NO tarps or bivys or hammocks for sleeping. For reasons regarding bears, Philmont REQUIRES a TENT for sleeping. They will, however, require a tarp to be set up for use as a rain fly to protect your packs, which are NOT allowed in the tents.
Someone explane to me what makes a tent more protection from bears than other sleeping setups?
The issue is based off a study from several years of
North American Bear Attacks. Statistically speaking, from the reported episodes of bears attacking sleepers, those in a tent are somewhat less likely to be attacked than those under a tarp or out in the open.
Whether food or unfamiliar odors played a part aren't factored in. But Philmont puts on a hard press for scouts to control those odors in any case. The findings are enough that Philmont errs on the side of caution.
On NOLS courses in the Absarokas, (Grizzly kingdom of the lower 48), we were also required to sleep only in tents for this same reason. NOLS has had only one bear attack on a sleeping human since the school opened in 1965. It was 2003 in Utah, on a young man sleeping in the open. (Who BTW had freshly salted dreadlocks...)
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