I agree about doors. Back in my tarp days, I solved the door problem by using a weather-resistant (or waterproof-breathable) bivy sack. This let me use a smaller tarp, so the extra weight was minimized. It worked OK; the main advantage, back then, was that the tarp and bivy still weighed less than most available tents.

I liked the Silshelter - probably my favorite tarp - but still carried a bivy sack with a lot of mesh (ID Salathe.) I didn't really want to carry a groundcloth, and wanted some bug protection; the Salathe gave me the option of sleeping without a roof. Never was too impressed with the Silbug liner (floor and netting) that supposedly works with the Silshelter. I could never quite figure out the combined pitch, and found that the liner was awkward to get into and out of. Besides, the weight of the two pieces was a little more than a TT Rainbow, and not much less than a BA Seedhouse SL1. Both were more functional alternatives.

When lightweight, solo tents appeared, the weight advantage of a tarp-plus-something pretty much disappeared. I tried the TT Rainbow and BA Seedhouse SL1 before settling on the MSR Hubba. All three are good solo tents; the Hubba just seemed to click better with my own personal quirks.


Edited by Glenn (05/14/08 08:08 AM)