10 Reasons to use a Tarp for Ultralight Backpacking
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- If you want to lighten your backpack or transition to ultralight backpacking a tarp is a great option - but there are more reasons to use a tarp than just lowering your base weight!
I've been backpacking and camping with tarps for over 15 years, and even though DCF tents that weigh around 1 pound are common now, I still use a tarp. Here are some of the reasons.
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Thanks for all the great discussion!
If you found the video useful consider giving it a thumbs up or check out my latest trip video: ua-cam.com/video/NhgDrUkysok/v-deo.html
Along the lines of adaptability, the number one advantage of a tarp is versatility. One square tarp can serve as any shelter you can imagine. My four (5) favorites are diamond (#1 for hammock camping), plow point, modified A-frame, and two different kinds of tent tarp setups (one for colder weather and one for horrible weather).
I just started tarping and I love it. One of the best selling points for me is the ease of packing up dry. There is no corners to trap water in, and it’s easy to just shake dry. I also like the ability to set it up to collect rain water. Also it’s much easier to replace warn out components (like a ground sheet) rather than having to buy a new tent because one part gets broken.
Great point about the rain water!
What kind of tarp are you using?
I’m currently experimenting with my old oilskin tarps that I got at an army surplus years back. I have a custom one being made by a cottage company called Wilderness Innovations. It will be 8.5x8.5. I’m also considering the DD 10x10 super light for my upcoming AT threw hike, depending on how well the 8.5 works and packs down.
@@donnydread7631 Check out Borah gear tarps! They make silpoly tarps in two different sizes, and some great bivvies, if you're into that.
I really appreciate your style of video. Zero fluff. Straight to the point from the very start with solid information. Thanks for posting. (subbed)
Thanks man! That was the point - straight to the point!
Very interesting. Tarp camping is interesting to me.
FTI 1:55 you do not lay down you lie-down. An easy way to remember lie-down from lay-down is, folks lie to other folks, thus folks lie-down. It is items we lay down. Hope this helps you and others.
Desert hiker here. I’ve been using a tarp for a year and love it. Different configurations, not only for sleep but for the shade too. Subscribed, thanks for the video.
I've always been fascinated by the idea of TARP camping, and admired people who used them for overnight shelters in the wild, but was afraid to try. So, the other day I bought a DD 3 x 3 tarp as an emergency shelter - if needed - for day hiking, then stumbled across your channel. Your immense experience with TARPS, and the wisdom that you pass along on YT is just what I needed. * subscribed *
Thanks for the feedback! Great option as an emergency shelter!
@@KaneDoesOutdoors Question: When putting the tarp back into its sack, do you fold it, or stuff it?
@@What_If_We_Tried Depends on the shelter - if it’s pretty rectangular I tend to fold & roll to get something flat and around the size of the stuff sack. For more pyramid tarps etc it’s just stuffed. No harm in stuffing, it’s quick.
Straight to the point with reality driven comments. Perfect! Thank you.
Agree, you can also wrap your pack up in the tarp and use it as a floatation advice 🤔👍
Other than my pack my 9x9 dcf tarp is hands down my favorite piece of gear 🙏 its a bear paw wilderness designs flat tarp, can be put up in any number of ways and weighs in at 5.5 ounces
5.5 ounces!
@@KaneDoesOutdoors im a fan of not noticing the gear in my pack hahaha
Came here to say what most have already said, great editing style. I'll subscribe for the breif and precise dialog alone!
Appreciate that - I try to avoid too much fluff. The goal on my channel is a discussion. I have my opinions but I learn a ton from other people's experiences and insight.
Well, I think you just convinced me to add a tarp to my gear. Gonna keep using the tent, though.
I used an umbrella material for my tarp, it's super light and super cheap. It lasted me for 5+ years.
Tarps have saved me from many rain storms in the moment of need. Plus also leads to a lot of snoring time
Golden words! I’m totally agree. Thank you. Very well done. 👍
I’m considering taking a 3x3 DD tarp on my multi-day hike here in the UK in the Spring. I’ve used tarps loads for quick overnights, especially tarp tent configurations with trekking poles. Pretty solid, quick and easy. My only concern is stormy weather. The trail I’m following here is exposed and for most of it. I guess pitching the tarp tent t back to the wind is an option but I’m still a bit nervous spending 100 miles alone with just a tarp. However it’s nice and light! 🤔 Good video thanks - Ben 🇬🇧
I truly believe that a tarp is great in a lot of situations - BUT not all. Practice on overnight trips, 2 night trips etc. You'll know when you're ready for the next step. It's also possible that for your trip an open tarp isn't ideal. In very open and windy locations an enclosed shelter might be better.
Once you're comfortable tarp camping it makes you more confident and using any other shelter is a joke. On more challenging trips I tend to go for enclosed shelters that I can easily pin to the ground and set up quickly. If weather is good I leave the doors open and get the benefits of ventilation at a modest weight penalty while knowing that if the conditions turn bad my shelter can easily handle it.
I don't know the name of the set-up, but there's a very low, flat diamond shape where you point the back into the wind and pull the corners in under you. It catches far less wind than even a stealth bivy.
all good reasons. I have used a tarp and bug bivy all summer and fall for three years now. my tent was stolen airing out after one trip and needed a cheap light option for another trip. I bought a 7'x7' silnylon tarp off craigslist and a bug netting from walmart. I fell in love with the system. super light, packs small, small footprint and when it rains I am able to get the water to drain away from me into trenches, unlike a tent that drains directly off the tent and puddles underneath.
I upgraded to a 10'x10' tarp for better coverage and built my own custom bug bivy with a silnylon floor. 34" wide at the head 24" at the foot 42" tall at the head to 32" at the foot.
stakes out at the four corners and I clip it into the zing-it ridgeline with nama gears nama claws.
the tarp, bug bivy, ridgeline with ten assorted aluminum stakes, it weighs 2 lbs.
My system is very similar!
@@KaneDoesOutdoors having the tarp has saved my butt from heat exhaustion one time as well. I was above treeline all morning and early afternoon in 90° weather with zero shade. being able bivouac under the tarp out of the sun from 1pm til 5pm allowed me cool down and rest my body. sometimes we get all four seasons on the same day in the Sierra Nevada
What is an entry-level tarp brand name you recommend to get started with
Love tarps to the point I’ve not used a tent for over 4 years 😀🤣😂👍👌❤️
Nice! Flat tarp or shaped?
@@KaneDoesOutdoors I have several dd tarps, Solognac Furtiv Tarp from decathlon my favourite also Trailstar tarp tent and a floating beak style tarp so like both really, so many shelter options you can do with a tarp too and it allows you to stay connected with your surroundings unlike a tent.
@@grimlightwildoutdoors I had the Trailstar a long time ago, maybe in 2010. Very interesting shelter but the footprint is so big it was hard to find a good place to pitch. I hear they are popular in the UK.
I recently did a week long desert hike in Namibia and used a tarp with a bivy bag and I tell you its the best thing ever though I normally hammock camp and used say I'm no ground dweller.
That sounds like an amazing adventure!
Natural anchors is the main reason why i like tarp camping.
Very informative and well argued! Thx!
I’m sold. Now I have to pick one out
I like that with a tarp, if there are no trees around. you can use your hiking poles for tent poles
ok if you use walking poles ! I hate them and use a hazel thumbstick for walking, but I also carry two British Army basha poles in my gear. Basha is a British term for tarp.
I was first taught to just grab a dead branch, and stick a sock/bandana/etc on the top end.
I use two sticks for my main ridge-line all the time. Two wraps of cord around the stick and you’re good to go.
1So glad to have content from a fellow Canadian, appreciate your tips!
Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated!
Same 👍🇨🇦
I own a couple good tarps that I use for cooking area or community shelter between tents/hammocks, and in this respect they’re invaluable. Mostly tropical or semi-tropical regions. The main disadvantage to a simple tarp shelter I’ve found has been keeping snakes out. How do you contend with this? Thanks for the vid.
A little late to the game but what’s a good place to get material to make your own tarp? I love DIY anything over store bought. I was looking into a DIY ultralight backpack also. A tarp would be an easier first project.
#12 Works well with a hammock.
Another great vid. I’m right about to get going with a tarp plus an outdoor research Ascentshell bivy. The bivy has torso mesh available and pull solid layer back. Idea being I could sleep right out in just bivy. Get under tarp for gear and getting in bivy if it is raining. Seems flexible having both but I overthink things and maybe should just stick with copper spur tent haha. Frequent backpacking in Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Sure good if found this channel. Great good stuff. Tho I am from way down in SoCal, there seems to be oodles and scads of great info and tips. You bet I subscribed.
Appreciate the feedback -
I love using my British army basha and basha poles and British army gore tex bivvy bag
I am an avid tarp backpacker but WRONG on #2. An HMG “high end” DCF tarp is currently $400.00 USD and after shipping, duties and taxes and the dollar conversion, well north of $500.00 CAD.
That being said, I concur with the rest of your submissions!
Tarps can be every bit as good for sun, rain, wind and snow protection as a tent (when skilled and experienced in multiple and versatile set ups).
The only one true/ real negative is BUGS! Indeed, if no bugs, a tarp trumps a tent every day of the week and twice on Sundays!
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for the feedback - I think we’re probably pretty well aligned for #2. My point was that if you match product specs the tarp will generally be cheaper. If you take 1 pound shelters, like a tent from z packs vs a sil tarp, the tarp could b 5X cheaper. If you get into ridiculous premium products like HMG all bets are off. From my point of view it’s pretty hard to justify $400 usd on a tarp, but if someone gave me one I’d use it 😂
Tarp can work if you do not have mosquitos like in Finland. Tarp can be usuable if you do not have bugs, if it doesn't wind and rain at the same time, and if the nights are reasonable warm and weather is nice. I use rather tent and with good bug protection.
We’ve got a LOT of mosquitoes in northern Canada. I have an amazing net tent that Integral Designs used to make that pairs perfectly with a big tarp. I bought that in something like 2008 or 2009. Honestly one of the best bug + rain combinations I’ve ever used.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors ok Last summer I was happy with tent in Lapland. It is 100 % protecion from rain and hard winds at the same time. And if tarp is big you can build better protection but is the net too small against bugs? Do yoy have enought space there?
My thoughts exactly, but I have used a tarp one time, in the early summer, with no bug bites
@@jlkartvideos9887 My net tent is huge, it's a 2-3 person A-frame style so the vertical wall s at the head and foot give a lot of useable space!.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors My tent is Jack Wolfskin skyrocket II, breaths well, good bug protection, no condensation problems, enought strong bottom and 4000mm layer and two layer tent. Enought strong in hard winds and manage well in continuously rain. Not the lighthest one but exellent tent for hard conditions and warm tent also. More I have hiked more I have understood that light weight is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that gear has to work in every situation.
Informative and beneficial video
There area lot of good points here. Do you ever have problems due to the dew point, rather than condensation? I have in the past, but that was when I used no structure above me. I really have to get more skills and experience with tarps, it would seem. I use them with my hammocks, these past 14 years but on the ground it seems to be a different game. Much to learn - always.
HIlleberg tents don't suffer any of the setup downsides in the rain, btw.
Yes, dew will accumulate in specific conditions. But ultimately this is one of the reasons to have a roof instead of “pure” cowboy camping. I’d rather have dew on my tarp than sleeping bag!
I have thought about using a tarp, mostly for weight reduction but my fear is water running under the tarp getting me and my quilt wet. People say that is not an issue but I have a hard time believing that. I have a DCF tent that is super light so my weight savings will only be less than eight ounces.
i've done some tarp camping but i always worry about those stupid biting mosquitoes , they drive me nuts!!! i also worry about rain/blowing rain. with out putting out money for a DCF or TNT tarp, a 9x9 silnylon weighs around 18oz a borah gear 7x9 silpoly weighs around 10oz vs getting a sling fin split wing for around 8oz and the vestibule to completely enclose for an extra 2oz...... granted those weights aren't including stakes, cords ect... but i ended up just going with the sling fin because it can be completely enclosed for around 10oz.....
Look into the yama mountain gear cirriform 2p and the 1p inner. I have the older 2p cirriform but there’s been some upgrades. It’s silpoly vs the sling fin silnylon.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors I've look at there's as well, only problem is inventory is very limited so it's hard to nab one. mainly the reason for going with sling fin. as far as the fabric is concerned all depends on who you want to believe on which is better. don't have enough experience with either one to make an opinion.
Thanks to your tarp videos (and some by other YTers), I ordered one. I have Jardine’s tarp book but was wondering if you can recommend any tarp books or websites you find helpful. Thanks.
In southern Ontario and also in South Africa, snakes would make tarps a dangerous thing. I don't know about in the States, but I guess it is of no or little concern? I once caught "tick bite fever cycling and sleeping in the open in the Drakensberg mountains, and so now sleep behing noseeum mesh, though I like the open feel of just sleeping on a beach under the stars with nothing but a wool blanket. I may have to re-learn a few things - go back to simpler.
My first few years of tarp camping were in southern Ontario. I used one on sections of the bruce trail, lacloche-silouette trail etc. I never worried about snakes…
@@KaneDoesOutdoors What a small world. I did a lot of the bruce trail way back when and closer to Kilarney provincial park I used to hear about the Massasauga rattlers. and their supposed propensity to climb into sleeping bags. I don't know if it was mere myth, I was a kid back then in the late sixties and it stuck with me. The snakes of Norther Natal were similarly talked of as how dangerous they could be, but I slept on beaches and never did get a serious encounter.
Awesome video!
Thanks for the feedback!
The reason #10 is my counterargument against tents where you erect the inner-tent first and throw the outer-tent above the construction. The better european tents, or the tents more for bad weather, are built the other way round: the poles go through channels in the outer-tent wich is erect first, and than the inner-tent is hung inside. (e.g. Hilleberg)
I’m not sure why that isn’t a more popular design.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors I think it‘s the difference between „good weather2 and „bad weather“ approaches. In the US it‘s more like „so many nights you need just the bug protection“ vs in scandinavia it’s like „first of all you need protection from the rain (or hail or snow)“ ;-)
Hi, and thanks for the great videos you are butting out. I'd like to ask you advise for the dimensions of my first tarp. I intend to use it for my main shelter for long distance hikes. I'll be using it alone or with my partner, so it should fit two people and their gear (there is not a lot, we are quite minimalist). My body is more on the taller side with 186cm (6.1ft). I found a really nice flat tarp with dimensions of 266x266cm (8.7x8.7ft), but I am not sure if this is actually big enough? The tarp can be customized, therefore actually I could have exactly the dimension I need. Do you think I should enlarge to something like 8.7x10ft to take in count the fact that I am more of a bigger guy? Thank you, Thomas
Hi Thomas, my opinion is that 9x9 ft is too small for two people. I would recommend 10 ft length. For years I used a rectangular tarp for two people with a 10ft ridgeline. I made it from a ray jardine kit. His design includes “beaks” at each end of the tarp that really help with blowing rain. The tarp in this video has an 11 ft ridgeline because I chose not to have beaks. It’s not rectangular though and tapers a lot at one end. An 11 ft rectangular tarp is very big and doesn’t handle wind unless you have side tie out points in the middle of the panel.
I’ve been using the Sixmoons design dechutes tarp tent for years & would love to move to a standard tarp. Any recommendations on size? Square / rectangle
Note : I primarily BP east coast (nice & wet)
Hi Mark, I'm partial to 8X10 for a flat tarp. On the east coast (NY and NH) I found that a hammock is hard to beat given how impacted the camp sites can be. All the tarp advantages plus off the ground.
Lost count of how many tarps i have. Roof,hammock,slingbag,water collector and lots of uses
Hey man these tips are super helpful!! Do you have any advice on a SIMPLE guy line system? Right now I'm using paracord and taut line hitch, kind of annoying having 10 different long lines tied to the tarp.. any kind of clip / bungee cord system? Couldn't tell what you were using, just want somethin I can set up quick and easy... thanks again!!!
On the tarp in this video it's a pretty minimal setup. I do trucker's hitches for the ridgeline and quick release clove hitches on the perimeter, somewhat like you're describing. The cordage is much smaller than paracord though.
If you want simple and fast I'd suggest buying a tarp with linelock 3s sewn into the tie-out loops. I have those on my two pyramid shelters and one of my hybrid shelters (yama mountain cirriform 2p). They make it dead easy: anchor and pull tight. You could also buy some linelocks and add them on to your current tarp. Just be warned that the cordage needs to match the linelocks.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors right on, exactly the info i needed, and quick! youdaman
The lack of bug safe space is my only complaint- & I am not a fan of the bug bivy. Too sticky and too small for living after hiking. I’m open to another solution….mosquitoes are a real issue where I am.
I have an A-frame style bug tent from integral designs that works very well under a tarp. Unfortunately they don't make it anymore, but MSR has very similar tents called the Mesh House 2 & 3. The MSR 3P version is actually very light based on the specs (1 pound).
You said you made that tarp? What's the materials and dimensions?
It’s just normal silnylon. 11 ft ridgeline, 9.5 ft wide at the head and 6 ft wide at the foot. The taper is quite extreme but it means there is a small opening at the foot end that handles weather very well.
What about critters and snakes??
I typically have a bug bivy in the summer for bugs. Early spring and fall they aren't an issue.
We have to deal with big furry animals where I am, snakes not so much. I know a lot of people use tarps in the desert though...
The #1 counterargument imo is bug-protection, or the lack of it. I am still looking for a lightweight solution (most of so called bug-tents are heavier than my tarps). You seem to have some kind of bug-bivy-bag, right? Can you tell something about it?
For situations where mosquitoes and black flies are swarming it’s definitely a challenge. You’re also right about the bug tents being heavy. I have an amazing a-frame style bug tent that was made by Integral Designs many years ago. From memory the weight is approximately 750G. It is HUGE, with true 2-3 person capacity. It has an exceptionally tight pitch with quaternary ridgeline. The floor material is quite thick so a more modern design could be much lighter. MSR makes similar tents now but they look quite small.
I use a simple home made rectangular bug bivy. The floor is silnylon and the top is mosquito netting with a full length zipper along the centre. The weight is 225G.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors Thanks fr your answer.
I've been debating switching to a tarp, love the simplicity and light weight. But I am concerned about snakes crawling into my quilt at night... Is there anything you can say regarding that issue?
There aren't any snakes where I am so I can't really comment if that's a real concern. I would tend to think that most animals avoid people, but I could be wrong.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors I mostly hike in the European Alps (Italy mostly) and I was just about to sit down once leaning on a stone wall when I noticed a snake slithering between the stones of the wall that was way too big for my personal comfort, although even the smaller ones I've seen around (at daytime) I wouldn't want to share my sleeping quilt with... they love the warmth. I know this is an irrational fear probably...
I personally like Hammock camping lots of the same pros as a tarp.
Hammocks have a lot of advantages, especially out east. I did most of my backpacking in upstate new york and a hammock is perfect. Warm weather, bugs, humidity, impacted campsites and lots of trees!
@Kane Does Outdoors well i don't live out east. I live in western Alberta, and I admit some of my adventures a hammock is a no-go. I enjoy Trout fishing high mtn lakes, so Often, trees are not around, lol
But on rivers and lower elevation, it's my go-to.
I haven’t used mine since moving to Alberta but I definitely will at some point.
I wouldn’t mind some high mtn lake trout missions!
@Kane Does Outdoors well i live near rocky mountain house there is a few good ones within an hour or so. The best are the golden trout.
The price of tents is really hetting out of hand.
Yes in specific areas & seasons, but generally not. Texas is a generally bad area in most seasons.
Why, bugs?
I used to use tarps but gave up on them.
(1) Where I hike--Grand Canyon and the High Sierra--trees either aren't available or they're few and far between, and that limits what one can guy out to.
(2) Tarps give no protection against bugs. While that can be mitigated by using a bug net over your face or a full-sleeping-bag bug net, you end up stuck in the equivalent of a bivy, even if you're not using a bivy, whereas a tent that has a floor and netting allows you free movement. I like being able to sit up. I don't like being confined all night long.
(3) A tent with a bathtub floor can keep out water that flows through your camping spot. A tarp can't do that. It isn't always possible--at least where I hike--to find a nice raised spot from which rain flows away in all directions. Often the only spots available are slightly sloped. In such conditions a mere groundsheet isn't enough to keep water off your gear, unless you can manage to stay completely motionless at night, something I can't do, since I toss and turn in my sleep.
(4) I found that tents give much better protection in storms, particularly the wild ones that occur at high elevation. Tents can be staked low on all sides; not so with tarps, unless you want to eliminate all headroom.
(5) With modern fabrics, roomy tents weigh hardly more than the tarps I used to feel constricted under.
(6) Other things mentioned in favor of tarps--such as group shelters during meals--are irrelevant to me, first because I usually hike solo but also because, when in a group, I never have been in a situation where we needed a group shelter.
In short, I no longer see any real (and likely-to-be-used) advantages to tarps.
I’m planning a video on the topic covering many of those points.
However, there’s an element of style and skill that tarps bring that go beyond function which is appealing to some people. I agree that with modern fabrics and designs, I wouldn’t recommend that a tarp be a persons primary shelter, especially for a beginner.
The downside to bathtub floors and the likes is that they tend to make you lazy about site selection. Mastering tarp use is what I would consider an advanced skill and will probably continue to be of interest to certain people regardless of what products are on the market.
@@KaneDoesOutdoors I understand your points about the aesthetic of tarps and about site selection, but I hike in places where, many times, there are no truly good camping sites, in terms of levelness. Every site threatens to be a conduit for runoff. I learned the hard way in Grand Canyon (though this was with a tent). The only site I could locate seemed fine, but it had enough of a slope that when an unexpected and strong storm came in at night, my sleeping bag got soaked because I was lying in a depression. That would have been okay, except in the morning snow arrived several days earlier than forecast, and I had to make it all the way to the rim in one day rather than the planned two because I wouldn't have been able to use the sleeping bag for another night. (I no longer hike in Grand Canyon in late November!)
All excellent points and further proof we each need to find what best suits us. Carry on - Cheers!
Tent keeps you much warmer. Rather carry my tent
Compared to ultralight tents there is WAY more room.
Funny I didn’t mention that point because it’s probably my #1 reason.
Mosquitoes is the only one biggest downside, hate em.
Bug bivvies 🫸🦟