Tarp for JMT

It better work because that's what I'll have on my PCT thru, going through in late June.

Seriously though, there is at least even chance that you won't use your tarp because of no rain. There has only been a couple of nights that rain threatened enough to justify putting up my tarp. I generally go bivy only.

I have a BLP stealth nano and like it fine. Is it the best, don't know, haven't used another type.

In 2009 on the PCT, we had one of the wettest Junes ever in the Sierras–it rained or threatened rain almost every day. But I stayed nice and dry under my MLD Grace Solo tarp.

Lots of PCT hikers take tarps onto the JMT in June. If you know how to use it, you should be just fine with a tarp. And June is typically one of the driest months in California, so odds are that you won't have to use your tarp much anyway.

You'll be fine. You may find that you have to camp in less desirable places (IMO) if you actually have to pitch it. You probably won't though. I did June 14 to July 15 and never needed to pitch a shelter due to precip.

I hope you have a mosquito defnese strategy or you might go insane!

When are the bugs the worst on the JMT? I was guessing July, but is that incorrect? Being from MN, I have had my battles with bugs…

You'll should have no problem with a tarp on the JMT unless you run into a freak weather pattern. I was snowed on in late August last year but was fine in my MLD tarp. This year things are shaping up to be a bad year for mosquitoes unless there is an early snow melt. By late August most of the bugs should be gone. You've indicated prior experience with them so you know what to do. Have a great time on the JMT.

Man, I thought people would be all over this thread with suggestions! Any other help?

I was looking at the zpacks hexamid, but the panzie in me says not enough coverage…

Personally….once you add bug protection to a tarp it doesn't have much advantage over a tent in terms of weight. Bugs are unpredictable too…. their presence depends on factors you don't control.

If it were me I'd keep the Rainbow and use it. A pound isn't the make or break difference in making the trip in a given time.

If you were to use a cuben tarp and a bug inner, with pegs and guys you would be under a pound. A significant drop from the 36oz Rainbow.

Alpinlite 2.0 Bug Shelter at 16 oz

Combined with the BPL Stealth Nano Tarp at 6.5 oz…This system is UL and easy to set up. I would never underestimate the Mighty mosquitoes on the JMT..

Yea, I already have a Contrail, so was just wondering from the experienced people out there if I could get away with just a tarp, which would be 5-10 ounces depending on fabric.

As you can see…. for some people a pound is significant. For me… it is useful to try to eliminate as much weight as possible but at the end of the day you have to quell your lightweight neurosis and hike.

A pound isn't the difference between enjoyment and misery. Skeeters buzzing around my head on the other hand quickly can drive me nuts and make the trip misery rather than vacation. Personally…. I'd carry the extra pound but you have to HYOH.

Once you get down to about one pound, for a tarp/netting/floor you are real close to minimum weight. Smaller is one way you to get lighter…and/or change materials.

> Tarp: 6×8 ~8oz
> Net: 4'6"x4'6" (it may vary a bit…) ~5oz
> Ground cloth: 3'x7' ~3oz
> Total is 16oz at about $80 with good durability
OR Cuben tarp, ground cloth.
> Tarp: 6×8 ~4oz
> Net: 4'6"x4'6" (it may vary a bit…) ~5oz
> Ground cloth: 3'x7' ~1.5oz
> Total is 10.5oz at about $250 with fair durability
A big difference in dollars for 5.5oz, but, maybe you can afford it.

Having an effective double walled shelter is also nice vs a single walled tarp shelter.

But the difference between a Rainbow and a tarp / bug shelter is significant.

Remember, this is backpackinglight, with the emphasis on light.

I have gone thru this several times trying to lighten my load and compensate for carrying a bear can and when you add in the bug protection you have wiped out any significant saving. Since you have expressed an affection for TTs, you might consider a Tyvek Sublite at 18 ozs. The poles are 3 ozs extra each but I assume you use hiking poles since you are considering a tarp??

Well as far as I can tell, the Zpacks Hexamid with screen is about as lightweight as it gets including bug protection and frankly, it isn't ridiculously priced for what you get.

In regards to using BOTH hiking poles, that makes me nervous as I've seen enough poles snap, bend, break, etc. on the trail that it make me worried about relying on them to setup my shelter. I can handle 1 pole with the Contrail, because I have a backup.

MLD has some great options. Lawson at Mountainfitters has a killer 6×8 solo cuben tarp, it's affordable.

GoLite has the Poncho/Tarp (7ounces) for $48 right now with the 40% off code. Team that with a bivy and you're well under a pound.

Alpinlite has a catenary cut tarp called the Stratiform I that's a 7.9 ounce solo tarp with a zippered beak. Add an Alpinlite Bug Tent 1.0 for 8.6 ounces & you're set. Or throw a bivy under it for less than 8.6 ounces.

I'm a big bivy proponent since I got mine. If it's nice out that night, don't bother with the tarp & save time & energy. Plus, my quilt-toting butt likes the draft protection.

MLD makes a great bug shelter–The Serenity Shelter..Mine is custom maid at 10oz but they are maid at 7-8 oz.. Combine this with a BPL Nano tarp and you will definitely come in under 16 oz..

As others have indicated… a tarp on the JMT in June should be fine unless there is super freaky weather.

Which maker? You have listed a number of good companies. Of them, I like the quality MLD the best, but they are all good. I think I have a few more on my recommended tarps section of my shelters page.

What style? What’s really a personal taste and how much you want to sleep if a big storm rolls in. I stayed mostly dry in several storms using a small poncho/tarp without a bivy, but I didn’t necessarily sleep very well those nights. My guess suggestion would be see if there is someone nearby that could loan you a small tarp, or use a cheap plastic tarp using sheetbend knots near home in a storm and see if you can survive. If you can, great, because it’s unlikely you will see a storm on the JMT, but it you get hit by one, you will be able to manage.

Hexamid? If you use a sleeping bag, or a quilt with a bivy, then the zpacks hexamid should be fine. Over the last year it’s worked pretty well for me, though, I struggled some in warmer weather when I wasn’t using the staps on my quilt because I normally let it extend out. When fully spread out, either it was extended where the ground cloth wasn’t, or the ground cloth extended so far that water would get on top and then pool by my pad. A bivy (mostly to constrain the quilt, not so much protect it), always using the straps, adding elastic to the edge of the ground cloth, or be more successful proping up the edge of the ground cloth would have taken care of the problem. I have written up some of my experiences in a review of hexamid with bug netting.

Pole break? That can happen. Flat tarps are the easiest to recover since you can tie the them off using a tree or other local feature. Hexamid would be more challenging. Of course, its likely that you could repair a hiking pole to work well enough for the shelter (less load than a person) plus if you are using two poles, many shelters work with a single pole.

Folks are also right about having a big protection strategy. As to where… that is so dependent on weather and snow pack I won’t try to guess. I have been pretty lucky along the JMT and not had the bugs be too bad. The PCT near Tahoe… now that’s a different story. Some people are fine with a headnet and their sleeping bag or maybe a bivy. Personally, I like a larger amount of bug free space at the end of the day, hence using the hexamid. The lightheart cuben would be less than 1lb, Gossamer Gear The One is around 17oz, and there are a variety of tarps that could get a netting perimeter that would be less than 1lb.

–Mark