Foot of Bivy sticking out of tarp?

This is why I ended up switching to a Trailstar from a 2-person tarp. Tarps are great, but there isn't that much room to do anything other than lie down underneath when the weather is bad and you have it pitched low. The Trailstar is big enough to actually set your stuff up, have room to cook, sit up, change clothes, etc. underneath, even when it's pitched low for bad weather. The price is that it takes up more space, but that's exactly what you want when it's raining.

Get a 10×10 or even a 12×12 tarp and pitch it high, like a canopy. Plenty of room to set down your gear, change clothes, and cook a meal.

If the weather is bad enough that you can't pitch it up high, then you would probably be better off with a more enclosed shelter.

imo, tarps are luxurious for camping in well forested areas. They are less useful when exposed on ridges and above the treeline.

You're describing our current predicament exactly!

Three weeks ago we had an awesome campsite with the tarp and bivy and perfect conditions for setting it up:

In contrast, this past weekend we had a really tough time getting our sleep system set up without kneeling slightly outside the tarp on this exposed ridge when there was a wintry mix coming down (the tarp is slightly illuminated by my wife's headlamp while she is packing up in the morning):

We had adequate wind protection though even on the ridge and were warm and dry during the night — the problem was just that we lacked an effective vestibule. My beef with tents is similar to my current problem with tarp camping though, I can't get a big enough vestibule on a tent (except maybe on a Hilleberg Tunnel Tent or a BA Wyoming Trail) that it actually allows me to transition from wet guy with rain gear on to dry guy in long underwear getting into my sleeping bag in a protected environment where I won't get my sleeping gear wet.

That has always been a quandary for me: you buy a spartan shelter like a plain tarp and then you take two steps back to buy and carry a bivy to make it a reliable shelter.

That's why shaped tarps have been developed, progressing from small beaks to floorless tents with 360 degree coverage.

For basic two person shelter with more weather protection and lining space, I would look at the following these loose categories:

A-frame 2-pole tents like the GoLite Shangi-la, MSR Twin Sisters or Black Diamond Beta Light

Single pole mids and modified tipis

Hybrid floorless tents with inserts available like those offered by Tarp Tents and Six Moon Designs.

I would go with a bigger tarp. I am in the southeast, like you. I would not consider an event bivy around here. Its likely to be sweaty.
I think ventilation is key in the southeast. I mostly use a trailstar even solo so that I have all that room to spread out when it rains. Its big enough that you don't even have to have a bivy. I rarely carry a bivy. The trailstar is plenty of room for 2 to spread way out; you can house 3 but 2 is ideal.
The biggest downside is that there may be times where you have trouble finding room to pitch it. So far, I have not had that problem.

That tarp looks too small.
If you want to stick with tarp camping, I would get a much bigger tarp which would give you an effective "vestibule" to stash all of your gear (especially important to have an area to put your wet gear so it isn't touching your dry stuff) and plenty of room to change clothes. A large ground sheet helps a lot. Consider tying ridge line off to trees instead of propping them on trekking poles, this lets you get a much higher pitch.

There are many different set ups you can do with a tarp. It's an art form and takes a lifetime to learn everything. Be flexible and versatile.
Check out this article for some ideas: http://sectionhiker.com/square-tarp-pitches/

A versatile tarp should ideally be square, not rectangular. It should have at least 5 grommets/tabs on each side. A couple tabs on top near the ridge line is important too for raising the ceiling.

Here are some pictures of tarps set ups that we have done:


This one is probably the most storm ready set up,


Classic lean-to with a small tarp.

The plow point, this is a favorite of mine. It only requires one high spot and minimal cordage for staking it out.

When it comes down to it, a large enough tarp for bad weather is usually the same weight or slightly heavier than some of the enclosed ultralight shelters. For me it's all about the versatility.

Completely agree with Justin that the solution is a larger tarp. I prefer shaped tarps like the Trailstar, but either would work.

"Our problem is entering and exiting the tarp when raining.
I had a vision when we started tarp camping that if we were hiking in the rain and were ready to stop for the day, we'd set up the tarp, get underneath it, and then unpack our bivies, mats, sleeping bags, etc."

get a Tarptent Strato Spire 2 and you will be able to do exactly what you had in mind.
Sure it is 40oz (with mesh inner and stakes) but goes up in two minutes and then you have plenty of protected space to sit up under,get changed and fiddle about.
No crawling in and out,plenty of view if you want or fully enclosed when you need.

3 of the mats are 6" long, all inside the drip line.

BTW, you can buy the SS2 tarp only (as in the photo) 25 oz.

franco@tarptent

A bigger tarp with your current bivies will be much lighter than your current tarp with eVent bivies, and you'll be better off in windy conditions besides.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, it is extremely helpful. I'm going with a bigger tarp or maybe switching to a tarptent.