Laying tarp over tent hoop + footprint?

Posted by: Winfried

Laying tarp over tent hoop + footprint? - 05/22/17 03:28 PM

Hello,,

I'm pretty new to camping as an easy and cheap way to travel by bike.

To get my feet wet without making costly mistakes, I bought a cheap NatureHike Cloud UP 2, which appears to be a Chinese knock-off of the Big Agnes Fly Creek.
I've only used it a few times, including two nights under heavy rain, and am happy with how it performed… but I'd like to save on the weight and the volume it takes.

So I was wondering if it'd be possible to just keep the hoop (343g, folded 37cm), the independent footprint it was sold with (250g), and pegs (120g), and simply lay a light tarp over it:



Besides the saving in weight + volume, I won't have poles in the middle and it might even be faster to install than a regular tarp.

What do you think?

Thank you.
Posted by: the-gr8t-waldo

Re: Laying tarp over tent hoop + footprint? - 05/22/17 05:29 PM

I'm not totally sure what your asking about,,, wasn't the tent sold with a "rain fly"? (goes on the very top of the tent and cut and sewn to maintain a water shedding shape). A light tarp would, in most configurations, be a lot heavier than a made fly. and the "foot print" goes between the tent bottom and the earth. it's there that a tarp could be substituted for a ome footprint. but still likely to be heavier
Posted by: Winfried

Re: Laying tarp over tent hoop + footprint? - 05/22/17 07:05 PM

Sorry, I don't know the right terms.

Yes, the tent is a double layer. To save on weight + volume, I was thinking of only keeping this…



… and just putting an ultra-light tarp on top.

Currently, the whole double-layer setup weighs 1.8kg and takes a bit too much space on my folding bike.

Has anyone tried it?

Thank you.
Posted by: Glenn Roberts

Re: Laying tarp over tent hoop + footprint? - 05/22/17 10:52 PM

Why bother with a (assumed) rectangular tarp, that won't fit easily and tautly over the pole set? Just use the rain fly that came with it. Most tent manufacturers actually tell you that leaving the inner tent behind, and using a footprint-pole-and-fly setup is a great way to minimize weight.

By the way, this is only practical if you don't camp in bug country. Otherwise, you'll spend every minute of every night regretting the decision to leave that wonderful bug netting behind.
Posted by: Winfried

Re: Laying tarp over tent hoop + footprint? - 05/23/17 04:12 AM

Thanks for the info.