a lean to, with two corners staked upwind and two tied off to trees. Those were quick and usually effective in the rain when combined with a little trenching.
I switched to a tent because of the misquittos. I absolutely hate the feeling of knowing there are misquittos biting me, and then when you hear one buzzing in your ear? Ack! My tent is the Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight. It is light, packs very small, and it is well proven.
My main tent is an REI Quarter Dome — it weighs almost 5 pounds including the footprint but it’s a nice little tent. In the summer I shave off a pound by leaving the rainfly at home.
I figure a small tarp that weighs 6 ounces qualifies as “nice to have around,” even if I keep using my tent.
Tarps are great. I prefer the poncho/tarp combo to cover both shelter and rain gear in less than 10 oz.
Poncho tarps like the Equinox, the BMW series (backpackinglight.com) or the MountainLaurelDesigns.com tarps are best.
I also like and have the Gatewood cape from Sixmoondesigns.com
Tarps rock – they are lighter, more open, less prone to condensation, faster to setup/take down (when you know what you are doing). I was reluctant to convert from my little “enclosed” place, but it gives me a better connection to the wild and I’m lighter to boot.