Flat or Cat Tarp for PCT?

Flat tarp. More versatile for different places and situations. I used mine till Oregon, then switched to my mid.

Yep, I agree with the flat tarp recommendation. Even though you have a bivy, the added wind blocking of a flat tarp works for me.

People have used both though. I think it comes down to pitching preference and how much wind resistance you prefer.

Have fun out there!

Thanks for the advice, you two! What size would you recommend? I’ve been waiting on this trip for 2 years, with 1 left to go. Not a day (or hour for that matter) goes by that I don’t daydream about it. So, essentially, I’m well on my way to complete and utter madness!

I would use an 8′ X 10′ and leave the bivy at home, bringing a headnet starting at Kennedy Meadows or even later.

I decided on a cat tarp for this year just because while I prefer a flat tarp normally I didn’t want to have to think too much about setup after long days – especially since I’ll only be setting it up when the weather is rough and I’ll want it up quick. Also with cuben the general consensus seems to be that cat works better as there is no stretch to the fabric… I’ll see how I go, very likely I’ll sell the cat tarp after the hike in favour of a flat tarp for when I’m a bit more relaxed about time…

In terms of size – I went for the grace duo as it had a listed weight of less than 2oz more than the solo but would allow me to not carry a bivy (will take a 3oz S2S nano bug net) … I’m also 6’3″ and didn’t like the idea of how low a solo tarp may need to be pitched in inclement weather…

Edit: 2016 pricing and weights on cuben grace tarps has been updated… 0.75 option is now heavier than the one I bought – that might be updated design or just a more accurate listing… or was it previously 0.7 not 0.75? Anyway, the delta between solo and duo is now 2.5oz in the ‘traditional’ cuben… still a strong case for the duo

I’m five foot eleven and use the 8.5 X 8.5 square cuben tarp. And I take my bivy. But only if I’m counting ounces and the weather forecast is mostly dry. Lachlan I’d go with the duo if I was as tall as you. The thing about tarps is when you configure them in any other way other than pup tent style there really isn’t as much room as you’d think, like the flying diamond. If you can find landscape you can use as a backdrop it’s nice, like boulders or logs, but it’s never around when you need it, like before a stormy night. I spent a night on the north side of Fuller Ridge in 70 mph winds and I was so thankful I had switched my tarp for a Yama Tent at the time, anything else would have been hypothermia risk as it rained, snowed and sleeted all night and there was no cover except a dip in the ground. I’ve tried all kinds of tarp configurations and ya at the end of a long day it’s just another annoyance to deal with. My 8.5 is just barely enough for a rainy day or stormy night and that’s IF I find a good spot. I used my tarp for all of the AZT as it was August and September. And I use my umbrella in the doorway or at the side where the wind may shift. That’s why I have come to love my mid tents so much, the duo is plenty of room and isn’t such a crazy PITB to pitch in a stormy situation, you can really nail the tent down tight for deluge weather, and is nice if I’m stuck somewhere for a while waiting out storms. The solo mids are just barely enough room and I sleep with my pack under my legs. And in cuben the difference in tarps that are larger and the mid is not that much. So you just got to figure out what you are willing to deal with at the end of a day hiking and what weights are acceptable for each hike. On the PCT anything can happen and you don’t always end up where you think you will for the night, and it’s NOT just wind and rain, sand can blow so hard at night it’s amazing where you find it the next day. :-)

Cuban seems to make the most sense. An 8’X10′ tarp is versatile but given my druthers I’d go for a single wall “tarp tent” for the same reason Lachlan went with a cat tarp. At the end of a hard day on the trail fast setup is everything.

Good point on your umbrella as a door – I’m planning something similar; got a matching large cuben rain kilt from MLD that I should be able to block most of the foot end with if it’s really coming down.

I like having something big enough that at the end of a cold rainy day, which you may or may not get, I can get under my shelter with my pack and do my gear sorting out of the weather. This includes enough headroom to sit up and enough space to have my pack in with me. It doesn’t have to be huge, I managed this in a Wild Oasis though it was pretty tight.

Great feedback, ya’ll! I think I may have gone a bit small on my tarp, HMG 6’x8′, for my 6′ 205 frame. Looks like some lucky smaller person will get it in the gear swap. Thanks for all of the words of wisdom!