For an adult with a very small child, like when I hike with Margaret, up to 50 pounds and 48" tall say, I think it is comforting for both her and myself to have a tent because I know she is not going anywhere without me knowing about it. I wonder also, in the case of non-predatory Black Bears as we have here in New Brunswick, if even a friendly Black Bear nosing about might find a small child sleeping under a tarp just a little too tempting. We have lots of bears here, like 1 per 2 square miles, and no recorded fatalities in New Brunswick, which I still find hard to believe, but we don't have alot of statistics on small children sleeping in remote areas under tarps. So until she is bigger I have opted for a tent with me in it with her. Now she is getting big enough, I think, for being under a tarp next to me. We'll see what she thinks. Safe enough in winter though, with bears asleep. There are still Eastern Coyotes, which you never know when you hear them whether they might be coy dogs or feral dogs. Anyhow, generally speaking for across North America I think for scouts 2 man pup tents open on each end or perhaps with flaps should be just fine, as you could always put them in a tight formation and post sentries, and all the usual precautions regarding bears and food. Good way to build some character. Get them realizing at a young age that the risks are small, but real, but manageable. Now I can't speak for out west, or even up in Ontario and Quebec, but I don't see much difference between 2 man tents and 2 man tarps.


I think there would be a great benefit to Scouts however, if they all went back to a tradition of hiking with homemade hiking staves, and using them to pitch a tarp with their buddy, that required them to cut some jute twine with their knives and and tie a few knots and stake out the four corners out and the 2 ends just so. Even bears would have to show some respect for a well turned out hootchie. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />



Maybe each half could have a hood also, but they would still need rain gear. I just recall there was a way to sit back to back with these tarps to stop in heavy rain for a meal in these type of tarps without pitching them.