Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Page 1 of 2 1 2 >
Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#108119 - 12/20/08 07:55 PM Tarp camping!!
mtnman Offline
member

Registered: 12/09/06
Posts: 76
Loc: WA
New to tarp camping here! But love sleeping out in the fresh air!! Have yet to experience extreeme weather.

Please guys and gals post pics of your tarp camps!! And feel free to let everyone learn from any bad experiences you've had..

Thanks and Happy holidays!!

Top
#108122 - 12/20/08 08:13 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: mtnman]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada

When the ground is soft it's nice.

_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


Top
#108135 - 12/21/08 10:10 AM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: mtnman]
Folkalist Offline
member

Registered: 03/17/07
Posts: 374
Loc: Fredericksburg, VA
My first lesson was: when the weatherman is predicting a Nor'easter, you had best believe him.

My second lesson, derived from lesson number one was: do not pitch the open end of the tarp into the prevailing wind . . .

Other than that, I love using a tarp. smile
_________________________
Why am I online instead of hiking?

Top
#108145 - 12/21/08 02:25 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: mtnman]
deliriousNomad Offline
member

Registered: 04/13/06
Posts: 64
Loc: Matthews, NC


I've just started using a tarp/bivy combo.
Make sure you have a good pack cover, and that you have the pack covered with the cover when it starts raining!



Edited by deliriousNomad (12/21/08 02:43 PM)
_________________________
- deliriousNomad

Top
#108160 - 12/21/08 09:38 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: mtnman]
kbennett Offline
member

Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 820
Loc: north carolina
When I'm inside my warm bag, it's also nice.

_________________________
--Ken B

Top
#108205 - 12/22/08 09:16 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: kbennett]
Jim M Offline
member

Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
I notice you have a bivy sack under your tarp. Is it waterproof? Breathable? Homemade? If not what brand and are you happy with it? Thanks, great picture.
_________________________
Jim M

Top
#108206 - 12/22/08 09:19 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: deliriousNomad]
Jim M Offline
member

Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
Great picture. Now let's see one in the rain! I used tarps as shelters when I started serious backpacking many years ago and they worked well, even here in the Pacific Northwest. I can't remember why I later traded it in on a 5 lb tent! JIM
_________________________
Jim M

Top
#108211 - 12/22/08 09:56 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: Jim M]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Originally Posted By Pliny
Great picture. Now let's see one in the rain!

a rainy day:


_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


Top
#108215 - 12/22/08 10:37 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: phat]
chaz Offline
member

Registered: 10/22/07
Posts: 1149
Loc: Tennessee
Phat, Did you pack those 2"X6" boards to your campsite?
_________________________
Enjoy your next trip...

Top
#108223 - 12/23/08 01:36 AM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: chaz]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada

Nope, part of numa creek campground in kootenay national park.
_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


Top
#108226 - 12/23/08 05:17 AM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: kbennett]
ndsol Offline
member

Registered: 04/16/02
Posts: 678
Loc: Houston, Texas
Here is one at Enchanted Rock in Texas. That ground was hard to put any stakes into, so I had to tie a couple of lines to rocks.


Top
#108230 - 12/23/08 08:58 AM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: Jim M]
kbennett Offline
member

Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 820
Loc: north carolina
Originally Posted By Pliny
I notice you have a bivy sack under your tarp. Is it waterproof? Breathable? Homemade? If not what brand and are you happy with it? Thanks, great picture.



Breathable. Homemade. Very happy with it. Silnylon floor, Momentum 90 top, and a huge mesh area over the chest and face. 8 ounces including the stuff sack. Hat tip to my lovely wife for her sewing skills. Here's a better photo of the sack (with the seamstress inside in my winter bag):

_________________________
--Ken B

Top
#108232 - 12/23/08 11:55 AM Re: Best Tarp...EVER!!!! [Re: mtnman]
bigfoot2 Offline
member

Registered: 09/17/06
Posts: 1432
Loc: Eugene , Oregon
The best tarp for camping is the Warbonnet Superfly, made by a guy named Brandon! It's primarily used for hammock camping in severe weather, but would be great for all you "ground dwellers". Here's a link:
http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.net/

I can't say enough good things about this guy and his products. He made hammocks so good, Tom Hennessy tried to sue him last year. I am very pleased with my Superfly and will use it year round!

BF
_________________________
Hammockers aren't stuck up, they're just above it all.

Top
#108234 - 12/23/08 12:23 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: chaz]
Rick_D Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 2939
Loc: NorCal
Balsa wood ;-) (And aren't they really 2x10s? My butt doesn't fit very well on a 2x6.)

Originally Posted By chaz
Phat, Did you pack those 2"X6" boards to your campsite?
_________________________
--Rick

Top
#108235 - 12/23/08 12:24 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: kbennett]
Rick_D Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 2939
Loc: NorCal
That's a neat concept, and beautifully made. Kudos to the seamstress and designer!
_________________________
--Rick

Top
#108291 - 12/25/08 11:21 AM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: mtnman]
scottyb Offline
member

Registered: 05/28/08
Posts: 278
Loc: Texas Hill Country
I love the photos of the different setups. Keepem coming. I have decided that a tarp is what I want for my next Grand Canyon trip. Last time we slept under the stars but had to get in the hot tent one night when it threatened to rain. Beside the weight advantages, They look open and airy. I like the looks of the GG White Lightening. Anybody have any experience with it?
_________________________
Just because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.... Pericles (430 B.C)

Top
#108294 - 12/25/08 12:32 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: scottyb]
Glenn Offline
member

Registered: 03/08/06
Posts: 2617
Loc: Ohio
I used it a few years ago and was quite pleased with it (except that they hadn't come out with the Haven yet, so I eventually replaced it with a mesh-inner double-wall tent which was more appropriate for the bug-infested midwest summers (and springs and falls.)

I liked the design of the tarp a lot, particularly the use of webbing tie-downs along the side. I never found it necessary to use cord tie-outs on the sides (though I still needed a cord from the pole at each end, naturally.) The use of webbing eliminated the usual tangle of guylines that accompanies all the other tarps I've used - though the webbing adds an ounce or two to the total weight. The webbing pole-holders at each end were a nice touch, too.

I usually used a bivy sack with it (ID Salathe was my favorite, because of the waist-length mesh panel; I never tried a full mesh bug-bivy because I couldn't overcome my concern that someday, somehow, rain would blow in the end. It never did; I was just funny about it.) The combo, at just a few ounces over 3 pounds, was a weight-efficient alternative to a full tent until the Hubba and Seedhouse SL1 (and everything from Henry Shires) came out.

It's not the lightest silnylon tarp out there, but it's a very good plain-vanilla tarp. If you want a shaped tarp, check out the Silshelter from ID - I've used it successfully, too.

Top
#108297 - 12/25/08 12:58 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: Glenn]
scottyb Offline
member

Registered: 05/28/08
Posts: 278
Loc: Texas Hill Country
Thanks for the review. On the last trip, we had zero bugs in GC except a few ants during the day. I know there are some creepy crawlies at night but we never had an issue. Tried to set up away from cliffs or rocks where they may reside and shake out everything first. If the stars are out, I will probably sleep out from under the tarp and use it for a staging area and emergency shelter in case of rain.
_________________________
Just because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.... Pericles (430 B.C)

Top
#108389 - 12/28/08 07:52 AM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: Jim M]
deliriousNomad Offline
member

Registered: 04/13/06
Posts: 64
Loc: Matthews, NC
Well...

I didn't take a picture, but the next night it rained! Tarp was wet, bivy (and its contents) was DRY :-)
_________________________
- deliriousNomad

Top
#108395 - 12/28/08 01:18 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: mtnman]
Spock Offline
member

Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 679
Loc: Central Texas
Extreme weather?
You bet. On several occasions, Frito and I have been comfortable and secure under our tarp while various high tech tents buckled, folded, collapsed and cartwheeled due to monsoon rains, very high winds or snow load. That includes "expedition" tents.


Edited by Spock (12/28/08 01:18 PM)

Top
#108406 - 12/28/08 07:34 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: Spock]
Heber Offline
member

Registered: 12/31/07
Posts: 245
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
Could you tell us more about what pitch you used for your tarp in extreme weather? Most of my tarping has been done in summer with a hammock so only one pitch is appropriate. But in winter I'm on the ground and I've been wondering what the best pitch would be for extreme weather (I'm thinking especially about wind).

Also mention what size of tarp you are using and whether it was a flat tarp or a "shaped" tarp.


Edited by Heber (12/28/08 07:37 PM)

Top
#108452 - 12/29/08 03:27 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: mtnman]
bmisf Offline
member

Registered: 09/15/03
Posts: 629
Here's a winter tarp setup:



Poncho tarp over an ultralight bivy, in late winter/early spring near Donner Pass in California. We had a mix of light snow and freezing rain overnight - I was safe and dry and happy (but wouldn't have put this up against a real winter storm; would have dug a snow trench and covered it with the poncho tarp instead).

Top
#108489 - 12/30/08 10:36 AM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: mtnman]
jpanderson80 Offline
member

Registered: 07/28/06
Posts: 292
Loc: Memphis, TN
Here's my tarp in action.
Mountain Laurel Design - catenary curve with the foot down into the wind and the head wide open. (It's so nice.) I think in this picture we were on a sand bar in a creek area. It was nice to bed down, but messy on that sil nylon.

MLD Tarp

(someone tell me if this picture posts correctly or not)
_________________________
I always forget and make it more complicated than it needs to be...it's just walking.

Top
#108493 - 12/30/08 12:43 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: jpanderson80]
OldScout Offline
member

Registered: 03/17/03
Posts: 501
Loc: Puget Sound, Washington
Originally Posted By jpanderson80
(someone tell me if this picture posts correctly or not)


It worked for me. OldScout

Top
#109170 - 01/11/09 06:03 PM Re: Tarp camping!! [Re: mtnman]
scottyb Offline
member

Registered: 05/28/08
Posts: 278
Loc: Texas Hill Country
I received my GG White Lightening tarp last week and gave it a test run in the front yard today. I was pleased with the easy setup and think it will serve my purpose well. My question is; do you try to fold them neatly to put them in their stuff sack or just stuff them in randomly? This one has the stuff sack sewn onto the tarp and the silnylon is pretty slick stuff. I had a heck of a time trying to keep it neat as I folded it to put it in the stuff sack and that was with two of us working on it. It kept wanting to squirt out every direction.
_________________________
Just because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you.... Pericles (430 B.C)

Top
Page 1 of 2 1 2 >

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 38 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum