Tarps vs tents vs bivys: What’s your $0.02?

[Tyler N]

Bingo – thank you SO much, Donna! That info is pure gold; really helps me anticipate these specific areas. This completely confirms the need for a specialized shelter on these SE beaches. At this point weight is looking like the least of my concerns with the wildlife and weather in mind; protection + stability will be the priorities. Heck, that whole Outer Banks area IS nicknamed "The Graveyard of the Atlantic" from its coastal conditions! I'm not going to be naive & assume I can just tiptoe on the beach, relying on some UL magic – only to get smacked upside the head with turbulent winds and sand spray. I'm shifting my focus a little more towards an UL tent for sandy+windy conditions. 4-season possibilities are further down on my list so I may invest in a mid later on when that hits my radar; those definitely seem to be the solution to snowfall. The UL tent will give freestanding (still staked, of course) beach support + I'll still want a mesh inner for this setup (possibly using the same one that would fit the HMG flat tarp on order). Well, now at least I have a much clearer focus – thanks again everyone! I think I just saved a few hundred $$$s w/this post

[Hiking Malto]

The problem with questions like this is that shelters are really dependent on conditions which they are being used. To deal with this I have locked into a three piece system.

1) a solomid style tarp.
2) a net inner.
3) a bivy.

The tarp gets used year round. The inner gets used in bug season/heat. The bivy for the cold. Normally, I only set up the tarp when its going to rain or snow or occasional cold/wind. I evolved this system from a tarp bivy which I successfully used in western environments. But this system is lacking in the heat and bugs of the eastern summer. This is where the change to a bug inner makes life a lot nicer.

[Donna C]

If you can afford it..go cuben. My guess is sand won't cling to it and you can bring the sides down low enough to repel blowing sand and salt…somewhat.

[James Marco]

Yeah, pretty much agree with varible conditions, variable shelter requirements.

But, don't forget the focus of this forum. This bacpackingLIGHT. Lightweight gear and it's uses are always the first concern. Tents have come down in weight a LOT over the past 5 years or so. It is possible to find a full tent for around 16oz. This is pretty remarkable considering that when I started a light tent was around 6 pounds. Most of the savings has been done recently. They are still expensive, though. Example: Z-packs Hexamid Solo, ~$430.

Only a 4 season tent will work for ALL conditions. They do not work well in summer. But are tight enough to stop most spindrift/sand. Do you really want to carry the weight? How many times are you going to need this type of shelter? If you can answer 5 out of ten, then get it. If you answer 1 out of ten, then you might consider another type. Buying a single tent for all conditions will mean carrying extra weight, the vast majority of the times you get out.

I am not above using a net tent for black fly season in the north-east. It weighs a bit more, but, I know it is worth the added comfort. I can also ellect to drop it and just use the tarp. I save about 8-12oz. That's the point of components. Thay can be added or subtracted as needed for a week long trip somewhere. Or you can have three or four tents that essentially do the same thing. These are YOUR choices, though.

[Tyler N]

James – I agree with your thought process in assessing the criteria for investment; ultimately 2 separate systems (component-based) are the answer. And I thought I could have it all…

"Lightweight gear and it's uses are always the first concern"
Zooming out a little bit, I realize that for certain beach trips I'll be essentially sea kayaking with a packraft – searafting? The conditions will demand shelter performance from some UL tent, but everything will have to fit within an HMG 4400 Porter Pack – so any solution will end up being UL pretty much by necessity. Especially since I'll have other gear specific for the water, I'll be trying to overcompensate by cutting weight however I can. Keeping UL principles in mind will be the only realistic way to address all the performance issues without literally breaking my back. I'll just cut back in other areas more efficiently. A fun balancing act…

[Dean F.]

Just an aside- I'm not sure I'd take a packraft on open ocean (or even a large body like Pamlico) unless I had a very reliable weather report of absolutely no wind. Sure, you can struggle your way across a fjord or inlet in wind if you have to, but wind will push a packraft around mercilessly so for a dedicated boating trip I'd recommend a more formidable boat. Folbot makes quite affordable folding skin-on-frame kayaks (by which I mean $1k-2k range) and they have a simply stellar customer service reputation. More expensive options are Feathercraft, Klepper, or Long Haul- I have one of the latter. Or, of course, a traditional non-folding boat. (One of these days I'm going to build one of the Chesapeake Light Craft kits…)

[Tyler N]

I hear you loud&clear, Dean – definitely part of my planning. I'm proceeding very conservatively with my assessment of the packraft in larger bodies of water. "Crossings" will be more of skirting around coastlines vs. eskimo-rolling epic charges into deep sea. This year I'll be paddling nearby bays and sharpening navigational skills for more adventurous trips. Of course, I have all sorts of fantasies involving wind sails, rudders …we'll see what actually works…
Yeah – those Folbots do look pretty sweet. Nothing more "UL" than origami technology!

[Nick Gatel]

Other than special uses, such as mountaineering, I find bivys to be a band aid for something lacking in the shelter department. With poncho/tarps, it is the fact the shelter may be too small. For warm retention or wind resistance, the rest of your gear to not matched to the conditions. And bivys tend to create their own problems, such as condensation.

I have used a bivy a lot over the years — to compensate for my dual-purpose poncho/tarp.

But with new lightweight materials, you can have a shelter, rain gear, and floor for less weight than a combination that includes a bivy.

As mentioned, a good mid can work great — no bivy needed. There are lighter options for ground protection. I think we get over concerned with bugs… unless you live in Alaska or Minnesota.

[Justin Baker]

My special use for a bivy would be laziness. Just crawl in and sleep.

[Richard Fischel]

i've been very happy with my bd lighthouse on the beach. roomy interior for one, big screen door for ventilation, can stand up to to a breeze that would flatten many other tents with just 4 guy outs from the mid-pole points on each corner to dead men and is light colored so it doesn't get too hot. if you are worried about the epic fabric, take a look at the integral designs chock tents. they are not the lightest tent in the world, but they are 4-season, free standing, big screened door, solid in a breeze, event fabric skin and they are blowing them out at a lot of places for around $200+.

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