Poncho Tarp 101 with bug bivy (SUL)

Good job Monty

Great post Monte.  I have the same GoLite Poncho trap and am curious about using an internal ridgeline the way you have it pre-arranged.  Can you elaborate on how you sequence setting up the internal ridgeline/prusiks + poles + 2 black ridgeline stakeouts?  Thanks.

Good post. My 9×9 membrane silpoly tarp and net tent also weighed in just under 20oz, but I did not have a poncho option with that. I have since repurposed the tarp into a single wall pyramid shelter weighing 16oz, so could theoretically get away with that and a light poncho or jacket for the same weight. It is a little bit short for my 6’1” frame, but I like the side entry more than the front entry (back problems).

Thank you Michael and Michael. I’ll try to better clarify what I do with the ridgeline. First of all, the loops you see created on each end of the ridgeline are made with bowline hitches.

Next the metal ring that I have tied 12″ from the front end of ridgeline is done with a simple overhand knot.

I tie the 2 long black spectra lines (that anchor front and back of the shelter) to the loops on each end of the ridgeline with a bowline hitch.

It’s best to make your prusik loops with a fisherman’s knot. I used a simpler, but not as good knot in the pics I posted. You can see a fisherman’s knot on animatedknots.com. Anyway, this diagram shows how to wrap the prusick knot around your ridgeline. Then make sure wooden toggle is BEHIND the grosgrain tieout. And make loop just barely large enough to fit the wooden toggle in it. You might have to experiment a little. I’ll try to find the Corporal’s Corner video on YouTube which shows exactly how to do it.

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I secure the long black spectra lines around my poles with a clove hitch.https://www.animatedknots.com/clove-hitch-knot-half-hitches

I also use a micro linelock on each of the long black spectra lines.https://zpacks.com/products/micro-lineloc

I hope I’ve shed some light on the questions you asked Michael. If you want to ask more feel free to do so. Glad to help.

Very helpful, thanks Monte.  I follow how all the pieces are connected at the ridge: looks like you have the GoLite tieout (black grosgrain), then a small yellow spectra loop which is loced with the toggle to the prusik loop, and then the ridgelines are attached by bowlines.

But I’m still not totally clear on the order of your setup–do you set up the two poles first, tensioned against each other, and then throw the tarp over the (tensioned) internal ridgeline and pull it taut with the prusik loops, stake out corners/sides?

I am  probably missing something obvious, and should just go outside and try it . . .

I know this is a personal preference thing, but have you tried both internal and external ridgelines, and have you any thoughts to share on your experience? I would think I would run it outside the tarp unless I thought I was going to get snowed on. I’d hope to have a different shelter for snow, however, so that probably is a moot point for me.

Michael B – Inside the tarp allows you to hang your bivy/net tent from the ridgeline.  I’ve never tried outside, but without a center pullout I’d think the poncho would sag more.

Michael – I forgot to mention about the small yellow spectra loop on grosgrain. I do that because the prusik/toogle doesn’t work with a tieout sewn on the way you see with Golote ponchos (without the extra little loop). To start my pitch I stake 2 rear corner tieouts directly to the ground and then move to front and try to keep toggles in place. There’s a fiddle factor, however, practice makes it much easier.

Yea Michael, most tarps have tioeouts sewn on to where you don’t need to add the little loop. I was thinking about those others when I was describing where to place the toggle. Dope!

Monte – that all makes sense.  I’ll have to give your setup a try this weekend.  Very cool post!

That looks like a sweet setup. Great job.

I am trying to dial in a down and dirty kit for peak bagging. I have a Katabatic Pinon bivy 7.6oz and I was gifted a Hexamid pocket tarp – 6.1oz. Stakes are 1.5oz. While not the lightest shelter having it quasi-modular allows me to setup one or the other depending on weather, etc. The bivy can really open up site selection choices that you don’t have with a non-freestanding tent or even the tarp.

Seeing Monte’s well pitched tarp/bug net setup reminded me once again why I no longer do tarps.

My Tarptent NOTCH Li sets up fast and weighs very little at around 22 oz with the add-on pole handle pockets. If I get caught in a late shoulder season snow here in Nevada’s or Utah’s mountains I know it will keep out any spindrift with its solid lower wall fabric. But on hot summer nights having two vestibules open adds a lot to the lower end vents and 2 peak vents.  Oh, and I dislike using ponchos so there’s that.

I’m w/ Eric on this one; did the tarp/light bivy for close to a decade, but when they (Tarptent specifically) came out w/ full tents in Dyneema that was the end of the tarp/bivy.

My Aeon Li with longer stakes and slightly heavier guy lines weighs all of 19 oz WITH a full bath tab floor, bug netting all around and a decent sized vestibule.

I still occasionally cowboy camp on my pad as it’s only a matter of a couple of minutes to setup the tent if the weather changes.

I get why tarp and bivy isn’t as appealing nowadays with the availability ultralight DCF tents, but can you also wear them as rain gear? That’s the rationale for the poncho tarp. But really if I wanted something to serve double duty as shelter and raingear I’d probably lean more toward the Liteway Poncho Pyraomm . Much like the Gatewood Cape but better (as long as you’re not over 6′ tall). To me the Gatewood was too much like wearing a tent because that’s basically what you’re doing. Also the Gatewood is made with stretchy, saggy 15D silnylon vs 20D silpoly for the Liteway….and the Poncho Pyraomm has a smaller footprint. https://liteway.equipment/shelters/poncho-pyraomm

• I can’t put on a raincoat without removing my pack.
• A coat doesn’t cover my pack or the gap between the pack and my back.
• A poncho has more air flow.
• Even with a tent, a tarp is handy. It can provide windbreak. It provides a means to sit outside. It helps with condensation in a single wall tent.
• A bright color provides better visibility in harsh weather or for being located in an emergency, yet still small enough to be semi stealth.
• A tarp with a bivy is more versatile than most tents.

I want to echo a couple of the points Terran raised above, mainly that a poncho is a better pack cover than a dedicated cover as it keeps your straps and back dry. Also, you don’t have your pack straps trapping sweat against your chest and armpits and back. Pit- and chest-zips can only do so much.

I’ve used a GWC for about 20 years, but once it finally wears out I will give the Liteway another look. I like the pyramid shape because I can sit up in the center, have a vestibule, and reach anywhere inside. I choose either a splash bivy or net inner depending on how cold it may get, but one plus for the bivy is that I can unzip and have more headroom than the net.

It never gets discussed (I’m at a loss for why because its about the lightest durable full coverage poncho that still functions as a (small) emergency shelter) but the Sea to Summit Poncho tarp ticks all the right boxes.  I love the thing.  The blue is highly visible.

@ Daivd D

Yea the S2S Nano Tarp Poncho and the discontinued GoLite are practically the same in terms of dimensions, fabric (15D silnylon) and weight. The S2S is supreme quality material.

Some people prefer the MLD Pro Poncho for its extra size in tarp mode, but I find it to be a bit large and cumbersome to wear. The older MLD rectangular ponchos 62″ X 108″ were probably the optimum balance in terms of wearability and tarp coverage, however they were heavy with their 30D sil/sil nylon 66. They came in a medium and large which helped fit to one’s size.

I understand why so many ultralight backpackers prefer DCF tents, but I think the versatility component of tarps and bivys/net tents is often overlooked. Lets say you’re on the AZT and you want to take a break from the beating sun. Trees and large bushes are almost non-existent. Setting up a tent is not only very time consuming and involved, but it also turns into an oven. With a flat tarp on the other hand a quick, open and airy sunblock can be erected in short order. Or how about you’re hiking along and a heavy rain pops up and you want to hunker down under cover? Again the flat tarp goes up quickly (with practice). I think a lot of people give up on tarps because they never get past the learning curve needed to make things easier. It certainly takes trail and error to get handy with a tarp and adaptability is an acquired skill, but it’s often worth it. Of course if caught out in a major blowing rain I wish I was in a tent, otherwise the tent feels too contained in warmer temps.

Monte, the ultrasil material has proven pretty durable.  It would be interesting to see what a full zip rain coat with huge pit zips would perform like made from it.  Maybe it’s not durable enough to go under straps