How is this any easier to pack and setup? This is heavier, more difficult to set up, and still doesn't protect me from the elements like even the cheapest tents out there.
Great content as always. This takes me back to my youth serving as a Royal Marine Commando. I prefer a tarp over a tent with the points you have mentioned. It's versatile, and on summer days, it can ve turned into a hammock. The other alternative is a bivvy bag tent, this is great if you're trying to hide out of plan sight and/or if you're doing a long endurance ride that requires you to camp, these are also ideal. The only downside to a bivvy bag tent is that it doesn't give you much room to carry out some much needed personal/kit admin in the dry. This is where a tarp wins. I tend to spend more time away in my camper rather than sleeping in a heavily grown woods sleeping on backbreaking tree roots, haha! Great times had! Once again, keep up the great work.
@harryfoxley763 hello, I'd say enjoy every moment as the pain will end when untaking the Commando training. Work on your fitness, compound movements, swimming, cardio with some weight and calisthenics workouts/HIIT training. Listen to the DS (course instructors) they have been there and no what it takes. Never be too shy to ask questions. If you do join you'll have a brotherhood/friendship like Never experienced before. Best of luck to you bud.
Great teaching tips! The Army taught us Infantry Grunts to use a downed branch, to stick directly in the ground where the rain runoff from your shelter will be and draw a deep line away from your shelter. I always made my lines wide & deep. This gives the rainwater someplace to go and prevent pooling. Also, it's also a good idea to grab handfuls of leaves and put them all around the bottom of the shelter. This keeps the wind from blowing thru any ground gaps all around the shelter. I always found dead tree limbs and put them on top of the leaves all around shelter. Keeps them from blowing leaves completely away in strong wind gusts. Remember the name of the game is to stay as dry & warm as possible. Waking up soaked in a puddle of water in your shelter will definitely set your mood for the morning, even after 1st coffee🤠😎😜🤣😝
I learned the tunneling away from the tarp trick during girl scouts one major storm passage weekend. Everybody else was wet when they awok in the morning, but not I!
I got most of my tarp camping tips when I started following your channel a few years ago. Everyone has proved to be a lasting winner. To return the favour. Before putting the centre pole inside your tarp tent shape, to prevent it puncturing the tarp, put the tarp bag over the end, or use some leaves or moss instead. Thanks for many years of happy, successful tarp camping! 👍
As a Boy Scout I used a piece of poly sheeting for a backpacking shelter. The plow point setup you show was my favorite configuration. (The poly doesn't give as much privacy as the tarp but it was Boy Scouts - everybody knew what everybody else was doing already.) Instead of tie-out points I'd form a pocket in the poly and tuck a rounded pebble into it, then tie my cord around it on the opposite side. That held the cord tight without having to pierce the poly. It's also handy if you need to attach a cord to a tarp at a place where there's not already a tie-out point.
I do love the idea of tarp shelters. Unfortunately in Australia there are too many bugs, spiders and slithery things that can enter all the openings. If there was a way of excluding all those things then I'd certainly give it a go.
Try sleeping without a mosquito net in the swamps of Gamboa, Panama. Remember the commercial for OFF! where dude put his arm in a clear box full of mosquitoes? Just like that.
The Plow Point is great. It sets up quickly and easily. I experimented with a cheap, 5.5' X 7.5' tarp ($6) during a recent pelting and windy rain storm. It worked perfectly, blocking the wind and keeping me completely dry. The Plow Point creates a surprisingly large interior (a2 x b2 =c2). So, my little tarp created over 8' of overhang and plenty of floor space.
One reason you get more straight pines in dense forests, at least in my North America, is that shade helps suppress pine weevils. They like warmer temperatures and thinner bark. Weevil damage to the tender treetips prompts the main trunk to fork apart. It happens a lot more on the verge of the forest for this reason.
Consider the following: If one is going to carry a tarp: bring along at least 4 tent stakes. (1 plastic, 3 metal). Plastic one could also be shaved to help make a fire. Metal ones could be utilized to hold a container over a fire, tied to a stick and utilized as a weapon or tool, or even possibly utilized in a trap, pit or otherwise. Multiple use items when one thinks outside the box.
Yet another good video. I prefer my tent for sleeping, but I've often used a small tarp or poncho for daytime shelter when less than catastrophic rain or wind moves in. In a pinch you can stretch a heavier poncho over a good-sized bush to provide quick shelter, though it can scratch or puncture the fabric if that's pegged down too tight. A few blanket pins anchor the tie-outs to the bush.
I make a tarp tent with a door. Peg out the back. Bring the front two corners together. That gives you the door which you can close from the outside or inside. I put a small tarp inside to make the floor. Great for both wind and rain, requires no guylines, no ridgeline, and no trees if you use a trekking pole.
For me the ideal tarp is the wing tarp. Though it hasn't a square/ rectangular form, it's ideal for hammock setups as a diamond fly tarp as you can close of the ends 👌🏼
Saw the thumbnail and thought “he’s doing it wrong” 😂 I like that last method best (Loue type) More room and you can get in deep. If you use two tarps you’ve basically got a house.
I love a good tent, and have one of those French Army surplus F2s in nylon. Its "bombproof ". But at 58, and having injured my back and neck the service (U.S.), crawling in/out is a challenge - my knees are fine. I went with a Onewind 12ft double wide hammock and a 10x13 ft tarp. The tarp weighs less than a decent standard tent, smaller, and more versatile should trees not "be right" for my hammock. I can pitch an "A" frame at 5 ft. peak (I'm 5'8") and don't have to crawl to get in/out. Great video as always.
Another great video adventure you are brilliant you put a lot of thought into it by just using simple things I have enjoyed every videos you have done ✔ well done all the best and keep safe
I always have my guys attached also, but I also attach tarp bungees, these automatically adjust to wind pressures and keep perfect tension without risking a rip and you don't have to worry about cordages stretching over night. Starting off with micro paracord, about 14-15 inches of it, making fixed loops about 2 inches long, and the elastic tube about 3" long. Maximum stretch is about 6 inches. When I am setting up, I always start them at about 1/2 stretch or just under, it's a lot more springy and I almost never have to adjust for stretched lines either. I don't recall ever having to adjust them after the fact even.
Paracord is handy for tieing off the tarp but a few tie down bunjie cords with hooks on both ends are a lot quicker and easier to take down when they're wet than trying to untie a knotted cord.
good video. You can build a self feeding stick fire . . . make a shallow trench deeper at one end and shallower at the other. Parallel to your bed is nice. place the sticks in the trench so that you have each stick overlapping the previous one by a half, so that you have at least three sticks at any given point. Start the fire at the shallow end. As it burns it will spread down the trench to the deep end. Getting the burn rate right takes some experience, play with the stick sizes to get the burn rate you want. You can also use a berm, and dig the trench in the berm, if the ground is too wet
Good video. The first key point is really important. Set up in minutes. But that's not a quick set up. I have a Big Agnes tent that claimed it could be set up under the rain fly. Problem is there's nothing to hold the poles in their arcs. So I made a ground sheet with webbing extensions that could do this. I color coded specific corners. I never use dark or black cord. Orange, or that reflective stuff. I want to see it. I also made a DIY tarp tent (Frankenstein's monster is much prettier). No D rings, grosgrain loops. Lines attached. I also have a set of paracord lines already tied that I can loop over my hiking poles, stabe them in the ground stake out 3-4 places. Tarp goes over. No tree is needed -- good but a complication. Instead I just insert stakes in the pretied paracord lines (these can be adjusted, but usually I just move the stake) along the perimeter I'll put a a mini stake through a grosgain loop, twist it a couple of times, stick it. I almost always set up without adjusting the length of asingle line, or tying any knots. And if you're DIYing? Don't bother with any of that catenary stuff. It's just creating a permanent wind gap. Instead sew one or two more grosgrain loops along the perimeter and on the windward side, stick in a couple more stakes. The best part of using a tarp tent instead of a regular tent in high winds is the tarp is always a series of triangles. Very stable. In high winds in Connemara, Ireland my DIY barely fluttered. I never bother with sticks. Last year I hiked with a couple of Filipino Army Rangers, jungle survival experts. Part of our hike was going to be a demonstration of fire starting. These two men who are experts, who knew the forest where we were.... nevertheless brought along and carried a piece of dry non rotten bamboo. I looked for similar bamboo along our route. Saw a lot of bamboo, none that would be good for fire starting. Finding the right stick is often just not going to happen, ground sticks are usually rotten, trees at the right distance range for a hammock can sometimes be really difficult ( You know when you find the perfect trees because there's a nasty rotten widow maker limb directly above. It's why I haven't done much hammock camping. Weighs as much as a tent, more than a tarp, terrific but a bit fussy.) Mini stakes weigh almost nothing. I never bother scrounging for sticks. I noticed on my second or third day hiking in April 2018 in Dorset that I'd lost two orange stakes. I hadn't lost any of the smaller dark red ones. They had a string attached. Tails. I attached a few inches of orange para cord to the rest of them. Over the next three months never lost another one. The key to how these 'tails' work is: 1. There are two colors, somehow I could overlook orange, but not a smaller red and green. 2. The tail increases the size of what I'm looking for and is a flag. (At home I taped tails to all my remote controls, can always find them, and can always pick them up pointing in the correct direction.) The tarps I use with a ridge for hammock camping, -- I always run a line under the ridge to ease the tension on the tarp material. If a tarp doesn't have pull out loops in the middle of the panels I'll add them. I only silicone seal the stitching on the inside, I almost never silicone seal the hem that will always be near the ground or at the opening. (I buy 100% silicone bathroom caulk in the smaller 'toothpaste' type tube, at the lumber store, Mix it with paint thinner or mineral spirits. I don't mix it evenly. The thinner stuff paints on, the thicker bits fill in areas like along a ridge seam. This works for silnylon and everything else. Go to plumbing and ask for 'flux brushes.' You'll spend more than one little kit at Cotswolds or REI, but you'll never run out of sealant. And one of those kits is never enough.) Something else. I assumed that being in London before my walk I'd be able to find a ground sheet for my tarp tent. I settled on an overpriced one just a bit bigger than my sleeping pad. If I couldn't find a bigger, less expensive, piece of gear in London, I realized I'd better make sure I have it, or make it, before I go. (I sewed the tarp tent. My sewing was terrible, my new machine was a bit out of whack. Still worked. Sewing is a good fun sill set to have. You can sew thick webbing with any steel framed home sewing machine. The ball needles go in between the tough thread of the webbing. I've made safety loops for sailing that can take anything a factory sewn loop can. I hesitate at DIY climbing webbing.) I did like that ground sheet. It was just enough. Because a tarp has 360 degrees of exits and bare ground, I cook with my JetBoil inside.
Was thinking the same. This will be a very very uncomfortable night. Plus living with the constant fear one of the trees will come down on your head. While these shelters certainly will work well in windy conditions, I can only advice to stay the f out of the woods when a real storm hits.
I have been using the first shelter for a few years now with a DD 3*3. I take a pair of collapsible carbon fibre poles with me. Extremely light and I put the poles into an A Formation inside the tent so that I don't have a pole running down the middle.
Just a little tip from a hammock camper.... you need a bigger tarp for the hammock set up. Otherwise you can get driving rain / dripping into your hammock lines. Great setup though!
I hammock camp, and I don’t have problem with that as I put a few drip lines along the hammock straps. Any rain that hits the main straps runs down to the drip line and drips onto the forest floor before it gets to my hammock 👍🏻
This is what I learned while serving. Granted, this was in Norway, but I can see you use similar techniques that we do, and I wonder if this has a common root. I can vouch for all techniques and tips.
Anyone that's doing the diamond hammock shelter, tie it out some heavy wood on the ground and make sure it stays in place, pegs make the tarp a sail and will put your shelter into the sky
Great video! Not a fan of the first shelter. In rainy conditions you have to move really far back inside because there is so much dripping from over the entrance. That leaves a lot of the space unusable. And in countries where wild camping with a tent is illegal you can get into serious trouble, because it looks so much like a tent.
"serious" trouble seems like an overstatement... Uninformed morons might TRY to get you in trouble, but at the end of the day it is not a tent no matter what it looks like, so you're legally fine. There should be a very specific legal definition of what is a "tent" in your country/state/province For example, knife laws in my state go into extremely specific detail about exactly what is considered a "knife" or "deadly weapon" - it's not really a matter of interpretation, it either is legal or isn't, period. How it looks to idiots or the ignorant is irrelevant in US law, thankfully (usually, but lately that has changed a bit)
@@tragikk03 actually this law is extremely vague in Germany. Bivvy bags have been considered tents by some, while fishers are usually fine as long as their tent has no floor. And there are 16 Federal States, most with their own individual forest laws additional to the nationwide law. It's a mess.
All good stuff. For how small they are and how little they weigh, you may as well carry alloy pegs rather than faffing about carving stakes when it's p*ssing down. As GB2 would say, "The juice ain't worth the squeeze."
G'day Mike, well covered mate, pardon the pun ; ) I'm with ya; for easy up, yet still very protective, the ol' poughpoint does the business, but yep, still pays to study origami though, lol, so many possibilities for a particular situation and/or personal preference. Perhaps there's better out there, but hard to beat the DD 3 X 3 for the dough IMO. Suggestion; as much as I'm into knots; I use carabiners, pre-tied to guyline hanks, because; 1. you can instantly clip them to any tie out point where needed for a particular configuration 2. should you need to pinch one for another application, there it is ....... and replace with a knot, ...... though I do carry a couple extra anyway, .... just so useful/versatile for negligible weight. Cheers Duke. P.S. oh yeah; I must say "practice, practice, practice" at home before taking the plunge, especially into a potentially nasty weather scenario, sure there's always gonna be variables, but the basic skills should become pretty much automatic, for at least no-nonsense set ups anyway.
Places I love tarp camping: Places without without snakes and mosquitos. Places I love tent camping: Places with snakes and mosquitos (aka all of the US West Coast :( )
I really like a triangular configuration. Triangular on the floor and lengthwise. So basically a tetrahedron. You might call it closed holden tarp tent. It has a high entrance height, can be fully closed and has enough ground space for your gear. Your can partially or fully open it (resulting in a leanto) and it only needs one tieout point high up. Sadly there is no good video of it.
I would not try any of these shelters in a real storm. Some of those trees might actually fall and kill you. And if you are in open ground using the tarp "tent", wind will get underneath and just rip this thing away. For stormy conditions, a real tent is very much advised.
Tarps are so versatile, I love them. Tents just feel like a chore to setup and pack.
How is this any easier to pack and setup? This is heavier, more difficult to set up, and still doesn't protect me from the elements like even the cheapest tents out there.
Heavier ?😂 it’s a tarp
Great content as always. This takes me back to my youth serving as a Royal Marine Commando. I prefer a tarp over a tent with the points you have mentioned. It's versatile, and on summer days, it can ve turned into a hammock. The other alternative is a bivvy bag tent, this is great if you're trying to hide out of plan sight and/or if you're doing a long endurance ride that requires you to camp, these are also ideal. The only downside to a bivvy bag tent is that it doesn't give you much room to carry out some much needed personal/kit admin in the dry. This is where a tarp wins. I tend to spend more time away in my camper rather than sleeping in a heavily grown woods sleeping on backbreaking tree roots, haha! Great times had! Once again, keep up the great work.
Amazing video bro❤
I want to be a royal marine, any tips you could give?
@harryfoxley763 hello, I'd say enjoy every moment as the pain will end when untaking the Commando training. Work on your fitness, compound movements, swimming, cardio with some weight and calisthenics workouts/HIIT training. Listen to the DS (course instructors) they have been there and no what it takes. Never be too shy to ask questions. If you do join you'll have a brotherhood/friendship like Never experienced before. Best of luck to you bud.
"personal admin"
combat wanks
@@tonyBobb5209DS? To much SAS who dares wins. It’s PTI last time I checked but I could be wrong.
Great teaching tips! The Army taught us Infantry Grunts to use a downed branch, to stick directly in the ground where the rain runoff from your shelter will be and draw a deep line away from your shelter. I always made my lines wide & deep. This gives the rainwater someplace to go and prevent pooling. Also, it's also a good idea to grab handfuls of leaves and put them all around the bottom of the shelter. This keeps the wind from blowing thru any ground gaps all around the shelter. I always found dead tree limbs and put them on top of the leaves all around shelter. Keeps them from blowing leaves completely away in strong wind gusts. Remember the name of the game is to stay as dry & warm as possible. Waking up soaked in a puddle of water in your shelter will definitely set your mood for the morning, even after 1st coffee🤠😎😜🤣😝
I learned the tunneling away from the tarp trick during girl scouts one major storm passage weekend. Everybody else was wet when they awok in the morning, but not I!
Love watching this channel, you teach so many valuable things that everyone should know.
I got most of my tarp camping tips when I started following your channel a few years ago. Everyone has proved to be a lasting winner.
To return the favour. Before putting the centre pole inside your tarp tent shape, to prevent it puncturing the tarp, put the tarp bag over the end, or use some leaves or moss instead.
Thanks for many years of happy, successful tarp camping! 👍
That’s great to know! Cheers for commenting and good tip about the dry bag. Hopefully others can see that 👍🏻
As a Boy Scout I used a piece of poly sheeting for a backpacking shelter. The plow point setup you show was my favorite configuration. (The poly doesn't give as much privacy as the tarp but it was Boy Scouts - everybody knew what everybody else was doing already.)
Instead of tie-out points I'd form a pocket in the poly and tuck a rounded pebble into it, then tie my cord around it on the opposite side. That held the cord tight without having to pierce the poly. It's also handy if you need to attach a cord to a tarp at a place where there's not already a tie-out point.
Used that on a three week Outward Bound mountaineering course.
Be careful. Think ahead. You depend on this cheap piece of plastic.
highest quality bushcraft content on youtube (out of what I've seen). no bs, just utilitarian info.. appreciate you, brother!
I do love the idea of tarp shelters. Unfortunately in Australia there are too many bugs, spiders and slithery things that can enter all the openings. If there was a way of excluding all those things then I'd certainly give it a go.
yea man waking up to 500 mosquitos biting me doesn't seem ideal
Try sleeping without a mosquito net in the swamps of Gamboa, Panama. Remember the commercial for OFF! where dude put his arm in a clear box full of mosquitoes? Just like that.
Gotta get the hammock one that seals
A Bivvy bag, one tent peg and an ockie strap will keep the mozzies away.
Same in South Texas mate. Although not as deadly as down under.
I love the tarp tent. Ijust need to get over my aversion to slugs and I'm set.
The Plow Point is great. It sets up quickly and easily. I experimented with a cheap, 5.5' X 7.5' tarp ($6) during a recent pelting and windy rain storm. It worked perfectly, blocking the wind and keeping me completely dry. The Plow Point creates a surprisingly large interior (a2 x b2 =c2). So, my little tarp created over 8' of overhang and plenty of floor space.
This is the best tarp setup video ever
One reason you get more straight pines in dense forests, at least in my North America, is that shade helps suppress pine weevils. They like warmer temperatures and thinner bark. Weevil damage to the tender treetips prompts the main trunk to fork apart. It happens a lot more on the verge of the forest for this reason.
As a long-time subscriber, I still enjoy videos like this that show valuable skills quickly!
Cheers James 👍🏻
It always amazes me how many configs can come from 1 piece of material. Good solid wind and rain protection there. Nice work Mike
Consider the following: If one is going to carry a tarp: bring along at least 4 tent stakes. (1 plastic, 3 metal). Plastic one could also be shaved to help make a fire. Metal ones could be utilized to hold a container over a fire, tied to a stick and utilized as a weapon or tool, or even possibly utilized in a trap, pit or otherwise. Multiple use items when one thinks outside the box.
your tarp skills are nothing short of amazing.
Great video! I already watched it twice, and plan on watching it MANY more times, taking notes!!!
A good channel, where every video presents something learning, greetings from Indonesia
Thank you, that was helpful! Whenever I go hammock camping, my tarp setup is very unsatisfactory. These tips will help
Tarp master race! 🤘
With a tarp, i use walking poles and, weird as it sounds, half a tennis ball to put on top of the pole to protect from rips :-)
Not weird at all, I’ve also used half a tennis ball to do this.
@@TAOutdoors Wow. You two may very well be using half of the same tennis ball.
Always saw obliquely when using sticks from the woods. Saves time!!
It's a little bit like origami but with a tarp instead of paper. 😊 Thanks for this fascinating video!
Yeah it sort of is! 😂
The tarp tent is a firm fave, I sometimes tie off above with the centre cord you mention, allows a bit room room inside - great video. Thanks 👍
I admire your skills and dedication, a very interesting and pleasing video to watch indeed, thank you
Must know tips in our days 💪
Watching from Texas. great work!
Howdy from Louisiana
Great content as always, if you’ve not looked at them jungle knots on your poncho are a massive time saver.
Thank you for this video. Those shelter configurations look like great ideas.
Yet another good video. I prefer my tent for sleeping, but I've often used a small tarp or poncho for daytime shelter when less than catastrophic rain or wind moves in. In a pinch you can stretch a heavier poncho over a good-sized bush to provide quick shelter, though it can scratch or puncture the fabric if that's pegged down too tight. A few blanket pins anchor the tie-outs to the bush.
As always, another great video. Wish I was there with you Mike, I go camping and watch your videos, very helpful thanks.
Cheers!
I make a tarp tent with a door. Peg out the back. Bring the front two corners together. That gives you the door which you can close from the outside or inside. I put a small tarp inside to make the floor. Great for both wind and rain, requires no guylines, no ridgeline, and no trees if you use a trekking pole.
simplicity is always brilliant if it works. Yours does...
Nice one. Do like the versatility of a tarp . Take care 👍🏕
I like this series!
Cheers!
For me the ideal tarp is the wing tarp. Though it hasn't a square/ rectangular form, it's ideal for hammock setups as a diamond fly tarp as you can close of the ends 👌🏼
Saw the thumbnail and thought “he’s doing it wrong”
😂
I like that last method best (Loue type) More room and you can get in deep. If you use two tarps you’ve basically got a house.
Thanks for filming and the explanation Mike! 👍😁
I love a good tent, and have one of those French Army surplus F2s in nylon. Its "bombproof ". But at 58, and having injured my back and neck the service (U.S.), crawling in/out is a challenge - my knees are fine. I went with a Onewind 12ft double wide hammock and a 10x13 ft tarp. The tarp weighs less than a decent standard tent, smaller, and more versatile should trees not "be right" for my hammock. I can pitch an "A" frame at 5 ft. peak (I'm 5'8") and don't have to crawl to get in/out. Great video as always.
Nuke proof?😂
Another great video adventure you are brilliant you put a lot of thought into it by just using simple things I have enjoyed every videos you have done ✔ well done all the best and keep safe
Very cool channel, keep up the work mate! Always nice to see other bushcraft/outdoor freaks with such talent!
I've been using tent 10yrs, but from the last 2 yrs i like Tarp for camping.
Awesome vid. Your experience shines through!!
I always have my guys attached also, but I also attach tarp bungees, these automatically adjust to wind pressures and keep perfect tension without risking a rip and you don't have to worry about cordages stretching over night. Starting off with micro paracord, about 14-15 inches of it, making fixed loops about 2 inches long, and the elastic tube about 3" long. Maximum stretch is about 6 inches. When I am setting up, I always start them at about 1/2 stretch or just under, it's a lot more springy and I almost never have to adjust for stretched lines either. I don't recall ever having to adjust them after the fact even.
You are really great in explaining ! I hope I can remember all the advices...
Great tarp shelter setups and tips. 👍
That was a good call on the widowmaker, something too often forgotten...
Great video. You make a lot of very helpful points that I had not considered...Thank you
Thank you. Great tutorial. I have a 3x7. Much appreciated.
Paracord is handy for tieing off the tarp but a few tie down bunjie cords with hooks on both ends are a lot quicker and easier to take down when they're wet than trying to untie a knotted cord.
good video. You can build a self feeding stick fire . . . make a shallow trench deeper at one end and shallower at the other. Parallel to your bed is nice. place the sticks in the trench so that you have each stick overlapping the previous one by a half, so that you have at least three sticks at any given point. Start the fire at the shallow end. As it burns it will spread down the trench to the deep end. Getting the burn rate right takes some experience, play with the stick sizes to get the burn rate you want. You can also use a berm, and dig the trench in the berm, if the ground is too wet
My friends favourite was the 'Get someone else to do it' set up. 🤣
I added a huge dd tarp for my dd hammock and tarp for heavy weather getting double roof and some room to keep gear dry to. Its like a movable palace
Thank you for the upload Brother!
Good video. The first key point is really important. Set up in minutes. But that's not a quick set up. I have a Big Agnes tent that claimed it could be set up under the rain fly. Problem is there's nothing to hold the poles in their arcs. So I made a ground sheet with webbing extensions that could do this. I color coded specific corners.
I never use dark or black cord. Orange, or that reflective stuff. I want to see it.
I also made a DIY tarp tent (Frankenstein's monster is much prettier). No D rings, grosgrain loops. Lines attached. I also have a set of paracord lines already tied that I can loop over my hiking poles, stabe them in the ground stake out 3-4 places. Tarp goes over. No tree is needed -- good but a complication. Instead I just insert stakes in the pretied paracord lines (these can be adjusted, but usually I just move the stake) along the perimeter I'll put a a mini stake through a grosgain loop, twist it a couple of times, stick it. I almost always set up without adjusting the length of asingle line, or tying any knots. And if you're DIYing? Don't bother with any of that catenary stuff. It's just creating a permanent wind gap. Instead sew one or two more grosgrain loops along the perimeter and on the windward side, stick in a couple more stakes.
The best part of using a tarp tent instead of a regular tent in high winds is the tarp is always a series of triangles. Very stable. In high winds in Connemara, Ireland my DIY barely fluttered.
I never bother with sticks. Last year I hiked with a couple of Filipino Army Rangers, jungle survival experts. Part of our hike was going to be a demonstration of fire starting. These two men who are experts, who knew the forest where we were.... nevertheless brought along and carried a piece of dry non rotten bamboo. I looked for similar bamboo along our route. Saw a lot of bamboo, none that would be good for fire starting. Finding the right stick is often just not going to happen, ground sticks are usually rotten, trees at the right distance range for a hammock can sometimes be really difficult ( You know when you find the perfect trees because there's a nasty rotten widow maker limb directly above. It's why I haven't done much hammock camping. Weighs as much as a tent, more than a tarp, terrific but a bit fussy.)
Mini stakes weigh almost nothing. I never bother scrounging for sticks. I noticed on my second or third day hiking in April 2018 in Dorset that I'd lost two orange stakes. I hadn't lost any of the smaller dark red ones. They had a string attached. Tails. I attached a few inches of orange para cord to the rest of them. Over the next three months never lost another one. The key to how these 'tails' work is: 1. There are two colors, somehow I could overlook orange, but not a smaller red and green. 2. The tail increases the size of what I'm looking for and is a flag. (At home I taped tails to all my remote controls, can always find them, and can always pick them up pointing in the correct direction.)
The tarps I use with a ridge for hammock camping, -- I always run a line under the ridge to ease the tension on the tarp material. If a tarp doesn't have pull out loops in the middle of the panels I'll add them. I only silicone seal the stitching on the inside, I almost never silicone seal the hem that will always be near the ground or at the opening. (I buy 100% silicone bathroom caulk in the smaller 'toothpaste' type tube, at the lumber store, Mix it with paint thinner or mineral spirits. I don't mix it evenly. The thinner stuff paints on, the thicker bits fill in areas like along a ridge seam. This works for silnylon and everything else. Go to plumbing and ask for 'flux brushes.' You'll spend more than one little kit at Cotswolds or REI, but you'll never run out of sealant. And one of those kits is never enough.)
Something else. I assumed that being in London before my walk I'd be able to find a ground sheet for my tarp tent. I settled on an overpriced one just a bit bigger than my sleeping pad. If I couldn't find a bigger, less expensive, piece of gear in London, I realized I'd better make sure I have it, or make it, before I go. (I sewed the tarp tent. My sewing was terrible, my new machine was a bit out of whack. Still worked. Sewing is a good fun sill set to have. You can sew thick webbing with any steel framed home sewing machine. The ball needles go in between the tough thread of the webbing. I've made safety loops for sailing that can take anything a factory sewn loop can. I hesitate at DIY climbing webbing.) I did like that ground sheet. It was just enough. Because a tarp has 360 degrees of exits and bare ground, I cook with my JetBoil inside.
9:00 i totally see you doing this the whole night during some storm :D ....dude...
Was thinking the same. This will be a very very uncomfortable night. Plus living with the constant fear one of the trees will come down on your head. While these shelters certainly will work well in windy conditions, I can only advice to stay the f out of the woods when a real storm hits.
I have been using the first shelter for a few years now with a DD 3*3. I take a pair of collapsible carbon fibre poles with me. Extremely light and I put the poles into an A Formation inside the tent so that I don't have a pole running down the middle.
This feels like a Tarp promotion video
Nice continuation !
I used the tarp tent after I watched your old video,but it did’t looked nice and tidy as yours,but i always loved it.
Greetings from Italy 🇮🇹
Nice job on video!!🇺🇸🇺🇸🪓🔪👍👍
Just a little tip from a hammock camper.... you need a bigger tarp for the hammock set up. Otherwise you can get driving rain / dripping into your hammock lines. Great setup though!
I hammock camp, and I don’t have problem with that as I put a few drip lines along the hammock straps. Any rain that hits the main straps runs down to the drip line and drips onto the forest floor before it gets to my hammock 👍🏻
Another well thought out video. Great content Mike, well done 👏
Cheers 👍🏻
Thanks for the video Mike 👍
Thank you 😊 Another great video
I see Lidl are flogging a poncho for twelve quid, makes a great waterproof or shelter.
Your tips are so helpful.
Very nice. Reminds me of my (U.S.) Army days. 🍻
Just what I needed to look at again after a windy snowy elk camp at 9000"
Great shelter examples 👍
Another great how to video.
Very nice! Just bought a Uv50 DD tarp for summer. Going to practise with that. Will defo safe up fir a superlicht version
Cheers from the Netherlands
love watching
Like your work mate
This is what I learned while serving. Granted, this was in Norway, but I can see you use similar techniques that we do, and I wonder if this has a common root. I can vouch for all techniques and tips.
Cool Video 👍
Thank U for the Info and links 👍
Anyone that's doing the diamond hammock shelter, tie it out some heavy wood on the ground and make sure it stays in place, pegs make the tarp a sail and will put your shelter into the sky
Wonderful freind!
Half a tennis ball is good to put on the end of stake/pole to protect the tarp from wear and sharp edges. 4:07
It was an interesting idea, thank you
i like the hanging tarp setup.
if i get a hammock, i dont need to deal with ground condition for the night.
But you can only hike where there are sure to be strong enough trees to hang your bed. Pros & cons.
@@_JustinCider_ "guys, i brought a hammock." meanwhile, the tallest object in the mountain is liama.
That was excellent..
Great video. I love your interpretation of 6 inches 🤣
🤣 Women have known this about men's measurement around 6 inches for a long time. 6 inches is usually somewhere between 1 and 2 feet.
@@thecrew777 😂
In that case, I think I’ve employed false marketing to my wife. Bordering on a down right lie 😆
I love your video
Great video!
Not a fan of the first shelter. In rainy conditions you have to move really far back inside because there is so much dripping from over the entrance. That leaves a lot of the space unusable. And in countries where wild camping with a tent is illegal you can get into serious trouble, because it looks so much like a tent.
"serious" trouble seems like an overstatement... Uninformed morons might TRY to get you in trouble, but at the end of the day it is not a tent no matter what it looks like, so you're legally fine. There should be a very specific legal definition of what is a "tent" in your country/state/province
For example, knife laws in my state go into extremely specific detail about exactly what is considered a "knife" or "deadly weapon" - it's not really a matter of interpretation, it either is legal or isn't, period. How it looks to idiots or the ignorant is irrelevant in US law, thankfully (usually, but lately that has changed a bit)
damn, its nice living in place where camping is a protected right
@@einar8019 like Skandinavia?
@@tragikk03 actually this law is extremely vague in Germany. Bivvy bags have been considered tents by some, while fishers are usually fine as long as their tent has no floor. And there are 16 Federal States, most with their own individual forest laws additional to the nationwide law. It's a mess.
@@PiscatorLager yes
Cool stuff
great vid 👍
”Hey, hon, what are you watching?”
“Oh just a video about tying the knot and solo pegging in the woods”
All good stuff.
For how small they are and how little they weigh, you may as well carry alloy pegs rather than faffing about carving stakes when it's p*ssing down.
As GB2 would say,
"The juice ain't worth the squeeze."
This dudes knots!
G'day Mike, well covered mate, pardon the pun ; )
I'm with ya; for easy up, yet still very protective, the ol' poughpoint does the business, but yep, still pays to study origami though, lol, so many possibilities for a particular situation and/or personal preference.
Perhaps there's better out there, but hard to beat the DD 3 X 3 for the dough IMO.
Suggestion; as much as I'm into knots; I use carabiners, pre-tied to guyline hanks, because;
1. you can instantly clip them to any tie out point where needed for a particular configuration
2. should you need to pinch one for another application, there it is ....... and replace with a knot, ...... though I do carry a couple extra anyway, .... just so useful/versatile for negligible weight.
Cheers Duke.
P.S. oh yeah; I must say "practice, practice, practice" at home before taking the plunge, especially into a potentially nasty weather scenario, sure there's always gonna be variables, but the basic skills should become pretty much automatic, for at least no-nonsense set ups anyway.
Tarps have one weakness for a indoor person like me: Mosquitos
I would hunt every single fly in the forest before I'd go to sleep.
Yes, that can definitely be a downside. A Smokey fire helps, but without zips and mesh on the tarp it does have its downsides.
All this talk of steaks and pegging reminds me of my last date😂😂😂😂 hahaha
Places I love tarp camping: Places without without snakes and mosquitos. Places I love tent camping: Places with snakes and mosquitos (aka all of the US West Coast :( )
Awesome Video!❤ New Subscriber!!
NICE!!!
I really like a triangular configuration. Triangular on the floor and lengthwise. So basically a tetrahedron. You might call it closed holden tarp tent.
It has a high entrance height, can be fully closed and has enough ground space for your gear. Your can partially or fully open it (resulting in a leanto) and it only needs one tieout point high up. Sadly there is no good video of it.
Now all I need is a storm...
I would not try any of these shelters in a real storm. Some of those trees might actually fall and kill you. And if you are in open ground using the tarp "tent", wind will get underneath and just rip this thing away. For stormy conditions, a real tent is very much advised.
Nice
❤❤❤great video. support brother