Tarps and Creepy Crawlies

Right now I think I am comfortable with the idea of camping in a tent, however the idea of a tarp and ground sheet sounds neat. I would worry about critters and creepy crawlies snuggling up with me for the night.

Any experiences where unwanted guests become your camping buddies because you were out in the open?

I've had experiences with ants and mosquitoes and ticks trying hard but not getting into my tent because I kept it zipped up. In bug season, with a tarp you'll need some kind of bug net if you want to stay sane (or at least unbitten). The result (tarp plus bug net plus ground sheet) will weigh as much as a light weight tent.

Im thinking more like snakes, mice, spiders... scary things like that.

OM pretty well nailed it.

I've never had any real problems with snakes, and I hike a lot in timber rattler and copperhead country. I've never seen them at night, which may mean nothing more than I've never seen them; I don't know if they're nocturnal.

I've only had problems with mice in shelters on the AT.

Spiders are an annoyance, no more. (I've never had any encounters with poisonous spiders, just "daddy long legs" types.)

When I started, I used a tent. This was in the days before solo tents; since I usually slept alone, I ended up carrying a two person tent that weighed six or seven pounds. (The space was wonderful, but not wonderful enough to justify the weight. I never had bug trouble, but I often heard animals moving around the vicinity of the tent - and, since I couldn't easily see outside, imagination and ears indicated they were HUGE! I did once have a skunk wander into my vestibule, which was interesting but ended up being non-confrontational since it lost interest and wandered off.

To save weight, I became a dedicated tarp and groundcloth user; the tarp-and-groundcloth (later, tarp-and-bivy) weighed 3 pounds. Under a tarp, I've awoken to a deer grazing ten yards away from my camp, and I've had passing encounters with raccoons. I have even had a skunk come up to the foot of my sleeping bag and sniff; wiggling my toes sent it on its way with no lingering after effects.

With the advent of solo tents that weight less than 3 pounds, a tarp and groundcloth or bivy are simply irrelevant to me. I prefer an all-mesh (or at least top-half mesh) tent; on nice nights, I can leave the rainfly off and have all the pleasures of sleeping under the stars, without the bugs.

Many years ago I spent a lot of time in spike camps in the Sierra and the mountains of Nevada cowboy camping, occasionally under a tarp. I had a few incidents with scorpions, but luckily wasn't bitten. In case you Sierra buffs wonder where there's scorpions, it was at about 7,000 feet elevation above Olancha. Both my wife and I have been bitten by spiders on separate occasions, as we experimented with tarps as we've gotten older and weight conscious. The worst tarp side -effects have been wind driven dust, rain and snow. If I mention tarp to my wife she starts getting that look.... We just bought a very comfortable tent that fits 2, all our gear, and still has space, and is under 2 1/2 lbs. with stakes and groundcloth included. I can roll up the doors on my tent and stargaze very well in any direction, yet it buttons up tight when needed. Tarp? It's what I cover my lumber piles and tools with.

We have an early season hiking area here (Henry Coe State Park) that is known for ticks. When I used a bivy sack with a bug net, I always managed to have several ticks attaching to me every day and at least one burrowed in deep. When I switched to a tent, fewer ticks, as long as I carefully removed then before I went in the tent, and none burrowed in. I really like the open feeling and star gazing with a bivy but now use a tent during mosquito season and anywhere there are ticks or biting ants. I have had a bear sniff my face when I cowboy camped, and it really was not too bad. I did, however, pack up and move a distance after that incident. One time I had bees swarm me while cooking and was really glad to have a tent to get into. You will inevitably occasionally get creepy crawlies if out in the open. Depends on how much that prospect really bothers you. And I agree with above posts. Really little point in a tarp and net if a tent weighs less. My bivy system weighs 1 lb 4 oz. My Tarp Tent weighs 2 lb 6 oz. The bivy is much more compact, so I can do an overnight with a day pack and there is no tent to have to set up. Nowadays with the light tents, it is more of a decision based on if you actually like to be out in the open.

I've done some tarp camping, and a lot of "cowboy camping" --- no tent or tarp, sleeping under the stars in climates/environments where I'm pretty sure there's not going to be rain or significant dew.

I think all of the comments made so far are right on the mark. I would add that I consider a tarp to be a situational thing. There are trails and times/seasons on those trails where I like the tarp (or poncho tarp) option. More often, where I live, I want an enclosed tent. It's not about mice or rats or snakes or the like, it's about the insect kingdom, and primarily various flying insects. And indeed sometimes wind, though if you know the prevailing wind (which can shift in the night ...) a tarp can be staked out well to deal with that. A PITA in the dark of night, however, to realize that you want to adjust or just put up in the first place a tarp to block wind.

One issue with tent vs. tarp that I don't think has been said is the fact that an enclosed tent is a bit warmer. I've camped in snow with a tarp, and don't say that you should bring a tent as a way to stay warm (!) but it is one of many factors in picking the various bits of gear that make up your sleep system.

Okay, and one final one: animals DO act differently to enclosed tents. I recall on overnight trip tarp camping in snow with some friends; the next morning we decided to leave gear and do a day hike before heading home. I had taken down my tarp and collapsed my trench, just put all of my stuff in a yard waste type of bag. My friends left their tents up. On return from the day hike, a fox had torn into my plastic bag and spread my stuff all around with minor damage, whereas the tents were untouched. Often animals do see a fully enclosed tent as a tangible object. This rarely means anything IMO, so put it in context, but ... I guess "non-zero" if you're listing factors.

You can get bug nets that can be used with a tarp like these:

https://www.rei.com/c/bug-shelters?r=category%3Acamping-and-hiking|tents|shelters|bug-shelters&ir=category%3Abug-shelters

This one is made with insect shield and should be very effective against Ticks, Chiggers and Mosquitos:

https://www.rei.com/product/849594/sea-to-summit-nano-mosquito-pyramid-insect-shield-net-shelter

I started out tarp camping many years ago and seldom had problems with bugs and never had problems with mice. That said, it depends on the season and the location. In peak bug season, a tent or bug net is desirable. A tent will not provide as much ventilation as a tarp and may be uncomfortably hot. In colder weather bugs aren't as much of a problem, except for ticks. When the ticks come out, probably this month or next, they will be thick. You are more likely to get them while hiking, but could pick them up at camp. Here in Illinois, Insect Shield has been the most effective deterrent for me. Socks treated with Insect Shield (Permethrin) have stopped almost all of my ticks and chigger bites. Overall, the choice of tent or tarp depends on where you are and what you want to do. In exposed country, tarps just don't provide much protection from wind, unless pitched right down to the ground. A free standing double wall tent provides much more protection, but at a weight and bulk penalty.