How to set up a big tarp by yourself (without trees)
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- Опубліковано 5 кві 2021
- In this video we look at a how to set up a big tarp shelter by yourself without trees.
Tarps, or tarpaulins, are great for wind, rain and sun protection and come in all different shapes and sizes.
The tarp I'm using in this video is 6 metres by 5.5 metres (20ft x 18ft) and puts out a shade area of around 30 square metres (323 square feet). This size is great for families and large groups, however, there are some challenges when it comes to putting it up by yourself.
The biggest challenge when putting up a big trap shelter by yourself is the wind, so it's always best to move slowly and methodically and keep the tarp pegged down as you go to avoid the wind getting under it and blowing it away.
Step 1: Check the direction of the wind and aim to set up your tarp at 90 degrees to the wind.
Step 2: Keep you peg bag in your pocket or on your belt and unravel the tarp little by little. Peg down the corners after each section is unfolded so that the tarp is completely pegged down by the time it's fully spread out.
Step 3: Use a simple loop knot to attach the guy ropes to the corners of the tarp.
Step 4: Walk the other end of guy ropes out as far as they go and secure them down to the ground with tent pegs.
Step 5: Remove the pegs holding down the tarp and assemble the tarp poles.
Step 6: Loosen the guy ropes closest to the first pole eyelet (grommet) and insert the pole. Walk it up into place and tighten the guy ropes again to hold it in place.
Step 7: Repeat the process on the opposite end.
Step 8: Walk around the tarp making adjustments to the guy ropes one at a time to ensure the tarp is well-tensioned and holding in place.
One thing to avoid is placing anything on the tarp to weigh it down. if the wind gusts, this will cause the tarp to pull against its anchors and cause damage.
Here are a few big traps I found with good reviews on Amazon:
Aqua Quest Guide Tarp - 6m x 4m (20ft x 13ft)
amzn.to/31ST3ai
Equinox Egret Tarps - 4.8m x 3.5m (16ft x 12ft)
amzn.to/3rPoGwd
Sanctuary SilTarp - 3.5m x 3m (12ft x 10ft)
amzn.to/3wtmuxQ
Stansport Reinforced Multi-Purpose Tarp - multiple sizes up to 18m x 9m (60ft x 30ft)
amzn.to/3urRMDm
And don't forget poles!
Green Elephant Telescoping Tarp Poles (Aluminium)
amzn.to/3dFxbow
SANLIKE Adjustable Tent Poles (Stainless Steel)
amzn.to/3mwa2sI - Навчання та стиль
Awesome video and very precise and clear of the process to follow when alone pitching a large tarp in wind conditions... thanks so much for sharing.
Great! No worries. Glad you liked it.
Excellent video Sir! Very thorough, and informative, yet short and sweet. TYVM!
Great video! I have a shade tarp I bought for camping. But it has been such a pain to put it up by myself, that I just stopped taking it with me. I just came in from putting it up (with a light wind blowing) following your steps and it was providing me shade on a hot Georgia (USA) day in about 5 minutes. Now it is back in my camping bin that goes with me when I head out. Thank You!!
That's epic! Glad I could help.
Brilliant video explained well! I tried my first tarp setup last weekend and it was a learning experience. You have inspired me to get a bigger one now!
That's great. I found this size (5m x 6m) to be just right. I have another 3m x 3m and that one is great too.
Thanks for the tutorial! I always set up in between trees but recently bought poles, this was very helpful!!!
Great! Glad you found it helpful.
After two successive camp trips sitting out the rain in my tent, I purchased a tarp and poles to have some shelter over a table and some of my gear outside. The tarp and poles came. Then I thought, "Holy smokes... how am I gonna set this up myself. Certainly there cannot be a UA-cam on this topic?" Well call me naïve. Others do. Your video came right up. It was perfect. Good job. Come on rain, get me now! Thanks
Haha. That's amazing. So glad I could help.
EXCELLENT VIDEO! THANK YOU!
Epic tutorial thanks so much
Thanks for the comment. Glad you liked it 😊
Perfekt, sehr gut, Danke!!!
Was wondering what to do on my first solo travel! Noice. 👏👍
Thanks. Good tips.
Hey no worries. Glad you liked it 😊
Job well done
Great video thanks for sharing 👍
No worries - glad it was helpful
Great video. I am looking for a large tarp. I would want larger pegs. Mine are 12 and 16s for Florida high winds
A tarp pitch can be the best 4 season shelter.
It has to go tight to the ground on all sides and have a wood stove inside if it is going to be any good in a winter blizzard. The whole outfit cannot weigh more than 4 lbs. if backpackers are going to use it. A 10’x10’ tarp only needs to be pegged on the 4 corners with as many pegs as it takes to be secure in any wind. No grommets are needed. It has space for 2 cooking or 4 sleeping.
The chimney can serve as 1 of the 40” long corner poles. Sticks that have a small nail driven in both ends (head pinched off). One end stays put on the ground, the other end through a reinforced point exactly in the corner 40” from the edge of the tarp.
All sides can be raised forming an umbrella to cool off, heat from the stove or summer sun.
Love when vides are informative and to the point. Nice work. Quick question. I used my tarp over the back of my SUV and used the poles on the opposite end. The poles did not want to stand secure even when I made the guy lines tight. Any suggestions to keep the poles upright and secure? Thank you.
Thanks for the comment. Glad the video was helpful. To secure the poles you can tray adding a second guy rope so that there are 3 points of tension ( the 2 lines and the tarp itself). This should give you the hold you need.
Great video! Really clear and simple breakdown :)
I was wondering if you knew the name of the music you used in the video?
Hey, sorry I missed your comment there. Glad you liked the video. Not sure of the name of the music, but I think it was something I downloaded from the UA-cam library.
Your video is great! How do you recommend setting up a tarp in relation to sun in order to maximize the amount of shade?
Hi, sorry for the delay. I'd say first check the trajectory of the sun so you know where it will be in a few hours, then you can set up the poles perpendicular to that line. This will mean that you can drop one side of the tarp to keep you in shade and keep the other side open.
Need to try this 😂 I bought one and took it the my
Allotment for some shade and I couldn’t put it up so threw it all in the green house haha bloody thing
Haha - hopefully this can help
Very nice....I don't think they have them.in south Africa though. Miss your videos...when are you coming back to RSA.
Thanks for the comment, really glad you like our stuff.
Such a pity they don't have these brands in SA. I'm busy researching what is available though, so I'll update with some links if I find anything good.
As for heading back to SA, we have a very hopeful plan of being back for about 2 months in July, but that all depends on how travel restrictions go. We've got our fingers crossed though cause it's been waaaaay too long!
I can’t believe those little pegs actually hold it down over time in that wind
Yeah, they do a good job. These days I use stakes which are even more sturdy, put pegs are remarkably strong.
Would it be best to put that up first and then put a tent up under it? I have an msr elixir 3 man tent and I really want to put a tarp up over it. It'll be hot I'll be camping with my son. Extra insurance against an unexpected heavy rain as well. What do you think?
Yeah, I'd say set up the tarp first. At the very least it's a sheltered place for you to keep your gear while you're setting up the rest of your camp. Once the tent it up, it's easy enough to slide it under the tarp.
👏👏👏
Wondering how long your guy ropes should be, if you want to set it up over a small Boler trailer...
Hmm. I'm not too sure? I think the that will depend on the height of your poles. Also, you can get long guy ropes and shorten them, but you can't lengthen short ones, so, I'd err on the side of using longer ones and adjusting later.
Thanks. I have a lot of problems setting this in the Sand. Any advice?
I'm about to make a video about this very thing 🙂 but to give you a few options that I use...1. I use either hessian or burlap sand bags and fill them up at the beach. I then tie a nylon strap around the bag and attach my guy ropes to the strap. More bags = more sturdy. 2. I drill a hole into the middle of a frisbee, flip it upside down (so the ridges are facing upwards), feed the guy ropes through the hole and secure it to something long on the other end (like a stick) so it can't came back through the hole. Then I dig a small hole in the sand and bury the frisbee. The deeper the hole = the more sturdy. I hope that made sense and that it helps.
@@Strayalongtheway thanks!!! Make Sense. From the Mexican Caribe.
Hi what is the knotting method you used? Trying to google how to do that
Hi Bo - These days I use carabiners for my guy ropes. You can see how I do it here: ua-cam.com/video/OW9CZnaW04A/v-deo.html
Was wondering if your tarp was rectangle, 4 tie out points.?Looked like it had more.
It's a bear skin cut, so there are 6 tie out points.
Will this awning fly away in strong winds?
So far so good. We've had it up is some pretty strong wind and everything seems to hold nicely. As long as you keep the tarp pegged down while you're setting it up, it's a lot easier to manage and comes out a lot more sturdy.
I’m interested in the tarp that you actually used in this video. What is the Model and manufacture nsmes?
It's a Quechua Extra Large tarp from Decathlon in Taiwan. Not sure if they have these available worldwide. It's not a square shape, but rather, more like a batwing. Really great for larger groups.
good video, you should be a teacher
Hey, thanks so much. Would you believe I actually am a teacher 😅 I teach English in Taiwan.
@@Strayalongthewayyeah, i knew something was up with this tarp instructional video right away, lol
I work outside in parking lots, are tarp tents right for me?
Could be - I'd need to see the exact location to say for sure, but there's no reason why a tarp wouldn't work in parking lots
Wish this worked on a heavy duty tarp. They are so heavy
Yeah sure. I'll need to play around with one to try to find a good technique
Good video and thanks for telling us how to do it on a beach setting. No need to like on this message, I don't like likes as it wastes my time and everyone elses. Much rather have a comment or nothing as old school. I don't do likes lol #commentsnotlikes
You should have included a ridge line across to each pole. How to get a large group of people under there? Seriously? You have 6ft poles but only 3ft people can walk under it. And while you're at it, why not use a regular rectangular tarp? I'm sick of seeing these bear skin type tarps everywhere so gimmicky especially as u mentioned making a wind break by dropping one side.
No ridge line necessary. If you want to fit a larger group of people, you just use longer poles, and maybe a couple of shorter poles on one side. I am a 60-something woman and I have been setting up beach tarps for over 40 years. The catenary cut tarps are a real game changer. Best to face one of the tall poles into the wind so the tarp inflates like a sail.
Facing the longer poles to the wind is such a great point!! Just got back from a super windy weekend away and this helped us a lot.
@@Strayalongtheway Glad to hear that! And I forgot to mention that for the beach be sure to take sand stakes at least 12" long, and pound them way in (at an angle). The long curved ones made for snow are also good. Enjoy!
@@beachcamper7221 that's great. I've taken to burying sand bags that I wrap with nylon strapping that has a small carabiner attached to the end (to avoid fraying the guy ropes. Very effective and looks really neat and tidy too. I'll give you suggestion a go to though. Sounds interesting.
Click Bait Thumbnail Pic.
It's literally in the first 30 seconds man