Best storm pitch for flat tarp?

[Michael Ray]

I will be making a flat tarp this summer for solo use just below treeline in the Wind Rivers area in early Aug. That range is appropriately named from what I've read, and I will not be using a bivy. I was doing some "origami" last night on potential sizes and pitches.

Clockwise from the bottom left: 1) 8×8 2) 8×6 3) 8×4 4) 8×10 (like youtube SunDog video) 5) 8×8 in flying diamond 6) 8×10
The wood block is 6x2x1.75 to simulate my ideal sleep space (I'm 5'9"). LOL
While the 2 8×10 designs would give more headroom and real estate, I suspect that will also be a liability in finding a suitable site.
The flying diamond seems to be fairly roomy and popular but it doesn't look like it would work well if the wind shifted by more than 60 degrees whereas all the others could handle a 90 degree shift.
I like the small size of the MLD poncho tarp Steve Evans has, which is 8×4.

I'm certain that isn't enough coverage without a bivy though so I was thinking of 8×6. I can also design a temporary wall to almost fully enclose it if weather dictates.
I don't have time to make a bunch of different tarps. I need to get it "right" on the first time because I'll also be adding some netting to the opening and around the edge for when I don't need to pitch it to the ground (it will essentially be a floorless tarptent). That will cut down on splash and I don't want to wear my headnet to bed.
Since this will be my first tarp experience, I plan to pitch it in my back yard any time a thunderstorm rolls in to try it out as much as possible.

What else am I missing or should I consider???

[Andy F]

I have an 8×10 flat tarp I use sometimes. That's the smallest I'd want to go without a bivy. It's MYOG, and I sewed tieouts for the "instructor style" pitch shown on Oware's "Flat Tarp" page.

http://www.owareusa.com/

[j lan]

Instructor mode as is listed above or "low tetra" pitch:

[Nick Gatel]

I would go for (and use) the bottom left with an 8' X 10' tarp.

[Michael Ray]

So #6 except the "door" on an 8' side? I'd much prefer a "palace" with headroom, but am assuming real estate will be at a premium. Thus, my thinking of a small footprint to ease site selection but with an extra wall I could attach if needed to nearly seal it. Don't think that would work?

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

Can you try these out with old sheets? That might work better than origami.

[Michael Ray]

Yes, I'll be doing some quick mockups with either plastic dropcloth or blue tarps to get a feel for whether I can handle the interior space or not before I decide on the final design. The paper was quick and to visually compare their sizes relative to one another.

Not having any tarp experience yet, I wanted to know if one shape was inherently better than the others for storms or if there was another I should be considering. For example, I've seen several speak highly of the flying diamond in that regard but it would seem one with 3 sides would offer better protection.

[Steven Evans]

Hi Michael,
My "go-to" pitch is the half pyramid you have pictured above. That pitch is great if you know where the wind will be coming from all night (ie. perfect for beside a lake) or if you can have a natural windblock in front of the opening. It can hold off rain, but I usually don't pitch like that if I know it's going to come down.

If I know it will be raining hard, I almost always go to an A-frame but pitch it very low. So low in fact that my 3 piece hiking poles are collapsed all the way and the two corners at my feet have no guylines as I stake them right to the floor. I find, even with my small tarp, that it will keep most rain out but of course a bivy is nice to have.

I used to try out lots of other pitches but kinda gave up on them as these 2 styles "seemed" to be all I need.

Anyway, my two cents.

[Michael Ray]

Steve,
I'd think you'd certainly touch the inside on a 4' wide tarp pitched in an A that low. I suppose with a bivy you don't have to worry about condensation wetting your bag (except in winter?).

I think I'll prefer a (not too deep) half pyramid as well, but we'll see once I play with some plastic in the yard. The material I'm using will default to a 8×6 size so I'd have a little more coverage anyway. Then I'll be covering the opening with noseeum so that will also help. Since my bag is down though, I'll feel safer with the opening sealed up, which I'm thinking will just be a triangle panel with shockcorded attachments at each corner. That should block everything unless the wind reverses direction.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I have an 8×10 tarp and an 8×5 poncho and I think the poncho is actually a better size. The 8×10 tarp will get saggy after a while. But I suppose if it was really raining and I had no bivy, I'd feel a lot better under the 8×10 than the poncho. I kind of like a rectangular shape because you can do different kinds of set-ups because one side is longer than the other. You can make a really long tent or a shorter and wider one. With a square you have less options.

[Eugene Smith]

Michael,

I prefer your #2 setup most. I own the flat MLD Monk Tarp w/ dimensions @ 5'x9' and I've found that the 1/2 pyramid setup provides plenty of coverage and wind/rain protection when staked to the ground. I'm 6' for example and I don't find the 5×9' dimensions of my current Monk to be too tight for a minimalist solo tarp but you have to be choice in your pitch. I find that I can raise the 3 guyed out sides off the ground about 6" and really lay down deeper in the 1/2 pyramid away from the opening in the event of precipitation. Ideally, I'd like to move up to a 7'x10' cuben flat tarp for more coverage. I currently use an MLD Superlight bivy with my Monk Tarp.

I also like to pitch my Monk tarp flat and angled up from the ground with a trekking pole at each corner along the 9' length, this is a great pitch if the wind is biased in one direction, it serves as an excellent wind break.

[Steven Evans]

Michael,
With regards to the Low A pitch with a 4' wide tarp. It's definitely not a palace, and you have to crawl in, but it definitely does the trick when it's coming down hard. I may have a few pics – I'll check.

The key is to only pitch the corners at your feet to the ground and then the corners at your head can use guylines a few feet long so you have more room. My technique isn't necessarily the right way, it's just a way that has worked for me over the years, as always YMMV.

OK, I'm trying to give you an idea of the setup. These pics are from years ago, and the poncho I was using then was (I believe) 55 inches in width so the 48" width of my poncho would be a bit tighter. Pitched all corners straight to the ground.

And here is a video where I have my 52" wide tarp pitched right to the ground at my feet, but used guylines at the shoulders (and only my foot pole was collapsed all the way)…again, just to give you an idea. You need to skip to about 6:10 in the video. Should give you a good idea of the coverage I had.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95BDQyw2kpg

Anyway, hope that helps a bit.

[Kevin Babione]

My foray into tarping used an 8×10 silnylon tarp. Our first night out we were expecting high winds and thunderstorms. This was a pitch I'd seen in the BPL Lightweight Backpacking book:

For one person it was quite spacious and pretty storm-proof…

And, as a little insurance my first time tarping I used my Marmot Precip jacket to fashion a "door" to minimize the entry of rain if the wind direction changed more than 120 degrees (I had guylines available to secure the bottom of the jacket if it became necessary):

With all that preparation we had a couple gusts of wind and a few drops of rain.

[Michael Ray]

Kevin,
Looks like a flying diamond rotated over a bit (using a second pole), which gives me another idea to investigate.

Steve,
Practically speaking, how do you crawl in such a space without getting your stuff wet if it's really coming down? Do you also block off the ends with something?

[Steven Evans]

Michael,
In that particular pitch, where all corners are staked, you have to "worm" your way in, change on top of your bivy, and then get in. I actually haven't pulled that one off in a long time – probably since I took that photo. Leaving just the two foot loops staked to the ground and the two head loops with guylines (shown in the video) has been sufficient for my needs.

I haven't blocked off the end of my tarp before. I've put my pack against one of the trekking poles to help stop wind, but that's kinda where the bivy helps out. Stops the elements that make it past the tarp.

Like I said, not necessarily the right way, but just my way.

[Michael Ray]

HYOH as they say or Pitch-YOP in this case.

Part of my leaning toward the half pyramid is I would think an A would take longer to set up and I'd have to use more netting to keep bugs out. It also seems like it would allow more wind through. I also believe I'd like orienting my bag across the opening as you do. Since I won't have a bivy, having more space to move around and change is also a good thing.

In case anyone is wondering, I'm choosing no bivy at THIS point largely because I don't have time to make one or money to buy one and it would be heavier than just having a temp wall to put up if I need it. I guess I could use a large trash bag around the lower half but that wouldn't be very breathable or help the upper half.

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