Tarp vs tent vs tarptent

[spelt with a t]

Help me out here, UL denizens. I'm confused. What exactly differentiates these three types of shelters? My eyes are bleary from looking at too many cottage manufacturer websites, but these are my observations.

A tent has a floor, except when it doesn't.

A tarptent doesn't have a floor, except when it does.

A tarptent is pitched down to the ground on all sides.

A tent is pitched down to the ground on all sides.

A tarp isn't pitched down to the ground, except when it is, and when it is, it's not on all sides.

A tent has a defined door. Maybe.

A tent can be pitched in one configuration.

A tarp or tarptent can be pitched in multiple configurations.

…Or is tarptent solely a brand name, and if so, why would anyone deliberately be so confusing?

Set me straight here, please.

[Mark Verber]

The way I think about it:

tarp has no floor. You can have shaped tarps (which some people call floorless tents).

tent can have a broad definition. I typically think a tent provides full protection. with a roof, walls, and floor. There are single wall and double walled tents.

the earliest tarptents had a tarp for a roof which was combined with netting to keep bugs out, and sometimes had an integrated floor. These days they can be quite a bit more sophisticated which makes it hard to know whether to call something a tarptent or tent.

I have started to lump them together and call them ultralight shelters.

–Mark

[kevperro .]

Better to just drop all the classifications and call them all shelters.

Tarps: Two categories…. flat, and shaped. They have no floor.

Tents…. anything with a door and a floor to me is a tent and a Tarp Tent is a brand of tents as far as I'm concerned.

[James Marco]

Ha ha, a really good question.
Definitions are NOT dictionary definitions.

Tarp: The basic roof over your head, protects against rain.

Tarp/tent: starts with a tarp and also has mesh for bug protection.

Bug tent: Is only a mesh body, does not protect against rain.

Tent: starts with a tarp or fly, but also has a floor.

Soo, a tarp/tent with a floor is actually a tent. A tarp with perimiter netting is a tarp/tent. Many of the "tents" available, are actually bug tents covered by a tarp.

The difference between a tarp and a fly is that a tarp can be set up alone. A fly cannot be.

This is how I look at them anyway. These are general descriptions, by USA usage.

[Mark Ryan]

Tents- Double-walled (rainfly)
Tarptent- Single-walled

[BPLwiia]

Kevin's post sums it up best to my thinking.

[Franco Darioli]

Good observation.

The original Tarptent (the one that became the Virga) was a floorless shaped tarp, so very much as the name suggests an in between a tarp and a tent.
Then a floor was added making them fully bug proof, a bit more like a tent.
With the Rainbow having a mesh door and a fully enclosed vestibule, Henry had an hybrid a bit closer again to a tent.
Now with the Scarp 1 and 2 and the Hogback (all double wall ) some Tarptents are really light weight tents.
But you can still get simple one wall fully enclosed tarp like the Contrail,Squall,Rainshadow and a few other.
So the brand name is not really indicative of what you get in the same manner that not all Volkswagen are "the people's car" any longer but why change a known name…
Franco
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A bit of trivia..
The Sharp corporation got its name from one of the original products : a pencil.
Has anyone seen a Sharp pencil of late ?

[spelt with a t]

I wanted to thank everyone who replied here. Between your answers and more research I now have a much better idea what sort of shelters are out there. I don't know why this seemed important, since I have a hammock and I'm not buying any other shelters in the near future, but for some reason I really wanted to know.

[Steven McAllister]

A tent is what you get when you set up a tarp as a shelter.
Tents have been around for a very long time and only recently had attached floor, bug mesh, etc…

A Tarptent is a brand of tent.

[Ross Bleakney]

A tent is used in the frontcountry, a tarp is used in the backcountry, and a tarptent is used in the slackcountry. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. :)

In case you don't get the joke: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=41808&nid=355498

But seriously folks, phrases evolve and begin to blur. They are still often used to generally mean one thing or another, but it is best to figure out exactly what is in the thing (such as a floor or bug netting) before buying.

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